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Luke 16:19-31
"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day."And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. "And he cried out and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' ""But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' "And he said, "Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house for I have five brothersin order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' ""But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.""But he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' ""But he said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'''"

JM

so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'

Thank you for finding the passage for me. I know the stories from all those years of hearing them at Mass, but bow to you guys' superior recall of chapter and verse.

I brought over the passage you highlighted. This story shows pretty clearly a man in hell and a man in "the limbo of the fathers." (That was the waiting area for righteous folks before Jesus came and opened Heaven.) And there is no way to bridge the gap between those damned and those saved.

So what does this have to do with Purgatory? Are you under the illusion that Catholics think that people in hell can be saved?

(Becky, this is definitely not "purgatory." I don't know who told you that. And whether it is literally true or a parable doesn't seem to make a difference.)