Posted on 06/10/2004 12:25:02 PM PDT by AskStPhilomena
Because of the heresy of Martin Luther, the idea of Purgatory has long been considered a myth of the Catholic Church - a medieval myth. You'll note anyone seeking to advance the modernist, Masonic, One World New Order agenda will most always label traditional practices as "medieval." No, the whole 'medieval' smear is exactly what modernists are so adept at: inaccuracies and lies…
Why is it that something so fundamental to Church dogma has been abandoned? Just as there are Three Persons in One God, the Triune Divinity, so also there are three components in One Communion of Saints. Those are, of course, the Church Triumphant - the saints in Heaven; the Church Militant - all those baptized faithful believers on earth, and the Church Suffering - all those who are waiting to be purified before entering the Heavenly realm.
Yes, Virginia, Purgatory does exist. And the sooner all realize that and begin to fulfill the duty that we as members of the Church Militant have - praying for the poor souls - the sooner they'll be freed and can then intercede for us. Heavens knows all of us here on earth need help!
So while we wile away our time trying to find ways to save time, why don't we make the resolution to rededicate our efforts to helping those who, in the long run, will help us the most, those who have just entered Heaven. They're so grateful that they will go to great lengths to show their gratitude by interceding before the Beatific Vision. Fresh prayers from new holy recruits. A refreshing idea.
I have news for all, and yes, I'm even speaking to "the choir" here - none of us does as much as we should for the Poor Souls.
While we focus so much attention on the events of the day both in the world with war and terrorism, natural and man-made disasters, greed, graft, sodomy run amok, adultery and pornography seeping into every fabric of life, the rampant materialism, what we really need to do is find time to meditate on the question - What is really important? Yes, our family's welfare is important, but as I have gone to the mat several times with my sons when they have asked for things that are not good for them, the most important role I have in life other than the welfare of my own soul and my wife's soul is their spiritual welfare. What it basically comes down to is this: Nothing else matters!
Jesus said that so very clearly in Matthew 16: 26,
"For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, with His angels: and then will He render to every man according to His works."
As an aside, that last doctrine by Our Lord totally anathematizes the protestant belief of sola Scriptura or sola Fidei [only the Scriptures or only the Faith saves]. Your works count in your salvation, and those works include helping the suffering souls in Purgatory.
(Excerpt) Read more at traditioninaction.org ...
Not only prayer, but one can also give up some of the unpleasantness in one's life (i.e., a toothache, back pain) for them. Or skip a meal once in a while for them.
Offering prayers and suffering for the souls in purgatory is a daily part of my life.
Thanks for highlighting the many ways to help suffering souls. For people with a particular interest in this subject, here's yet another suggestion:
http://web.1earth.net/~foss/
Well, this should be a relatively easy matter. Given that saying the Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said (http://www.catholicspot.com/purgatory.htm), and assuming a cumulative world population of 106,456,367,669 (http://www.prb.org/Content/ContentGroups/PTarticle/0ct-Dec02/How_Many_People_Have_Ever_Lived_on_Earth_.htm), and with a current world population of Catholics of 1 billion, only 1 out of ten Catholics would have to say the prayer once to empty out the place (even assuming everyone that ever lived is in purgatory- obviously not the case).
Alternatively, we could take Jesus at his Word when he said "It is finished".
Good Luck getting us to do that!
Why did Christ die?
41 Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden.
42 And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain.
43 And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection.
44 (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,)
45 And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.
46 It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.
I would be happy to pray the prayers, but your links don't work.:)
bookmark.
Apparently so you could set yourself up as the final authority in religion.
lol....snort....lol
A short story by me.
2 1/2 years ago I found my long lost cousin and his family after 40 years. He died within the year and was burried in St Gertrude's Cemetery in New Jersey.
I believe it was the will of God for me to see him in his last year and pray for his soul until my death.
I say 10 prayers on the Web site everyday plus the Rosary for the souls in Purgatory. I kow the ones I pray for will be praying for me in heaven when they arrive.
Sorry. Cut-'n-paste the links without the parentheses.
I won't claim this as my argument, these are excerpts from:
http://www.catholic.com/library/purgatory.asp
"Purgatory Not in Scripture"
"The word purgatory is nowhere found in Scripture." This is true, and yet it does not disprove the existence of purgatory or the fact that belief in it has always been part of Church teaching. The words Trinity and Incarnation aren’t in Scripture either, yet those doctrines are clearly taught in it.
Christ refers to the sinner who "will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matt. 12:32), suggesting that one can be freed after death of the consequences of one’s sins. Similarly, Paul tells us that, when we are judged, each man’s work will be tried. And what happens if a righteous man’s work fails the test? "He will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor 3:15). Now this loss, this penalty, can’t refer to consignment to hell, since no one is saved there; and heaven can’t be meant, since there is no suffering ("fire") there. The Catholic doctrine of purgatory explains this passage.
Why Go To Purgatory?
Why would anyone go to purgatory? To be cleansed, for "nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]" (Rev. 21:27). Anyone who has not been completely freed of sin and its effects is, to some extent, "unclean." Through repentance he may have gained the grace needed to be worthy of heaven, which is to say, he has been forgiven and his soul is spiritually alive. But that’s not sufficient for gaining entrance into heaven. He needs to be cleansed completely.
An article in Jimmy Swaggart’s magazine, The Evangelist, put it, that "Scripture clearly reveals that all the demands of divine justice on the sinner have been completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It also reveals that Christ has totally redeemed, or purchased back, that which was lost. The advocates of a purgatory (and the necessity of prayer for the dead) say, in effect, that the redemption of Christ was incomplete. . . . It has all been done for us by Jesus Christ, there is nothing to be added or done by man."
It is entirely correct to say that Christ accomplished all of our salvation for us on the cross. But that does not settle the question of how this redemption is applied to us. Scripture reveals that it is applied to us over the course of time through, among other things, the process of sanctification through which the Christian is made holy. Sanctification involves suffering (Rom. 5:3–5), and purgatory is the final stage of sanctification that some of us need to undergo before we enter heaven. Purgatory is the final phase of Christ’s applying to us the purifying redemption that he accomplished for us by his death on the cross.
No Contradiction
The resistance to the biblical doctrine of purgatory presumes there is a contradiction between Christ’s redeeming us on the cross and the process by which we are sanctified. There isn’t. And we cannot say that suffering in the final stage of sanctification conflicts with the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement without saying that suffering in the early stages of sanctification also presents a similar conflict. Our suffering in sanctification does not take away from the cross. Rather, the cross produces our sanctification, which results in our suffering, because "[f]or the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11).
Nothing Unclean
Purgatory makes sense because there is a requirement that a soul not just be declared to be clean, but actually be clean, before a man may enter into eternal life. After all, if a guilty soul is merely "covered," if its sinful state still exists but is officially ignored, then it is still a guilty soul. It is still unclean.
Catholic theology takes seriously the notion that "nothing unclean shall enter heaven." From this it is inferred that a less than cleansed soul, even if "covered," remains a dirty soul and isn’t fit for heaven. It needs to be cleansed or "purged" of its remaining imperfections. The cleansing occurs in purgatory. Indeed, the necessity of the purging is taught in other passages of Scripture, such as 2 Thessalonians 2:13, which declares that God chose us "to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit." Sanctification is thus not an option, something that may or may not happen before one gets into heaven. It is an absolute requirement, as Hebrews 12:14 states that we must strive "for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."
Ah, yes, the Apocrypha. You accept it. I don't. Simple enough.
Back to purgatory- can any Catholic explain why the formula I described in my previous post wouldn't work? Why is there a single soul still in purgatory??
Thanks will read completely and also look up your references.
I am a "born again" Christian, so for me its ya or nay. But I am interested.
Sin was judged on the Cross. Forgiveness comes at the moment of salvation. Post-salvation sin is forgiven upon confession and repentence, returning to God. God, being gracious, returns into fellowship with the believer. The soul and spirit, while in fellowship with God continue to be sanctified.
Christ was judged for sin on the cross, but evil was not judged. Evil will be determined and judged over time.
Much of the concept of purgatory is not Scriptural. Rather as a construct of religion, attempting to influence believers after post salvation sin, by reasoning and threats of suffering after the first death, the religious construct itself fails to manifest an understanding of God's policy of grace, holiness, judgment and righteousness.
For the believer, nothing will separate him from the love of God. Once we suffer the first death, we are face to face with the Lord. Even a believer who has suffered the sin unto death, still has salvation, merely much of his inheritance which had been predestined for him, will go unclaimed due to the disobedient believer's willful rejection of God's plan for him. Those unclaimed blessings will leave an eternal memorial as to the consequence of good an evil performed outside the will of God.
The does exist an outer place similar in concept to Purgatory, although it is reserved for unbelievers after the first death, prior to the Great White Throne Judgment. It is referenced in Scripture as the Torments, a compartment of Hades.
Well, I hope all Christians consider themselves born again, I seem to recall Someone telling us we had to be born again. I think we're all in this thing together.
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