In all sincerity...
Cathloic = Catholic
FR still doesn't have an article preview that includes the thread title.....
I'd like to know what is considered necessary for a Catholic to at least enter Purgatory upon death
Not to die in a state of mortal sin.
One thing is that you just won't know, as you won't know what was in this relative's heart at the hour of his/her death.
The Lord promised great mercy to all who call upon His name, as reported her from a dialogue with St. Faustina:
Our Lord said to the servant of God, Sr. Faustina: "Unceasingly recite this chaplet that I have taught you. Whover will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death ... Priests will recommend it to sinners as a last hope of salvation. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this chaplet even once, will receive grace from my infinite mercy. Oh, what graces I will grant souls who will recite this chaplet... By means of it you can ask and obtain anything if what you ask will be compatible with my will.... I want the whole world to know my infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in my mercy...
So hope is not lost...
I am very sorry for your loss, fishtank. I wouldn't think of turning it into a theological debate.
I'm a Roman Catholic who does not believe in purgatory. I'd like to think that most of my loved ones have gone to heaven. If they haven't, I certainly would not know now and when I die, it wouldn't matter then. My father died a few years ago and I just take it for granted that he went to heaven. Don't spend too much time torturing yourself over this more than the natural time of grieving allows. God bless.
Condolences on your loss!
As someone said, not to die in a state of mortal sin - that is, unrepented, willful, deliberate sin, involving a serious matter.
Something that comforts me over my relatives is to think of the image used by C.S. Lewis in describing judgment: The person who has died comes face to face with the Lord Jesus. Either he loves Jesus on sight, because (whatever the person's individual failings, weaknesses, damage, etc.) he longed for truth, beauty, goodness, and holiness ... or he will hate Jesus on sight, because in his life he deliberately rejected all that Jesus is and represents.
The person who loves Jesus will at some point be united with Him in Heaven, perhaps after suffering purgation (cleansing from the effects of sin, and remaining self-love.) The person who hates Jesus when he meets Him will be unable to be near Him, ever.
Keeping it simple - We are a pilgrim Church, we do not have all the answers. Scripture says "Only the perfect shall enter heaven " but we know most of us when we die will not be perfect - yet we believe we will somehow enter heaven.
Logic then says there must be some manner of purification, maybe suffering, maybe an infusion of God's redeeming grace - who knows. For lack of a better explanation over the years this situation of "becoming perfect" has been called purgatory. Maybe in time we will get a better way of explaining it.
Of course the dogmatic among us will cite canon law, the catechism, mortal and venial sins etc, but I'm a simple pilgrim.
Please accept my condolences for your loss.
I'm not sure that now is the time for you to think about a theological point that you do not believe is even true and cannot affect in any event.
Peace in Christ
I see your question has been answered. In addition, I'd like to add that there are many levels of purgatory, as there are in hell and also heaven. We choose our destination of our own free will; ie., we are not "sent" there. Because when we die we know all our own sins and although they are "forgiven" already, we must be purified. If they weren't forgiven, we would never have any hope of attaining the purification of those sharing heaven with Our Lord and Almighty Father.
Purgatory gives us a final opportunity to make amends to God. It is a merciful opportunity to become holy. God sees through us - that we know in an abstract way. But it will become painfully obvious to us as we stand before Him during our judgment. If we are of a general persuasion towards God, we will greatly desire to correct ourselves in the eyes of our loving Father. We know this from our own life and loves. Don't we desire to be seen in a good light by our beloved? Doesn't a child greatly desire to be pleasing to their father? This is what love calls us to do - to make ourselves (with grace) fitting in God's eyes. Purgatory is a consoling belief that God continues to bring all things to Himself, even when we have not been very forward in trying to be what we are called to be.
Regards
-Theo
My aunt died not too long ago, and she received the last sacraments. But still, as a Catholic I confess to not having any idea of the final destination of her soul--whether she went to heaven or purgatory or hell.
But I find a great deal of comfort in praying for her soul...that whatever happens, God may have mercy upon her.
And I'll be the second person on this thread to cite C.S. Lewis . . . he points out that God exists outside of time, so that all of our heartfelt prayers for your relative, even if made after the actual event, will be seen by God from all time and thus applied where they are intended. I think a Divine Mercy Chaplet would be a really good idea, and I'll offer one for your relative.
. . . another thought. Scott Hahn, who was a Presbyterian minister before he converted to Catholicism, describes Purgatory as like your receiving an invitation to a beautiful party . . . but you've been cleaning the yard or digging a ditch and you're a mess! You need a bath, a shave, a shampoo, and some appropriate "wedding garments" . . . I hope to make it to Purgatory, I think I'll see a lot of my friends there. I would imagine that only the great saints would feel comfortable in the Divine Presence without some time to get their act together.
From my catechism days, so it might be dated - As long as you haven't a mortal sin with you when you go, you're in. Time is spent in pergatory for all the venial stuff. But there is only one way to go after pergatory. And that's to heaven.
All these feelings you have come from God, are pleasing to God, and are close to the heart of God. Jesus Christ has the same love, the same desire, the same willingness to "do anything," only 10,000 times more! Nobody could want the salvation of your loved one more than Jesus Christ Himself wants it. And He is powerful, powerful to save. Rescuing sinners is His specialty, and He is brilliant at it. "Savior" is His name!
God knows that, because of love, we want to be able to help each other out. That's what St. Paul's teaching about the Mystical Body of Christ is all about: we are like cells or organs or parts of Christ, and we DO help each other spiritually, all the time.
Go ahead and pray for your relative. I will pray, too. God hears these prayers outside of time and space; there is no "before" and "after" in eternity. Pray for the forgiveness of all of your relative's sins, however small or big they may be, and for his soul to be made beautiful, clean and bright and delightful to God, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Many of us will be glad to make it to Purgatory because that would mean that we will get to Heaven eventually.
I think you could find some good information on www.ewtn.com.
God bless you!
Luke 23:43 KJV And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.Unless Jesus was lying to the thief, then this notion of purgatory seems problematic.
...And because this was a matter of great importance, and an instance of amazing grace, that so vile a sinner, one of the chief of sinners, should immediately enter into the kingdom of God, and enjoy uninterrupted, and everlasting communion with him and that it might not be a matter of doubt with him, or others, Christ, who is the "Amen", the faithful witness, and truth itself, prefaces it after this manner: "verily I say unto thee"; it is truth, it may be depended on. This instance of grace stands on record, not to cherish sloth, indolence, security and presumption, but to encourage faith and hope in sensible sinners, in their last moments, and prevent despair. The Papists pretend to know this man's name; they say his name was Disma; and reckon him as a martyr, and have put him in the catalogue of saints, and fixed him on the "twenty fifth" of March.Given that these were among the last words Jesus spoke in His ministry and this thief was the last sinner He evangelized, I trust we can take Him at His word. That so much of the doctrines of grace are confirmed from this single statement by our Savior is a blessed teaching to us and an assurance of our security in Christ. Our Savior will save us as scipture promises and He has paid our full ransom in His own blood, once and for all.
(The story of the penitent thief has sometimes been considered the most surprising, the most suggestive, the most instructive incident in all the Gospel narrative. ... In the salvation of one of the thieves, vital theology finds one of its finest demonstrations.
Sacrementalism was refuted, for the thief was saved without recourse to baptism, the Lord's Supper, church, ceremony, or good works.
The dogma of purgatory was refuted, for this vile sinner was instantly transformed into a saint and made fit for paradise apart from his personal expiation of a single sin.
The teaching of universalism was refuted, for only one was saved of all who might have been saved. Jesus did not say, "Today shall ye be with me in paradise", but "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
The notion of soul-sleep was refuted, for the clear implication of the entire incident is that the redeemed thief would be in conscious fellowship with his Saviour in paradise even while his body disintegrated in some grave.
Too, it is doubtful whether any other gospel incident presents the plan of salvation more clearly or simply.--Dr. Charles R. Erdman)
I think at this point many answers have already been given. I wanted to give you my sympathies for your loss. Prayers are with you and your family. God bless!