As Our Lord has said once that nothing unclean can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, most of the souls, after they leave the body in death, are not found ready and have to be purified in Purgatory from the last stain of sin.
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I **respectfully** ask the following:
Is there any reference in the Bible for purgatory?
Since there are very few perfect Christians ( we must be perfected in Christ) I would think that Catholics would be terrified of death. Instead of peace in the arms of Jesus they would think they would be facing the suffering of purgatory.
This thread is about All Saints Day. Not All Souls Day.
Is there any reference in the Bible for Sola Scriptura?
Purgatory isn't so much a place as a condition. Once bapitized, we receive new life is Christ; therefore, we cannot die. When our spirits leave our bodies, we go not to the place of the dead (Hades), but to our Lord in Heaven. Christ's death and resurrection pays our way, so to speak, cancelling out the guilt of our mortal sins. Few of us, however, are in a state of perfection when we die; even though we are saved from our sins themselves, we still bear upon ourselves the natural consequences of our sins — the stains upon our souls created by our sins. Since only that which is perfect can enter the Presence of God, these stains must be cleansed before we "arrive" in Heaven. As we approach the Almighty, the Force of His divine Love "burns away" these stains; the pain we experience in the process is real, but it is tempered by the joy we feel as we approach the Savior. Then, as the holy fire of the Lord purges us of our last links to sin and death, we enter His Presence, spotless.
Imagine a man who had led a good and holy life dies. He has loved Jesus, his neighbor, and his fellow man all his life, and has sacrificed everything for God, enduring great suffering in so doing. He goes to Heaven, right? Of course. Now imagine another man who has been evil for his entire life suddenly seeing the light while on his deathbed. He accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, is baptized, and dies. His soul goes to Heaven as well. Is it right that both men receive the same treatment in the afterlife? True, both are saved, but the formerly evil man still carries on his soul the damage done to it by every act of evil he ever did. It only makes sense that the formerly wicked man should be completely perfected before he sees the Face of God. That purification is called Purgatory.
I sometimes imagine that Purgatory will be something like a movie of my life on Earth, in which every detail of every sin will be relived in excruciating exactness. Every pain I caused to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, every time I insulted the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady, every time I disrespected the Saints, created scandal, or failed to love my neighbor will be experienced by me once more. I will be made to feel the pain of every person I used, hurt, or treated as less than human during my life. As I am drawn to the Savior in Heaven, the Light will become so bright that every stain on my soul will be revealed in its blinding light, and I will writhe in shame at my appearance in contrast to the perfection of our Lord.
And then a voice will say, "All these, I forgive. I give you new raiment, washed white as snow. Enter into the joy of the Lord, my son." The suffering will be over. With joy, I will release my stained garment and become perfect, as He is perfect.