“Please, look to the Church for the explanation of ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise.’”
Um...Why would I look to the (Catholic) Church when I’m not a Catholic? I already have the Bible, which is the literal Word of God. I don’t have need for a supplement.
Further, you keep saying that Purgatory is somehow biblical, and to check it out on the internet. I find your reluctance to give us the actual Scriptural support rather strange. I’ve studied the Bible for a number of years, and I’ve never seen Purgatory anywhere there. None of the early Apostles ever mention such a place. The Apostle Paul talked about absent from the body being present with the Lord. He wrote like 14 epistles, you’d think SOMEWHERE he would have mentioned this intermediary place called Purgatory.
And as for being a “suburb” of Heaven-I’ve never heard it put that way before. I was a Catholic the first 41 years of my life, and growing up in Catholic school, the nuns always taught us that Purgatory was a place with suffering similar to Hell. The only difference being it was temporary and not permanent. They also taught us that pretty much everybody had to spend some time there.
Obviously you are firmly committed to your belief system and I’m not gonna change your mind, so if you want to go on believing in everything the supposedly “infallible” Church tells you, that’s fine. I’ll stick to what the Bible says. And from what I read, I’m already justified by faith (Romans 5:1) and have no further need for purification, cause Christ paid it all.
Does that mean we can abuse this grace, as Apostle Paul said “God forbid!” To the contrary, those who think they can use Christianity as fire insurance to live any way they want were probably never saved in the first place. I think spiritual growth (good works) happens with every true believer. God is continually molding us more into the people He wants us to be.
Will we reach perfection this side of Heaven? No, and neither did Jesus’ mother Mary, the Apostle Paul, or any of the other saints. No human other than Christ has ever lived a sinless life. All sin and fall short of His glory (Rom 3:23). We all need a Savior, even Mary acknowledged this fact (Luke 1:47).
And Christ being the only perfect human being was the only one qualified to shed His blood for our sins. Which is why the formula for salvation is really quite simple; confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you are saved (Rom 10:9).
No need for any other mediators. No need to pray to dead human beings, no need to spend time in some phantom suburb of Heaven. If we are truly born again, then when we die (or if the Lord comes in our lifetime),we go straight to be with Him. End of story.
Please read my post #117. Purgatory is a purification to be Holy as God. Purgatory is different from Hell. I heard a Priest on television use the term ‘suburb’ to explain that Purgatory is NOT a ‘second chance.’ The term Trinity is not in scripture nor is the word Bible. Scripture has passages that describe the purification that occurs in Purgatory.
Humility is a gift of the Holy Spirit that enables a person to realize they are not as Perfect as Jesus Christ. In God's Blessings, we that cling to an attachment to sin can be purified in Heaven.
I've heard a Bishop a number of times describe Baptism as being ‘Born Again.’ The Catholic Church says Baptism can be obtained by water, or blood, or by desire. There is a Perfect description of being ‘Born Again’ in Baptism in the Gospels. Jesus Christ is Baptized in the River Jordan & the Holy Spirit descends on Him like a Dove.
May God Bless you & your family. I'll pray for you in my Rosary prayer. I know you already know Catholic teaching as you attended Catholic Schools. The Church doors are always open & the Eucharist is real.