Catholic

Almanac:

Tuesday, April 3
Liturgical Color: Violet
Pope Honorius IV died on this day in 1287. His election as pope was one of the quickest in history. In 1285, he was unanimously elected to the papacy on the first vote only 5 days after the death of Pope Martin IV.

What is purgatory?

What is heaven?

Heaven is the endless moment of love. Nothing more separates us from God, whom our soul loves and has sought our whole life long. Together with all the angels and saints we will be able to rejoice forever in and with God.

If you have ever observed a couple looking at each other lovingly or seen a baby nursing who looks for his mother's eyes as though it wanted to store up every smile forever, then you have some inkling of heaven. To be able to see God face to face - that is like one, single, never-ending moment of love.

What is purgatory?

Purgatory, often imagined as a place, is actually a condition. Someone who dies in God's grace (and therefore at peace with God and men) but who still needs purification before he can see God face to face is in purgatory.

When Peter had betrayed Jesus, the Lord turned around and looked at Peter: "And Peter went out and wept bitterly"a feeling like being in purgatory. Just such a purgatory probably awaits most of us at the moment of our death: the Lord looks at us full of loveand we experience burning shame and painful remorse over our wicked or "merely" unloving behavior. Only after this purifying pain will we be capable of meeting his loving gaze in untroubled heavenly joy. (YOUCAT 158-159)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (1023-1031) and other references here.