Posted on 11/02/2014 3:14:08 PM PST by NYer
On All Souls Day, the Catholic Church offers prayers and liturgies for the repose of the dead. As Catholics, we are called by the Church to focus our spiritual energies to assist these poor souls, who, though saved, are still in need of purification. Our prayers and sacrifices assist them in this process of purification as a means used by God to communicate purifying grace to them. After all, He is the vine, we are the branches so that He produces his fruits of grace through us.
The practice of praying for the dead actually predates Christianity. In 2 Maccabees 12: 41-45, Judas offers prayers and sacrifices for his fallen comrades to make “atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” Some argue that the books of the Maccabees are not inspired scripture. Leaving that argument aside for now, we can at least look at them as historical books detailing accepted pious practices of God’s people some 300 years before Christ.
If that is the only place in the Bible where we find any reference to purgatory, many Protestant Christians argue, then that is a weak support for such a practice. Fortunately, we know as Catholics that all of our doctrines are indeed found in the Word of God, as is the doctrine of Purgatory. Hence what follows is a biblical understanding of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory.
The book of Genesis recounts for us the far reaching repercussions of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden. This sin, we find, brought about four consequences which I will summarize here (Gen 3: 16-24):
First, their sin brings about disharmony between persons. God tells Eve that both her relationship to her husband and children will now be characterized by pain and mistrust (Gen 3:16). Further, God has to make garments for man and woman because now, as the text implies, they feel shame (Gen 3:21).
Second, their sin brings about disharmony between man and creation. God tells Adam that he will produce the fruit of the earth with toil and difficulty (Gen 3: 17). Even the ground itself is cursed because of their sin (Gen 3: 17).
Third, their sin brings about disharmony between man and himself. He no longer has spiritual control over his body; thus, his body returns to the dust of the ground (Gen 3: 19). Adam and Eve are no longer able to receive everlasting life (Gen 3: 22).
Lastly and most importantly, sin brings disharmony between God and man. This consequence results in mistrust and fear of God (Gen 3: 10), and, worse, spiritual death. Without God, neither physical nor spiritual life can be sustained (Gen 3: 19, 24).
The first three disharmonies mentioned above are called ‘Temporal punishments due to sin.’ Temporal refers to things pertaining to this world. The last disharmony, the disharmony with God, is called eternal punishment, because it refers to things pertaining to the eternal world with God.
All four of these disharmonies are healed by Christ. The only healing we experience fully in this life, however, is from eternal punishment–or disharmony with God. That’s why Christ is the One Mediator between God and man.
It should be clear that we don’t experience a full healing from the temporal disharmonies/punishments as Christians, because we still struggle. We experience suffering, illness, catastrophes, and even death. Yet, Christ heals these problems, too, it’s just that we don’t experience the full healing in the temporal sphere until He returns.
Until then, we are called to struggle for His Kingdom. As St. Paul puts it, “But we have this treasure (the healing grace of salvation) in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” (2 Cor 7-10)
To overcome these temporal disharmonies, we are called to cooperate with Christ’s power in grace so as to bring about the healing with Him in these areas. This is why we are called to pray, fast, and alms give so as to forgive our neighbor’s sins and be forgiven, and to receive the reward promised by our heavenly Father that we will once again regain temporal peace/harmony on earth and in heaven (Mt 6:5-23).
What happens if we die and are reconciled to God (the eternal punishment for sin), but have not entirely cooperated with grace to overcome the temporal punishments for sin? St. Paul gives us the answer in 1 Cor 3: 12-16. He says that after death, our works will be tested “as though by fire, and the fire will test what kind of work we have done,” and we will suffer loss, though we will still be saved (1 Cor 3:13-15).
This is a very clear passage regarding the purification (which we call purgatory) that takes place after death. This fire purifies us from our temporal disharmonies mentioned above, if we die without having them entirely purified in this life.
There's a lot of stuff in that bible you may not be aware of...
And won't be completed in this life. As for faith alone, Ephesians 2:8-9. Where does Paul credit anything but faith, itself a gift?
I just said a Hail Mary for you. I hope you find peace.
All who find themselves in “Purgatory.”
Thank you for you eloquent response.
That too.
I read your post. The passages you picked do not prove the post you have somehow evaded referring to again.
The passages you chose, seem to work against your belief of salvation only through the RCC. All of the passages from the New Testament. Even the one found in James.
Basically, in this latest post, you have said a Christian must have more than just belief in and total faithful reliance on Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the Cross and what was verified by His resurrection from the dead.
Why isn’t Christ and Christ alone enough for an RC?
We have the 'real' presence...What happened to you???
Rom_8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom_8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom_8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
And the scripture doesn't mean God being in your stomach...
Petrosius, do you as an RC, believe a Christian must have more than just belief in and total faithful reliance on Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the Cross and what was verified by His resurrection from the dead in order to be saved from the second death?
Please answer directly. Please?
Caring for my eternal life isn't your bailiwick, friend. Never was; never will be. Suggestion, meant in the kindest, most Christian way:
shed your St. Paul-scales-dropping-facade and pray for your own soul.
God bless you and yours always.
You must be an OLD time person knowing Old Yeller. So sad; Travis had to shoot Old Yeller. Supposedly that was a first step towards adulthood for Travis. Snerf. Two Kleenex-boxes movie.
Do you not also believe this? Do you not believe the Bible?
Since you don’t answer my direct question to you, neither will I answer yours.
This isn't what other Catholic say...They say the merit comes from the prayin' and payin' they do for those in purgatory...
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.… And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Phil. 1:6, 9-11)
The work of our salvation is not completed until our love increases and we are filled, not just imputed, with the fruit of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ. Concerned only with our legalistic justification, Protestantism fails to recognize the greater mission of Jesus Christ, our sanctification.
This has nothing to do with salvation, but sanctification...And yes, we understand sanctification...
We are saved already...And because we are saved God will help us grow to understand his love for us...
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
And you erred here...
And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ
We are not working to become pure and blameless FOR the day of Christ...
Php 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Sincere does not mean pure...The hope is that we become sincere and without offense and maintain that sincerity til Jesus shows up or our life is over...We are not working to achieve something so that we may stay out of purgatory...
because Jesus (God) said that he didn't have to....
You want to mince words now? It should have been obvious that I wasn't speaking of confessed "mortal" sin. When someone "dies with mortal sin on their soul" means someone dies IN mortal sin with that sin NOT having been repented, confessed and penance done. From http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c1a8.htm#1846:
That is why I posed the question since there can BE no Purgatory for a person with unconfessed, unrepented, un-penanced mortal sin - they go straight to hell. Has this doctrine now changed in Catholicism or is it still the case?
Yer gonna have to try again...Your piece doesn’t mention mortal sins...It only mentions lesser faults...
What about the Freeper anti-Protestant bashers with their nastiness and hatred towards those not Catholic? Is that “un-Christian”, too?
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