Posted on 10/30/2014 2:54:21 PM PDT by NYer
Does purgatory still exist? Even though we don’t hear about it as much as in earlier times, Catholics do believe in purgatory. It is a matter of faith, supported by the Bible and tradition, clarified at the Council of Florence in 1439 and the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here is what we know about purgatory.
1. Purgatory exists: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states there are three states of the church, those who are living on earth, those who are in purgatory and those who are in heaven with God.
2. It is not a second chance: The soul is already saved. Purgatory is a place to pay off debts for sins that were forgiven but for which sufficient penance had not been done on earth.
3. It is not an actual place: Blessed John Paul II said in an Aug.4, 1999 general audience that purgatory was a state of being: “The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence.” Pope Benedict XVI said in a Jan. 12, 2011 general audience, “This is purgatory, an interior fire.”
4. Purgatory is not punishment but God’s mercy: “Few people can say they are prepared to stand before God,” says Susan Tassone, author of “Prayers, Promises, and Devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory” (Our Sunday Visitor, 2012). “If we didn’t have purgatory there would be very few people in heaven, because it would be heaven or hell. It is his mercy that allows us to prepare to be with him in heaven.”
5. Our prayers for the souls in purgatory help them achieve heaven: “The doctrine of purgatory recalls how radically we take love of neighbor,” says Sulpician Father Gladstone Stevens, vice rector and dean of men at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, Menlo Park. “The obligation to pray for each other does not cease when biological life ends. God wants us to always pray for each other, work for each other’s redemption.”
6. The souls in purgatory can intercede for those on earth but cannot pray for themselves: The Catechism of the Catholic Church (958) states: “… the church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; … Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.”
7. God does not send souls to purgatory – each soul sends itself to purgatory: Once a soul sees itself with the light of God, it realizes it cannot stay in his presence until all imperfections are wiped away.“The soul chooses,” Tassone says.
8. There is no fire in purgatory: But each soul is aflame with the pain of being separated from God and with the desire to be purified so it can be in the beatific vision. Each soul also feels joy knowing it will one day be with God, Father Stevens and Tassone say.
9. There is a special day and month to pray for the souls in purgatory: Nov. 2 or All Souls’ Day is the day set aside and November is the month in the liturgical calendar to pray especially for all the souls who are in purgatory. Nov. 2 is called “The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed,” but the church asks us to pray always for each other, including for the souls in purgatory.
10. Prayers for souls in purgatory always count: Pope Benedict says in his encyclical “Spe Salve” (“On Christian Hope”), regarding the souls of the dead, “ … in the communion of souls simple terrestrial time is superseded. It is never too late to touch the heart of another, nor is it ever in vain.”
Thanks for this explanation, and citation. As you, not every Christian tradition refers to Maccabees. It is not familiar to me.
Thanks. I will check it out. I have read some CS Lewis, but not the one you mentioned.
Any "Christian tradition" that isn't Catholic shouldn't really be asking about Purgatory here given that this is a Catholic Caucus thread.
I once heard whispering sounds of others when I was alone in my room after prayers. It kept going on and on. So I covered the blood of Christ over it in my words thinking it was a demoniac origin.
Well it kept happening. So I asked the Lord in pray for help. My computer was already running but I never touched the keyboard. Out of nowhere by human means a web page on purgatory came up with St Gertrude”s prayer of purgatory. I prayed the exact words. The whispering stopped. it just was miracle. I truly believe there is a purgatory. Amen!!!
The Prayer of St. Gertrude, below, is one of the most famous of the prayers for souls in purgatory. St. Gertrude the Great (pictured at left) was a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived in the 13th century. According to tradition, our Lord promised her that 1000 souls would be released from purgatory each time it is said devoutly.
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. “
Years ago I had the pleasure of attending Seminary and took a class on the "Divine comedy" taught by a native Italian priest. If you get a chance read it, and pay attention to the "Purgatorio." The images of the souls longing for heaven are amazing.
Yet not once in the New Testament is Purgatory mentioned. Jesus while on the cross tells the thief that he will be in in paradise that very day. No making atonement or
“paying for” the sins of his life. Luke 23:43
The first plenary indulgence.
Me: "You're welcome in our home anytime, right? This is always your home, here with Daddy and Mommy?
The kids: "Yes".
Me: "If you have muddy feet, what do you do before you come inside? You know to do this, even though you are always welcome..."
The kids: "Wipe them off".
Me: Of course! We want to come in and be together, but we take a moment to be clean to show respect for our home and for Mommy.
"The kids: Yep."
"Purgatory is wiping your feet off before you enter heaven. Getting rid of every small thing that isn't perfect before we enter God's home for us.
The Blood of Jesus isn't enough? How does a spirit-in-waiting do its penance?
I don’t know why your post touched me so but it brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you for it.
Paradise is not Heaven. The word in Greek is completely different.
Luke 23:43 KJV- And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
According to the Catholic teaching, this is not possible. Since these two teachings are mutually exclusive, one or the other must be true. That makes the other teaching false.
It is good to cite scripture ... all of it, not just one extract. What happens before that statement? The good thief acknowledges (confesses) his sins Luke 23:41. As he hung there, he repented and asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. His purgatory was right there on Calvary.
Thank You. I have heard of that, but I never have read it. When i was a kid it was to scary. Now in middle age it’s something to learn to embrace.
AWESOME!
I’ll also be praying for you provided I outlive you. I know of a large group in Indiana that prays the Rosary exclusively for the souls in Purgatory every Friday.
Chills.
Caucus thread, plus that was not very nice.
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