Posted on 11/02/2015 6:56:55 AM PST by Salvation
All Souls’ Day by Jakub Schikaneder, 1888
I have blogged before on Purgatory. Here is a link to one of those blogs: Purgatory – Biblical and Reasonable. I have also written more extensively on its biblical roots here: PDF Document on Purgatory.
On this Feast of All Souls, I want to reflect on Purgatory as the necessary result of a promise. Many people think of Purgatory primarily in terms of punishment, but it is also important to consider it in terms of promise, purity, and perfection. Some of our deceased brethren are having the promises made to them perfected in Purgatory. In the month of November we are especially committed to praying for them and we know by faith that our prayers are of benefit to them.
What is the promise that points to Purgatory? Simply stated, Jesus made the promise in Matthew 5:48: You, therefore, must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. In this promise is an astonishing declaration of our dignity. We are to share in the very nature and perfection of God. This is our dignity: we are called to reflect and possess the very glory and perfection of God.
St. Catherine of Siena was gifted by the Lord to see a heavenly soul in the state of grace. Her account of it is related in her Dialogue, and is summarized in the Sunday School Teacher’s Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism:
The Soul in the State of Grace– Catherine of Siena was permitted by God to see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace. It was so beautiful that she could not look on it; the brightness of that soul dazzled her. Blessed Raymond, her confessor, asked her to describe to him, as far as she was able, the beauty of the soul she had seen. St. Catherine thought of the sweet light of that morning, and of the beautiful colors of the rainbow, but that soul was far more beautiful. She remembered the dazzling beams of the noonday sun, but the light which beamed from that soul was far brighter. She thought of the pure whiteness of the lily and of the fresh snow, but that is only an earthly whiteness. The soul she had seen was bright with the whiteness of Heaven, such as there is not to be found on earth. †My father,†she answered. “I cannot find anything in this world that can give you the smallest idea of what I have seen. Oh, if you could but see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace, you would sacrifice your life a thousand times for its salvation. I asked the angel who was with me what had made that soul so beautiful, and he answered me, “It is the image and likeness of God in that soul, and the Divine Grace which made it so beautiful.†[1].
Yes, this is our dignity and final destiny if we are faithful to God.
So, I ask you, “Are you there yet?†God has made you a promise. But what if that promise has not yet been fulfilled and you were to die today, without the divine perfection you have been promised having been completed? I can only speak for myself and say that if I were to die today, though I am not aware of any mortal sin, I also know that I am not perfect. I am not even close to being humanly perfect, let alone having the perfection of our heavenly Father!
But Jesus made me a promise: You must be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. And the last time I checked, Jesus is a promise keeper! St. Paul says, May God who has begun a good work in you bring it to completion (Phil 1:6). Hence, if I were to die today, Jesus would need to complete a work that He has begun in me. By God’s grace, I have come a mighty long way. But I also have a long way to go. God is very holy and His perfection is beyond imagining.
Yes, there are many things in us that need purging: sin, attachment to sin, clinging to worldly things, and those rough edges to our personality. Likewise most of us carry with us hurts, regrets, sorrows, and disappointments. We cannot take any of this with us to Heaven. If we did, it wouldn’t be Heaven. So the Lord, who is faithful to His promise, will purge all of this from us. The Book of Revelation speaks of Jesus ministering to the dead in that he will wipe every tear from their eyes (Rev 21:4). 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks of us as passing through fire in order that our works be tested so that what is good may be purified and what is worldly may be burned away. And Job said, But he knows the way that I take; and when he has tested me, I will come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10).
Purgatory has to be—gold, pure gold; refined, perfect, pure gold. Purgatory has to be, if God’s promises are to hold.
Catholic theology has always taken seriously God’s promise that we would actually be perfect as the Father is perfect. The righteousness is Jesus’ righteousness, but it actually transforms us and changes us completely in the way that St. Catherine describes. It is a real righteousness, not merely imputed, not merely declared of us by inference. It is not an alien justice, but a personal justice by the grace of God.
Esse quam videri – Purgatory makes sense because the perfection promised to us is real: esse quam videri (to be rather than to seem). We must actually be purged of the last vestiges of imperfection, worldliness, sin, and sorrow. Having been made perfect by the grace of God, we are able to enter Heaven, of which Scripture says, Nothing impure will ever enter it (Rev 21:27). And again, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the souls of the just made perfect (Heb 12:22-23).
How could it be anything less? Indeed, the souls of the just made perfect. How could it be anything less if Jesus died to accomplish it for us? Purgatory makes sense based on Jesus’ promise and on the power of His blood to accomplish complete and total perfection for us. This is our dignity; this is our destiny. Purgatory is about promises, not mere punishment. There’s an old Gospel hymn that I referenced in yesterday’s blog for the Feast of All Saints that says, “O Lord I’m running, trying to make a hundred. Ninety-nine and a half won’t do!â€
That’s right, ninety-nine and a half won’t do. Nothing less than a hundred is possible because we have Jesus’ promise and the wonderful working power of the precious Blood of the Lamb. For most, if not all of us, Purgatory has to be.
Sounds like you need a vacation back in the States.
Soon, but only for a short time, till I am "On the Road Again."
Luke 18:18-30.
His sacrifice was finished. His work continues today and forever.
Amen, Brother!
That’s right.
People are getting saved (past tense, done deal) every day.
The common Catholic interpretation is that this was a superstitious practice, a venial sin, rather than the worship of a god, a mortal sin. It seems that it would have to be since Judas' practice of praying for the dead is commended:
"In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the dead to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin" (2 Macc. 12:43...45)Catholic doctrine says you can't pray dead people out of hell...
That's correct. The Church teaches that Purgatory is a state of purification prior to entry into heaven.
The clear implication is that some sins can be forgiven after death.
+ + +
You have to really reach to come up with that conclusion...
The verse is not speaking of one man alive in one age and dead in another...That doesn't even make sense...
+ + +
There are other converging passages:
For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble each mans work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any mans work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire (1 Cor. 3:11-15).Early Christians:32 Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. (Matthew 18:32-34)
I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Luke 12:59)
Tertullian (Second century)We make yearly offerings (or sacrifices) for the dead, and for the feasts of the martyrs Describing the duty of a faithful widow to her deceased...
She prays for us soul, and begs repose for him and his company in the first resurrection, and offers (sacrifice) on the anniversary days of his death. For if she does not these things, she has, as much as lies in her, divorced him.
St. Clement of Alexandria: lived from 150 A.D. to about 215 A.D.
Mini-bio: Greek; theologian, head of the Catechetical School at Alexandria, Egypt
By punishment after death, men must expiate the least sin before they can enter Heaven.
St. Cyprian of Carthage who lived from 200 A.D. to 258 A.D.
Mini-bio: North African; bishop; biblical scholar, martyr
"It is one thing to hope for forgiveness, and another to enter into eternal glory; one thing to be cast into prison and not to go out from thence until the last farthing is paid, and another immediately to receive the reward of faith and virtue; one thing to be tortured for sins by long-lasting pains and purged by fire, and another to have already expiated sin [here below] by martyrdom."
"It is one thing to be cast into prison not to be released until the last farthing is paid, and another thing through the ardor of faith immediately to attain to the reward."
“His sacrifice was finished. His work continues today and forever.”
The work of Jesus does not include tormenting people to make them pay for their “still imperfectly purified” sin.
“With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin...And then he says, ‘I will not remember their sins and evil deeds any longer.’ So when these have been forgiven, an offering to take away sins is no longer needed.” - The Word of God, not my opinion!
“Purgatory” is an insult to Jesus Christ. It calls the Holy Spirit a liar. Trust God, or listen to Satan. That is the choice.
Yes, it does. I doubt if I will be able to avoid sin for the rest of my life. I doubt whether any of us can remain sinless for the rest of our lives. We can only try our best. I DO have a hard time with drivers as some of them seem to have a death wish.
I trust in our good Lord. He has blessed me in so many, many ways. He will be my final judge, not anyone else, not even FReepers.
P.S. Nice to hear from you, metmom!
Are your children your children because they worked to gain the status of child or because they were born into your family?
Do you disown your children every time they disobey you?
Do you make them do penance to gain your *mercy* and *grace*?
Do you adopt them back into your family when they *repent* and do penance, until the next time they disobey when they are out again?
When they come to you and say they’re sorry, do you say to them *Prove it. Do these chores and then I’ll let you back in.*?
What kind of parent is that?
1. The latter.
2. Lol, I'd better not. Anyone who's had a two-year-old KNOWS about disobedience...and it's just a precursor of what's to come.
3. The Quality Of Mercy - by William Shakespeare
The quality of mercy is not strain'd.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the heart of kings;
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.
===================================
I cannot give grace to anyone; I can only pray to our good Lord for His grace.
===================================
4. Not very nice parenting.
5. Ditto.
Selah!
Brother in Christ, THAT is why you are no longer in the religion of catholiciism, because you awoke to that astonishing TRUTH from I AM. Thanks be to God. See you in the clouds, Bro.
You offered, “The Church teaches that Purgatory is a state of purification prior to entry into heaven.” Is it then the catholic belief that when the Holy SPirit births someone from above that He can’t do a sufficient job, such that the new born must finish the work? ... And in just reading that question, if the new birth has occurred in YOU, asking that question pricks your spirit to cringe at the blasphemy therein. BUT, if one is not yet born from above, that question slips right into the psyche and the pride of self is stimulated to try and perceive the question and possible answer as something you can do for God. Which way did it register? ‘Try yourself, to see what spirit is in you’ The Apostle Paul.
“By punishment after death, men must expiate the least sin before they can enter Heaven.” Oh my! What an insult to the sufficiency of Jesus our Lord and Savior! But the catholic mind cannot even see that it is a blasphemy!
Jesus told the story of the prodigal son SPECIFICALLY to teach us the way our Heavenly Father views us. He never stopped waiting for his wayward son to return. He never stopped thinking of and treating this son AS a son. He rejoiced when his son returned and did not hold his sins against him.
But that's the whole point.
The blood of Jesus just isn't enough for Catholicism.
If men could do ANYTHING to contribute to their own salvation,then Christ died for NOTHING, because righteousness would have been gained another way.
You are a religious bully.
Yes insult would be an understatement. I just viewed on another Catholic thread that without Mary's intercession there is no salvation. I take it the Apostles did not get that memo.
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