Purgatory
Roman Catholic beliefs
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Roman Catholic beliefs:
The Roman Catholic church teaches that a "Particular
Judgment" happens to each person immediately at their time of death. (This is different from the General Judgment
that everyone will undergo on the "last day.") The "souls of those
who have died in the state of grace suffer for a time a purging that prepares them to
enter heaven." Souls spend time in Purgatory until fully cleansed of
the temporal consequences of sin that were accumulated during live.The Church, drawing on Jesus' sacrifice
on the cross, is able to grant its members absolution for their sins through the
sacrament of reconciliation (a.k.a. confession). At
that point, the sins no longer have eternal consequences; that is,
the transgression does not cause the perpetrator to be relegated to Hell for
torture throughout all eternity. It does not prevent them from attaining
heaven eventually.
However, there are often temporal consequences to sin.
God may have forgiven the individual for their transgression, but they may
have harmed others. These temporal consequences have to be paid for. A person
requires cleansing before being allowed into Heaven. Such cleansing is the
function of Purgatory.
The intensity and duration of the torment can be reduced by good works by the
living, if they
offer Masses, prayers "and other acts of piety and devotion."
Fr. Paul O'Sullivan has suggested seven techniques that can be used by
a person while they are alive on earth to avoid the fires of Purgatory
entirely. 1
Purgatory will be terminated for
everyone at the time of the final general judgment of humanity. It would also end for an
individual when they have been purified to the point that they can be admitted to heaven.
There are three factors in this system that appear to be unjust to some
observers:
- Two individuals with the same "sin load" -- one who died
centuries before the general judgment, and another who died just before the
judgment -- would spend a different length of time being purged of their
temporal consequences of their sins.
- Those who have more living friends
and family on Earth who pray for the fate of the deceased will presumably be
released sooner than those who have no friends or family.
- If two persons have the same "sin load" but one is famous and the other
is largely unknown, then the former will presumably be the topic of more
prayers, and will be released quicker than the latter.
Many
devout Catholics have a overwhelming fear of dying, because they feel that they will
certainly suffer - either in Hell forever, or in Purgatory for many centuries or
millennia.
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Official statements and comments on Purgatory:
- Council of Lyons II (1274 CE):
- "We believe...that the souls, by the purifying compensation are purged after
death."
- Council of Florence (1438-1443 CE):
- "If they have died repentant for their sins and having love of God, but have
not made satisfaction for things they have done or omitted by fruits worthy of penance,
then their souls, after death, are cleansed by the punishment of Purgatory...the suffrages
of the faithful still living are efficacious in bringing them relief from such punishment,
namely the Sacrifice of the Mass, prayers and almsgiving and other works of piety which,
in accordance with the designation of the Church, are customarily offered by the faithful
for each other." 2
- Council of Trent (1545-1563 CE)
- "We constantly hold that purgatory exists, and that the souls of the faithful
there detained are helped by the prayers of the faithful."
- The Roman Catholic Catechism states: 3
1021: "Each will be rewarded immediately after death in
accordance with his works and faith."
1023: "Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are
perfectly purified [with no need of purgatory] live for ever with Christ."
1031: "The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on
Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent."
1032: "This teaching is also based on the practice of
prayer for the dead..."
- Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510; Canonized 1737) was the
subject of the "Treatise on Purgatory." It was originally believed that she had
written the work. However, it has been shown that the "Dialogue" is the work of
Battista Vernazza, a follower of Catherine. 7 It is a spiritual
biography not an autobiography. The author makes the point in Chapter II that,
in spite of the pain of the torture in Purgatory, the victims are ecstatically
joyous. She wrote:
"I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a
soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise; and day by day this
happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the
hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin's rust is the hindrance, and the
fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to
the divine inflowing. ..."
"It is in this way that rust, which is sin, covers souls, and in Purgatory
is burnt away by fire; the more it is consumed, the more do the souls
respond to God, the true sun. As the rust lessens and the soul is opened up
to the divine ray, happiness grows; until the time be accomplished the one
wanes and the other waxes. Pain however does not lessen but only the time
for which pain is endured. As for will: never can the souls say these pains
are pains, so contented are they with God's ordaining with which, in pure
charity, their will is united."
"But, on the other hand, they endure a pain so extreme that no tongue can be
found to tell it. ..." 7
- Vatican II documents state:
"The doctrine of purgatory clearly demonstrates that even when the guilt of
sin has been taken away, punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be
expiated or cleansed. They often are. In fact, in purgatory the souls of those who died in
the charity of God and truly repentant, but who had not made satisfaction with adequate
penance for their sins and omissions are cleansed after death with punishments designed to
purge away their debt." (Vatican II documents, Page 75).
- The Revised and Updated Edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia explains:
4
"The souls of those who have died in the state of grace suffer for a time a
purging that prepares them to enter heaven...It is an intermediate state in which the
departed souls can atone for unforgiven sins before receiving their final reward."
- One source 5 quotes another edition of the
Catholic
Encyclopedia. It refers to Purgatory as
"the condition or state for those who have not totally alienated themselves
from God by their sins, but who are temporarily and partially alienated from God while
their love is made perfect and they give satisfaction for their sins."
- Pope John Paul II issued a Papal bull on 1998-NOV-29, called the Bull
of Indiction of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Its title is "Incarnationis
Mysterium." It suggests that Roman Catholics attempt to make a pious
pilgrimage to Rome, Jerusalem or to another holy site. An appendix to the bull
"Conditions for Gaining the Jubilee Indulgence" describes
how church members can reduce or eliminate the interval in purgatory for
themselves or loved ones, through indulgences. They could gain credit by
abstaining from smoking or drinking or eating for a period of time.
Alternative methods are to visit "the sick, the imprisoned, the
elderly living alone, the handicapped, etc." 6
- Pope John Paul II used his Wednesday general audience during
the period of late 1999-JUL to early 1999-AUG to discuss
topics related to life after death. He had
described Heaven and Hell; at his AUG-4 audience, he described Purgatory. He
affirmed Roman Catholic theology that: "Before we enter into God's
Kingdom, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated, every imperfection
in our soul must be corrected. This is exactly what takes place in
purgatory." But he continued by stating that Purgatory "does
not indicate a place but a condition of life. Those who, after death, live
in this state of purification are already immersed in the love of Christ
which lifts them out of the residue of imperfection." Like Hell,
Purgatory is not a physical place. He urged Christians
to pray and do good works on behalf of those in purgatory, so that the
latter will be released earlier than they would otherwise be.
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, "How to avoid Purgatory," at:
http://abbey.apana.org.au/
- "Catholic Prayers," at:
http://www.webdesk.com/
- "Catechism of the Catholic Church," Image Books, New York, NY,
(1995)
- Robert Broderick, Ed., "Catholic Encyclopedia," Thomas Nelson,
Nashville, TN (1987), Page 502.
- "Purgatory" at:
http://net2.netacc.net/
- Vatican Information Service, "Summary of Synod for Oceania,"
at: http://www.cin.org/
- "SAINT CATHERINE OF GENOA: Treatise on Purgatory," Christ's Faithful People,
at:
http://www.cfpeople.org/
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Copyright © 1998 to 2008 by Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update and review: 2008-DEC-06
Author: B.A. Robinson
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