Please join us for the following upcoming events at St. Stephen's:
1. Bible Study - Sunday, 3/20, 2 pm, parlor of rectory
2. Discussion, "The last seven words of Christ" - Sunday, 3/20, 6:30 & 8:30 pm, Parish Hall.
3. "Passion of the Christ" - Wednesday, 8 pm, Parish Hall; Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church immediately after the movie
4. "Christ in the Garden" - 12-2 am, Good Friday morning, Parish Hall. Jesus asks the apostles, "could you not spend an hour with me?" in the garden the night before He died. We'll have an image of Christ, quiet meditation, maybe some background Gregorian chant.
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Please leave any comments or questions, and be generous in sharing this with others. I've run into many people who don't know much about Purgatory, and were extremely grateful to learn the following:
Purgatory
-the term is not used in Scripture; comes from the Latin word, “purgatorium” (place of purging fire or purification)
a. Does it exist?
Scripture
Jesus – refers to situations where a punishment / purification must occur:
Mt 18: 34-35 – the unforgiving debtor
“the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all this debt, and that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”
Lk 12:59 – being in prison
“I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny”
Jn 16:20 – “you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy”
Mt 12:32 – “Let anyone speak against the Holy Spirit and he will not be forgiven either in this world or in the next” (implies that some sins can be forgiven in the next life)
OT
2 Macc 12:46 - the valiant Judas “had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from their sins”
- shows that the Jewish custom was to pray for the dead; must be for souls in a state other than Heaven or Hell - don't need to pray for the souls in Heaven, and it does no good to pray for the souls in Hell
- custom continues whenever someone prays for all the souls in Purgatory
NT
1 Cor 3:14-15 (salvation through a purifying fire)
“The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work. The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages; the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone expects to be saved from a fire”
1 Peter 1:7 - “your faith, more valuable than gold and which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved”
Church
Magisterium: “a cleansing fire, a purifying fire” (pain suffered is comparable to the pain of fire on earth)
b. What is it like?
Scripture (see above)
Church
St Augustine: “this fire of Purgatory will be more severe than any pain that can be felt, seen or conceived in this world”
St Thomas Aquinas: “In Purgatory there will be a twofold loss, namely the delay of the divine vision, and the pain of sense, namely the punishment by bodily fire. With regard to both, the least pain of Purgatory surpasses the greatest pain in this life”
St Francis de Sales: “The greater part of those who dread Purgatory so much think more of their own interests than of the interests of God’s glory; this proceeds from the fact that they think only of the sufferings without considering the peace and happiness which are enjoyed by the holy souls”
*Rev. T.G. Morrow: “there will be tremendous suffering accompanied by a tremendous sense of peace and joy knowing that the soul will be united with God”
- after death, the soul sees that it is not yet spotless, and “would cast itself into a thousand hells rather than find itself in the presence of the Divine Majesty with that stain on it” (St Catherine of Genoa)
“she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, holy and faultless” (Eph 5:27)
c. How long does it last?
Scripture
see Mt 25:34-41 : general judgement will only have 2 states, Heaven and Hell, so Purgatory will not continue after the general judgement
Church
Council of Trent (1551): Purgatory is a state of purification which frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin (Hell is eternal punishment)
- so, we understand Purgatory to be temporal, “in time”; while it may not be in 24-hour days as on Earth, we do associate a soul’s stay in Purgatory with a number of days
- the amount of “time” a soul stays in Purgatory is based on the amount of purification needed
- we stay in Purgatory until we “love as God loves” (Msgr. Hill, SSM pastor)
- we can do works (of mercy, penance, prayer, almsgiving, gain indulgences, etc.) on Earth to remove days from our temporal punishment in Purgatory for ourselves or for others; but, once in Purgatory we can’t lessen our own punishment
d. Who goes there?
Scripture (see above)
Church
Catechism (CCC) - “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified; (they) are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven” (# 1030).
Council of Florence (1439): “souls who die with true repentance and in God’s love before having rendered satisfaction for their sins of omission and commission by the worthy fruits of penance”
- what about the person who dies just after having gone to Confession and completed the penance? He / she would go to Purgatory to satisfy the temporal punishment due to his / her sins (kind of like a criminal who still has to serve his prison sentence, for the sake of justice, even if he is truly sorry for the crime he has committed)
- serious reparation is needed for serious sins, especially
- can repair those sins in this life through a penitential life (like the saints), acts of faith, hope, and love, corporal and spiritual works of mercy, etc.
- Mt 19:21 – “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; then, come follow me”
- Mt 5:48 - “ Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”
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* A special note of thanks to Rev T.G. Morrow, who contributed greatly to my presentation with his booklet: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory (Catholic Faith Alive!), as well as St Joseph Communications which donated their video, “What Every Catholic Should Know About Hell”
8 comments:
Greg-
What's up dude? After reading these passages on purgatory, I got the sense, that everyone goes to purgatory after they die. It does not seem like anyone here on earth is perfect enough to enter Heaven right away. So then why do some go to purgatory and some go to Heaven? What is the point of going to confession and praying and praying for the Lord to forgive us our sins, if we are going to go through purgatory anyway. To me is seems contradictory. I am not vouching for this nor do I plan to lead a life like this...but why can't we just have fun here on earth then do our time in purgatory? To me it does not seem like confession helps out as much as they make it out to do.
I try to go to confession at least once a week. I do not believe there is a better feeling than sitting there after confession and knowing that the Lord, again, has forgiven me. To realize that no matter how much I offend the Lord, how many flaws I have, or how many sins I committed, that He will still be there with opens arms to embrace me and forgive me.
Those were just a few thoughts or questions I had on my mind. I am still going to go to confession and mass!
Hey, Derek, thanks for your comments. First of all, not everyone goes to Purgatory (and then Heaven), as my post on Hell last week showed. There are souls in Hell. They might have had "fun on Earth" and, unfortunately, died in unrepented, mortal sin.
Confession is primarily for the forgiveness of mortal sins. It restores us to God's Grace which we need to get to Heaven. We can be forgiven of venial sins outside the Sacrament, but ordinarily cannot be forgiven for mortal sins outside of Confession. It's necessary, in this regard.
Now, if I understand your main question correctly, it's 'what is the point on Confession if we're going to Purgatory anyway?' First of all, I wouldn't presume I'm going to Purgatory and then Heaven, based on what I just wrote above.
Second, the question focuses not on God, but on self. In other words, it's saying 'me first' and 'what do I get out of this?' I know you, and know that that does not truly represent the way you live. But, there are many people who have rejected Confession with this dangerous attitude. They don't even mention Purgatory; they simply believe that 'everyone goes to Heaven, so what's the point of Confession?'
Third, regular Confession is a beautiful thing! It is not 'saying the same things over and over again', blah, blah, blah. It is a way of living for Christ because it means dying to sin, even if venial sin only, which is the heart of the Gospel.
Also, it is a purification process, much like Purgatory. Anyone who's been to Confession knows that it is painful; but, it is purifying! In a sense, it's like 'Purgatory on Earth', and lessens the punishment in Purgatory when we die.
Only martyrs go straight to Heaven when they die; their ultimate sacrifice for Christ perfects them and removes all of their temporal punishment due to sin. Everyone else who dies in a state of Grace goes to Purgatory to be perfected before they live eternal happiness with Almighty God.
The question we should all ask is, 'how do I get to Heaven?' It's the same question as 'how can I be a saint?' Frequent Confession, Holy Communion, penance, prayer, living the virtuous life, and all the ways that we live for Christ on Earth; this is how to be a saint and get to Heaven.
This is what Jesus is talking about when He says, "be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect". In living this way, we are on the path to perfection, which goes through Purgatory and finds its end in the eternal heavenly banquet with the Most Holy Trinity.
brother GREG , brothers and sisters,
ARNAUD would like to apologize because some of you have received a email concerning him and brother GREG .
MAY the LORD gives to all his blessing
brother GREG , brothers and sisters.
I would like to give my contribution to this post and only related to this post.
what is purgatory ?
THE NATURE OF PURGATORY
In his widely distributed work on catholic dogma LUDWIG OTT defined purgatory as follows :
" 1 reality of purgatory
a) dogma
THE SOULS OF THE JUST WHICH ,IN THE MOMENT OF DEATH , ARE BURDENED WITH VENIAL SINS OR TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT DUE TO SINS ,ENTER PURGATORY. ( DE FIDE )
the cleansing fire (purgatorium)is a place and state of temporal penal purification. "LUDWIG OTT fundamentals of catholic dogma.
many contemporary catholic theologians deny that purgatory is a PLACE , thinking more as a PROCESS of purification which leads to heaven.
the catechism of the Catholic Church keep only the notion of STATE.
In " catholicism for dummies " p.288 under the title SOULS IN PURGATORY there is the following statement :
"the real doctrine ( of purgatory )consists of the conviction that GOD 's mercy and justice must be kept intact and upheld.GOD's divine mercy refers to the fact that he forgives any sin as long as the sinner is truly repentant and sorry.GOD's justice , however , is that good is rewarded and evil is punished.Catholics believe that purgatory evens the score and fulfills justice while accommoding mercy.THEY BELIEVE THAT
PURGATORY ISN 'T A PLACE BUT A SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE SOUL IN WHICH IT'S PURIFIED BEFORE ENTERING HEAVEN."
I took an excerpt of this book because it is accessible to anyone who wants to know more about catholicism and its dogmas. This book has the NIHIL OBSTAT and IMPRIMATUR which are official declarations that a book is free of doctrinal or moral error.
" 2 the nature of the punishment of the cleansing fire.
On the analogy of the punishment of hell a distinction is made between poena damni and poena sensus.
Poena damni consists in the TEMPORARY EXCLUSION FROM THE BEATIFIC VISION OF GOD.On the ground of the special judgement which has gone before , it is , however , associated with the certainty of the final beatification.
The poor souls are conscious that they are children and friends of GOD and long for the most intimate unification with him.Thus the temporary separation is all the more painful to them
to the poena damni is added , according to the general teaching of the theologians , a poena sensus.
the latins fathers, the shoolmen ,and manyt theologians of the modern times , in view of 1 cor. 3,15 assume a physical fire.However the biblical foundation is inadequate... the official declarations of the councils speak only of purifying punishments ( poena purgatoriae ) not of puryfing fire."LUDWIG OTT,fundamentals of Catholic dogma p.484 and 485.
The current tendency is to take it in a spiritual sense.Fire can be understood as the cleansing ,purifying and sanctifying power of GOD's holiness and mercy.GOD's power staightens , purifies ,heals, and consumates whatever remained imperfect at death.
THE OBJECT OF PURGATORY
" the remission of the venial sins which are not yet remitted , occurs ,according to the teaching of ST. THOMAS ( de male 7,11 ),as it does in this life , by an act of contriction deriving from charity and performed with the help of grace.This act of contriction ,which is presumably awakened immediatly after entry in the purifying fire, does not , however effect the abrogation or the diminuation of the punishememt for sins , since in the other world there is no longer any possibility of merit.
The temporal punishments for sin are atoned for in the purifying fire by the so-called suffering of atonement (satispassio),that is, by the willing bearing of the expiatory punishments imposed by GOD."LUDWIG OTT , fundamentals of catholic dogma p.485
THE DURATION OF PURGATORY
"THE PURIFYING FIRE WILL NOT CONTINUE AFTER THE GENERAL JUDGEMENT. (SENT. COMMUNIS.)
According to the judgement of the judge of the world (MT. 25,34.41)there will be only two states, heaven and hell ... As to the lengh of the purification process of for the individuals souls , nothing can be said in terms of years.
for the individual souls the purifying fire endures until they are free from all guilt and punishment. Immediately on the conclusion of the purification they will be assumed into the bliss of heaven."LUDWIG OTT , fundamentals of catholic dogma.
Two things are noted :
1 the punishment of purgatory is temporal
2 there will be no purgatory after the last judgement.
brother GREG I wonder :what about the suffering of our LORD in the cross?
" I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do"( JESUS to the FATHER in JOHN 17:4 )
" For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consacreted " ( heb.10:14 )
" when he had accomplished purification of our sins , he took a seat at the right hand of the majesty on high" (heb. 1:3 )
it seems that CHRIST purified all our sins on the cross.
does sanctification is experiential or actual after death?
The BIBLE speaks about GLORIFICATION ( ROM.8:30;1john 3:2)
What is the meaning of the process of sanctification :are we PAYING for our sins or are we DELIVERED by the grace of GOD FROM our sins,all of which CHRIST has already atoned ?
the BIBLE speaks of death as the final moment of life after which one goes immediately to heaven or to hell.
" it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this is the judgement" (heb.9:27).
is there not immediacy of heaven after death ?
MAY THE LORD GIVES TO ALL HIS BLESSING
brother GREG ,
This comment is not directly related to the post, however it's my reply to TED 's comment on march 01 2005.
I 'M sure you would not mind because a forum is " a medium for open discussion " (THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY , fourth edition )
A doctrine closely associated with purgatory is "limbo".
Limbo is :
" THE ABODE OF THE SOULS EXCLUDED FROM THE FULL BLESSEDNESS OF THE BEATIFIC VISION, BUT NOT CONDEMNED TO ANY OTHER PUNISHMENT "F.L.CROSS, the oxford dictionary of the christian church.
oxford.oxford university press.
Two areas are distinguished :
1 the LIMBUS PATRUM ,"limbo of the fathers", which is the state in which the righteous souls of the OLD TESTAMENT reposed prior to the finished redemptive work of CHRIST ( 1 PET.3:19 is cited )
2the LIMBUS INFANTIUM "limbo of children" , ROBERT C. BRODERICK gives a definition in his book "the catholic concise encyclopedia " ST .PAUL:SIMON AND SCHUSTER 1956 P.223 :
" The souls of unbaptized children and adults, who die without committing grievious actual sin and enjoy perfect natural happiness"
may the LORD gives to all his blessing
BROTHER GREG , BROTHERS AND SISTERS ,
The HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II in " Crossing the threshold of hope" p.179 about purgatory :
" The holy scriptures include the concept of the PURIFYING FIRE.The eastern church adopted it because it was biblical , while not receiving the Catholic doctrine on purgatory.
Besides the bull of BENEDICT XII from the fourteenth century, THE MYSTICAL WORKS OF SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS offered me a very strong argument for purgatory.The " living flame of love ", of which SAINT JOHN speaks ,is above all a purifying fire.The mystical nights described by this great doctor of the church on the basis of his own experience correspond , in a certain sense , to purgatory. GOD makes man pass through such an interior purgatory of his sensual and spiritual nature in order to bring him onto union with himself.
Here we do do not find ourselves before a mere tribunal.we present ourselves before the power of love itself."
brother GREG ,
The time is running out .
I would like to talk about the communion of the faithful on earth and the saints in heaven with the poors souls in purgatory.
I would like to talk about the concept of prayer for the dead.
if you don 't mind I will do in the next post EVEN IF IT' S NOT RELATED TO THAT ONE.
May the LORD gives to you his blessing.
brother GREG ,
I would like to express you my gratitude for all the good you always do for us.
I told to all the deep respect I have for all religions and the particular love for our elder brothers and sisters of the synagogue.
I have also my own faith which is common to you because WE form the whole Church .
what is JESUS for me ?
JESUS was not an ordinary rabbi , a wonderful and powerful spiritual guide whom inspirational teaching moved the strength of feeling of the crowd .
JESUS IS THE MESSIAH . JESUS IS GOD.
JESUS is not a prophet among the other prophets who prepares and announces the coming of another prophet.
The council VATICAN II proclaims in DEI VERBUM : " we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our LORD." The public revelation closed with the end of the ministry of CHRIST on earth until his second coming.
JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. JESUS IS GOD.
JESUS was not just an "historical man"whom ministry was only moral sayings.
His nature is dual : human and divine .
Beware of those scholars who , under the pretext to find this " historical man " have no other goal than denying the divine nature of CHRIST and to reduce ours beliefs about his deeds to a state of myth.
they hide their real motivation : their perverse tactic is to dissociate from the GOSPEL narratives and sayings then to decay the narratives supporting the sayings.
They make of CHRIST only a great moral teacher as was Socrates.They deny any revelation.They are like those libertine philosophers who question the supernatural aspect of our faith.
JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. JESUS IS GOD
" But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach [ to you ] a GOSPEL other than the one that we preached to you , let that one be accursed " ( GAL 1:8 )
" The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of christian faith and life. It is the mystery of GOD himself.IT is therefore the source of ALL the other mysteries of faith , the light that enlightens them.( catechism of the Catholic Church 234 )
JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. JESUS IS GOD
The coming week-end is EASTER, the death on the cross and the resurrection of our LORD.There is an indissolubility between the passion and our faith.
" This is the definitive meaning of GOOD FRIDAY : man , you who judge GOD,who order him to justify himself before your tribunal , think about yourself , if you are not responsible for the death of this condemned man , if the judgement of GOD is not actuaaly a judgement upon yourself.Consider if the judgement and its result -the cross and the resurrection- are not your only way to salvation."The holy father JOHN PAUL II in "Crossing the threshold of hope"p.64
I will have a special thought for those who suffer.
" GOD is always on the side of the suffering."The holy father JOHN PAUL II IN " crossing the threshold of hope" p.62
" The commandment YOU SHALL NOT KILL even in ots more positive aspects of respecting , loving and promoting human life, is binding ON EVERY INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEING. It resounds in the moral conscience of everyone as an irrepressible echo of the original convenant of GOD the creator with mankind.It can be recognized by everyone through the light of reason and it can be observed thanks to the mysterious working of the spirit who blowing where he wills (cf jn 3:8 ) , comes to involves every person living in this world.
IT IS THEREFORE A SERVICE OF LOVE WE ARE ALL COMMITTED TO ENSURE TO OUR NEIGHBOR , THAT HIS OR HER LIFE BE ALWAYS DEFENDED AND PROMOTED , ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS WEAK OR THREATENED.It is not only a personal but a social concern which we must all foster : a concern to make unconditional respect for human life the foundation of a renewed society. The Holy Father JOHN PAUL II in the encyclical letter EVANGELIUM VITAE chapter 3 " you shall not kill", "you shall love your neighbors as yourself " (lk 10:27):
promote life (77)
GOD is not outside the world. GOD is not just absolute will. We have a intimate relationship with GOD because OUR RELIGION IS A RELIGION OF LOVE NOT A RELIGION OF FEAR.
There is no extreme determinism in our religion: " Man is free and therefore responsible.He is a personal and social responsability a responsability which is his greatness."The Holy Father JOHN PAUL II in " Crossing the treshold of hope " p.173
Hve you ever been frustrated like no to have been a witness of the passion of the LORD?
Be conforted by CHRIST himself: after showing to THOMAS DYDIMUS the mark of the nails "JESUS said to him , have you come to believe because you have seen me ?BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN AND HAVE BELIEVED." (john 20:29 )
May the LORD gives to all his blessing .
see you wednesday for THE PASSION OF CHRIST !
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