what the heck is purgatory?
By pattiurlvd
@pattiurlvd (137)
United States
September 5, 2009 7:42am CST
Purgatory is actually another misunderstood Catholic doctrine. It's not considered a spiritual jail or hell with parole. And Catholics don't teach that everyone goes to purgatory. The Church actually believes that many people are purified or purged, therefore the term purgatory, in this life. The Church believes that many innocent people who suffer from disease, poverty, or persecution are living their purgatory now, and whey they die, they go straight to heaven. The same goes for people who live an exceptionally good and holy life, no need for purgatory.
But the Church also believes that almost everyone else, although not bad enough to go to hell, still aren't good enough to good straight to heaven and there is need for introspection and purification.
The real doctrine 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 really repentant and sorry. God's justice though is that good is rewarded and evil is punished. Catholics believe that purgatory evens the score and fulfills justice while accommodating mercy. They believe that it isn't a place but a spiritual state of the soul in which it's purified before entering into heaven. The souls in purgatory are definitely and absolutely going to heaven, just not right away.
Purgatory is more than the temporal punishment for sin. It's also the cleansing from the attachment to sing. It purifies the soul before the soul's grand entrance into heaven.
2 people like this
3 responses
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
14 Oct 09
Here are the verses Patti was referring to:
Matthew 27:50-54 (Young's Literal Translation)
50And Jesus having again cried with a great voice, yielded the spirit;
51and lo, the vail of the sanctuary was rent in two from top unto bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent,
52and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep, arose,
53and having come forth out of the tombs after his rising, they went into the holy city, and appeared to many.
54And the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, having seen the earthquake, and the things that were done, were exceedingly afraid, saying, `Truly this was God's Son.'
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
16 Oct 09
The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Vol. XI, p. 1034) “In the final analysis, the Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred Scripture.”
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
16 Oct 09
U.S. Catholic, March 1981, p. 7 “The church has relied on tradition to support a middle ground between heaven and hell.”
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
10 Oct 09
I am not a Catholic, but please don't misunderstand me. I find the idea of purgatory quite strange because the Bible says that we are saved/redeemed/cleansed by the blood of the lamb. If that is so why do people need to go through purgatory? I am of the opinion of that purgatory is not found in the Bible. I wonder if that's the reason why the present Pope does not talk about it. I heard that the presend Pope is a great theologian and he is not open to endorsing ideas of purgatory. I have not verified myself, but I have other people say. And I think they are right. Cheers!
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
12 Oct 09
I think what you are quoting is from Matthew 27:52-53. There the names are not listed. I don't think the passage is about purgatory. Of course, I am not quite clear what the passage means. And I don't think anyone has said it quite emphatically. That passage remains one of the most obscured passages in the Bible. I would say that building the theology of purgatory on such an obscured text may not be proper. Cheers!
@pattiurlvd (137)
• United States
5 Sep 09
You are more than welcome.
Make more sense now?
Oh by the way, sorry about several of the typos, my fingers got a little out of control. LOL
