5 Usual Misconceptions Majority have about Purgatory
All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, 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. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030)
1. It’s not just a giant waiting room.
Or a waiting game, or a place or time at all. As St. John Paul II said,
“The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. Those who, after death, exist in a state of purification, are already in the love of Christ who removes from them the remnants of imperfection” (General Audience, 4 August 1999).
This makes it clear that after death, we will not all be sitting in the reception area of a doctor’s office, waiting for our name to be called so we can enter the Kingdom. We are outside the realm of time when we leave behind our earthly bodies, and as such, we have no measurement of what this purification requires.
2. It’s not re-judgment.
It’s not a trial for our souls. Our eternal resting place has already been determined, this is preparation for that place. Purgatory is the part of judgment where all of our imperfections, wrongdoings, ungodliness, and stains are purged before entrance into the Kingdom of God. Nothing impure or less than perfect may meet the Lord, and therefore we must be made pure in order to enter His Light. However, being made pure is not contingent on a second judgment; once we have “made it” to purgatory, so to speak, we already know we have been saved! We are simply being made perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect, so that we can enter into eternal praise and worship of Him.
3. It’s not a do-over or a second chance.
Our particular judgment happens at the moment of our death. We are immediately judged and it is established whether we choose to spend eternity with the Lord and the Communion of Saints, or whether we choose an eternity separated from all that is good and holy. Purgatory is not an opportunity for us to be confronted by our mistakes and try again. At this point, it has already been determined that we are saved! We actively choose this chance for a little extra help to be absolutely perfect before we make it to our final state of being one with God.
4. It’s not an opportunity for repentance, nor is it punishment.
Purgatory is not a confessional; there is not priest waiting to absolve us of our sins upon becoming part of this reality. Similarly, this is not a state of torture for all of our transgressions. Once we are dead, we cannot repent, do penance, or actively choose to sin no more (because we are dead… It’s impossible to sin more.) The purification that we undergo is holy fire, but this does not equate to punishment. It is a purging and interior fire whose only pain lies in the fact that in that moment, we are not yet with God.
5. It’s not up to you at all!
Our purification and cleansing in purgatory depend on the prayers, penance, and indulgences of the living. After our deaths, we must rely on the goodness of those who survive to pray for us so that we might enter into the Kingdom. In purgatory, souls may intercede for the living, but not for themselves.
We only get one soul. The soul we are born with is the soul we will carry with us into eternal life. Because of this, everything we do in this life shapes what our souls will look like once we pass away. We are not just bodies! We are body and soul. The person we become during our earthly life does not disappear when we die! We have the opportunity now to become the whole person we would want to meet our Creator. Let us do our very best to live in such a way that we acquire a taste for heaven and let us pray for the purification of the souls in purgatory! November is set aside as a special month to pray for the souls in purgatory.
By SARA SPITT
Sara is currently a graduate Theology student at the University of Notre Dame through the Echo program. She enjoys pizza, coffee, and arguing with her father about whether or not Jesus was Jewish (he was, for the record). If you know Cardinal Dolan, please contact Sara because she would love to be working for him come 2017.
So Peter, Patrick and Peter- you guys think you know better than holy Mother Church? Where is it written that everything we are to believe is recorded in Scripture and, didn’t Jesus chide the Jewish religious leaders who thought that just by studying the Scriptures (OT) they had eternal life? Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth- and Purgatory is part of that revelation. The Church cannot teach error because she is the “pillar and foundation of truth” So says St Paul. 2 Timothy 3:15.
“Where is it written that everything we are to believe is recorded in Scripture” – surely 2 Timothy 3:16-17 implies that to “be complete…” all we need to know is in scripture (which includes the New Testament writings – 2 Peter 3:15-16). Any traditions that are adopted must be consistent with scripture.
“and, didn’t Jesus chide the Jewish religious leaders who thought that JUST by studying the Scriptures (OT) they had eternal life? ” – read John 5:39 carefully in its context. You add the word “just”, which completely alters the intent of what Jesus said.
“Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth- and Purgatory is part of that revelation.” – OK then, where did the apostles write about revelation they received about purgatory? – 1 Cor 3:13-15 refers to the final judgement day, not an intermediate state of purging. And, if Maccabees is the authority (written 100’s of years BC) why didn’t Paul, James or Peter reinforce such an important doctrine?
“The Church cannot teach error because she is the “pillar and foundation of truth” So says St Paul. 2 Timothy 3:15.” ??? This verse does not say that…Paul is simply leading into verse 16
So was the “church” in error when she taught about limbo? How about enforced celibacy? Paul recommended this but did not state it was a requirement – 1 Tim 4:3. Paul commended both marrying and celibacy (1Cor 7:25-38, without tying it to ministers of the gospel.
BTW – I believe “scripture cannot teach error” is a better approach than “the Church cannot teach error”.
Rodney, you are obviously very sincere; however, keep searching the SCRIPTURES and compare them to traditions – to see what is true/untrue (Acts 17:11) Your eternity depends on worshiping God in spirit and in TRUTH
Rodney R: Holy Mother Church does say in Vatican II’s Dei Verbum 21: “Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture.”
She is not just the clergy. In fact, we can also contribute to tradition. Vatican II states in Dei Verbum 8: “This tradition which comes from the Apostles develop in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. (5) For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down. This happens through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their hearts (see Luke, 2:19, 51) through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received through episcopal succession the sure gift of truth”.
You said it right Rodney R, that thought does not come from you but from the Holy Spirit to explain to these three Patompet who thinks they know everything.
So Peter, Patrick and Peter- you guys think you know better than holy Mother Church? Where is it written that everything we are to believe is recorded in Scripture and, didn’t Jesus chide the Jewish religious leaders who thought that just by studying the Scriptures (OT) they had eternal life? Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth- and Purgatory is part of that revelation. The Church cannot teach error because she is the “pillar and foundation of truth” So says St Paul. 2 Timothy 3:15.
“Where is it written that everything we are to believe is recorded in Scripture” – surely 2 Timothy 3:16-17 implies that to “be complete…” all we need to know is in scripture (which includes the New Testament writings – 2 Peter 3:15-16). Any traditions that are adopted must be consistent with scripture.
“and, didn’t Jesus chide the Jewish religious leaders who thought that JUST by studying the Scriptures (OT) they had eternal life? ” – read John 5:39 carefully in its context. You add the word “just”, which completely alters the intent of what Jesus said.
“Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth- and Purgatory is part of that revelation.” – OK then, where did the apostles write about revelation they received about purgatory? – 1 Cor 3:13-15 refers to the final judgement day, not an intermediate state of purging. And, if Maccabees is the authority (written 100’s of years BC) why didn’t Paul, James or Peter reinforce such an important doctrine?
“The Church cannot teach error because she is the “pillar and foundation of truth” So says St Paul. 2 Timothy 3:15.” ??? This verse does not say that…Paul is simply leading into verse 16
So was the “church” in error when she taught about limbo? How about enforced celibacy? Paul recommended this but did not state it was a requirement – 1 Tim 4:3. Paul commended both marrying and celibacy (1Cor 7:25-38, without tying it to ministers of the gospel.
BTW – I believe “scripture cannot teach error” is a better approach than “the Church cannot teach error”.
Rodney, you are obviously very sincere; however, keep searching the SCRIPTURES and compare them to traditions – to see what is true/untrue (Acts 17:11) Your eternity depends on worshiping God in spirit and in TRUTH
You said it right Rodney R, that thought does not come from you but from the Holy Spirit to explain to these three Patompet who thinks they know everything.
Rodney R: Holy Mother Church does say in Vatican II’s Dei Verbum 21: “Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture.”
She is not just the clergy. In fact, we can also contribute to tradition. Vatican II states in Dei Verbum 8: “This tradition which comes from the Apostles develop in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. (5) For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down. This happens through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their hearts (see Luke, 2:19, 51) through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received through episcopal succession the sure gift of truth”.
REVELATIONS 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
JOHN 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
EPHESIANS 2:8
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
JOHN 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is the only way
REVELATIONS 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
JOHN 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
EPHESIANS 2:8
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
JOHN 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is the only way
Patrick: I can give you some information on the Christian zombie state. You can have it now without having to wait for purgatory or heaven. It doesn’t take away your ability of think, reason, and remember; but it does deal with negative emotional states such as worry, anger, unforgiveness, compulsions, and addictions.
The Bible gives you clues on how to arrive. 1Peter 5:5-7 is a good place to start: “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”.
Being exalted in due time is the zombie state. I call it Christian enlightenment. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-24 describes it.