Purgatory

A big debate between Catholics and Protestants since Martin Luther is over the Doctrine of Purgatory. What is Purgatory? Is it biblical? What did the early church believe about Purgatory? All these questions will be addressed in this article, I’m praying that not only I can bring light to the truth of this Doctrine to our Protestant brothers and sisters, but to educate my fellow catholics as well.

First let’s begin with what is Purgatory. According to the Catholic website “New Advent” “Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “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. - CCC 1030”

Purgatory is a process of purification of our sins while being in a state of Grace (without Mortal Sin) that leads to Heaven eventually. Purgatory is a punishment for our unconfessed and habitual sins but only temporary unlike Hell which is everlasting. In the book of Revelation chapter 21, when hearing about the New Jerusalem (Heaven), we are told that nothing unclean may enter into it.

“But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. - Revelation 21:27”

Purgatory is the process that makes us clean to enter into Heaven. I do want to be clear that Jesus did take away the eternal consequence of our sins which is Hell (separation from God). Jesus, by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, made it possible for us to have access to the Father. Purgatory is for us who truly seek God but can’t shake certain sins and unhealthy attachments and must be set free from these sins and their temporary consequences through purification. God desires to free us from these and make us perfect as He is perfect. If we say God is just then we must admit that us having to be accountable for our actions is a just thing. God is Love and Him being the source of love, must purify us so we can share more into the blessed trinity which is the eternal exchange of love between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I will provide 3 passages below to help support this doctrine. There are a lot more verses regarding purgatory but for now I will only use these.

Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, while preaching the sermon on the mount, speaks of paying every penny until we are able to get out. This sounds a lot like what I just described above.   

“Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison;  truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny. - Matthew 5:25-26”

The context of this passage informs us that the judge spoken of here is God and prison is related to the notion of divine judgement. In light of this we can see now that we could end up in a prison (divine judgement) until we have been held accountable for our actions and made perfect as He is perfect.

“And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. - Matthew 12:32”

This verse is one the clearest examples of purgatory in the Gospels. The fact that we will not be forgiven in the age to come for the one unforgivable sin means that we also can be forgiven for other sins in the age to come. St. Augustine provided commentary on this verse:

“Now, we grant that even in this mortal life some punishments are purgatorial... they are purgatorial for those who are corrected and reformed under their constraints ... As for temporal punishments, some suffer them only in this life, others after death, and still others both in this life and after death, but always prior to the final and most severe judgment. Nor does everyone who undergoes temporal punishments after death come under the eternal punishments which will follow that judgment. For, as we have already said, there are some for whom what is not forgiven in this world will be "forgiven in the world to come." citing Matthew 12:32] (The City of God) [A.D. 419]

“each man’s 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 man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. - 1 Corinthians 3:13-15”

We are judged on our works according to Jesus. “For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.  - Matthew 16:27”

St. Paul is telling us here that our works will be tested and if failed we can still be saved but only through fire-aka ‘purification’. The doctrine of purgatory is the best way to explain what St. Paul is saying here.

Purgatory is a gift from God to us so we may be able to fully experience His love after death and enter into the Most Holy Trinity forever. The great 20th century theologian Frank Sheed in his book “Theology for beginners” explains this about Purgatory. “Purgatory cleanses the soul through suffering, removing the obstacles that prevent it from experiencing the full joy of union with God. Suffering is not punishment but a healing remedy, a purification that ultimately perfects our love for God.”

Along with the St. Augustine quote on Matthew 12:32 here are some other Early church father quotes that support the doctrine of Purgatory.

“Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice [Job 1:5], why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them” (Homilies on First Corinthians 41:5 [A.D. 392]). St. John Chrysostom

“Then we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition; next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and bishops who have already fallen asleep, and, to put it simply, of all among us who have already fallen asleep, for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn sacrifice is laid out” (Catechetical Lectures 23:5:9 [A.D. 350]). St. Cyril of Jerusalem

For more info on purgatory visit Catholic.com where you can find several more detailed articles along with reading “Salvation: What every Catholic should know by Dr. Michael Barber”