By Victoria Soh
Purgatory is an intermediary and temporary state of “purification” needed to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, it is for all those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified (CCC #1030).
When we die, we are called to enter into God’s own life of self-giving and life-giving love. However, at the point of death, we are not quite ready to see God face to face and love as God does. According to Scripture, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, namely venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins that have been forgiven. Therefore, we need to be purified of our sins and worldly attachments so that we can be completely focused on God.
Ultimately, purgatory is a place of love. It is not a place of divine torture or a second chance or do-over, but rather a recognition of our own limitations & weaknesses – and the infinite power of God’s love. Growing closer and being more conformed to Christ is the goal of purgatory. God who is love is readying us by the fire of his love to be purified to enter into the eternal fire of his love in Heaven.
This is reflected in the Church’s biblical (see 2 Macc 12:45) practice of praying for the dead – From the beginning, the Church has always honored the memory of the dead and offered intercessory petition for them so that they may attain the beatific vision of God. It is also a beautiful opportunity to be part of the deceased’s readying for the eternal wedding feast by our prayers and sacrifice.
Although the word “purgatory” is not in scripture, the Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent, by reference to certain texts of Scripture which speaks of a cleansing fire. (CCC 1031) Pope Benedict notes that “recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Saviour. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgement. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. It is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.” (Spe Salvi, 47)
While it is true to say that Christ accomplished salvation for us by his death on the cross, Scripture reveals that this redemption is applied to us over the course of time through, among other things, the process of sanctification through which we are made holy. Sanctification involves suffering and purgatory is the last stage. Purgatory is the last phase of Christ’s applying to us the purifying redemption that he accomplished for us on the cross.
Additional Resources:
a. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032
b. Opus Dei – Last Things: What happens at the end of life?
https://opusdei.org/en/article/death-heaven-hell-purgatory/
c. SpiritualDirection.com – What The Angelic Doctor Taught On The Nature & Purpose Of Purgatory
https://spiritualdirection.com/2021/11/10/what-the-angelic-doctor-taught-on-the-nature-purpose-of-purgatory
d. Formed – What is Purgatory?
https://watch.formed.org/videos/what-is-purgatory
