By Fr. Joseph B Francis –
The development of the doctrine on the existence of “purgatory”
The Catholic doctrine on purgatory is often not correctly understood by all and our separated Brethren do not believe in any purgatory and the doctrine has remained the patrimony of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
It is accepted that the doctrine developed in course of time but the basis of it was the praxis (practice in life and liturgy i.e., worship of the church) in the Church from the very early times. Eucharistic worship (mass) always had a commemoration of the dead departed brethren and special prayers became customary on November 2nd in the Latin Church.
The argument here is very simple: what is the use of praying for the dead if the dead are not alive in another dimension at least and if it were not helpful for them? Therefore, there must be a state of purgation after biological death, wherein the prayers of the Church and its faithful in the Communion of Saints (see the previous chapter) could be useful for them. It is true that there are no definite Scriptural texts in the Bible about the existence of Purgatory except perhaps II Maccabees 12.39-45 where the author describes the scene after the victory of Judas Maccabeus and how when they come to take up the dead they find the idols of Jamnia beneath the tunic of every fallen soldier and Judas took up a collection of two thousand drachmas of silver and sent it to Jerusalem so that sacrifices could be offered on behalf of these fallen men.
The sacred author commenting on it in verses 44-45 says: “For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sins.”
The Protestants do not accept that this book is inspired because the original is not in Hebrew but only in Greek. There are also some accommodative texts in New Testament which are only indications e.g., I Cor 3.10-15; Lk 12.59; Mt 5.26. However, it is strange that even among the separated Brethren they hold prayer services and commending the dead persons to God. What use would that be if there is no purgatory?
What do the Catholics believe about purgatory?
Now we may raise the question: what do Catholics believe about Purgatory? Is it a place or a state? Who go there or who enter it? First of all it is not a place. It is a state in which one finds oneself after death if one were not yet full of love which is essential to enter heaven. All of us while we live on this earth are somewhat defective in genuine love (charity). Our love for God is not perfect and our love for the neighbour is wanting in many areas of our life.
Many knowledgeable people say that our human life on this earth has many layers. We may have become mature in some of them but not in all. To give a simple example: it may happen that someone is very loving and kind to all in the household but is a terror in his office towards subordinates or towards strangers whom he/she considers as a threat (most of the time unfounded). We may tend to be hyper-critical of others and point out the accusing fingers at others but forget our own defects. Some are very good outside but the moment they step into the house they make the life of everyone at home a misery. Some would get drunk and abuse everyone they meet. It could happen that we have been hurt by others and though the incident is passed and of no earthly use any more, we keep nursing the hurt and wait for a chance to revenge.
We could go on and on in this fashion describing the human miseries of our life. We are not perfect. Even our love for God is not perfect. We may be “goody-goody” Catholics as they say, going for Sunday mass but always late, distracted by trivialities and when God asks us for some sacrifice we are not ready because our love for God is not perfect. We sin venially many times a day and have not given up our attachment to sin though we have obtained absolution for our sins.
Therefore, it stands to reason that we need to be purified or become mature in our love towards God and our neighbour before entering into the joys of heaven. This is because heaven is a situation where there is perfect (full) love for God, fellow human beings, the whole ecological package and all of reality. We should also add here that the martyrs do not go through purgatory because they die in fullness of charity/love for God and neighbour for Jesus himself has said that there is no greater love than this than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
It is true, as we said in the last chapter, that anyone who has made a final fundamental choice for God will not go to hell but to heaven to be with God. But the catch 22 situation is: you cannot enter heaven unless you are full of love and so is this need for purification, purgation or as Eastern theologians would insist purgatorial maturation before the enjoyment of heaven.
A simple example could make this clear. Here is a blind person in a room. Someone enters the room and the blind person asks who is it but no answer is made. The person gets up to touch the one who has come in but the one who entered eludes and retreats. Imagine the agony of the blind person. Purgatory is like that. The person in purgatory can sense God, saints and angels all around but they cannot see. This is the pain of purgatory.
When we die biologically, our soul flies towards God automatically if we made the final fundamental choice for him but prevented from seeing, enjoying him. This pain could be alleviated in the following manner. They are there because of the imperfection of their love. Their longing to see God increases their love for God and if they pray for others their love for others will grow to be perfect. This is why it is a good practice to pray to the dead and ask them to pray to God for us and our intentions.
Often people have found that their prayers were heard in this fashion and the departed souls themselves are assisted by their growth of love for others. Further, it is good for us to grant pardon to the dead for the wrong they may have done to us. After all they are dead, why should we not grant them pardon so that they could go to see God sooner? What is the use of keeping that resentment in our hearts? It does not do any good to us and in fact it only harms us.
Therefore in generosity we should forgive the dead the wrong thy may have done to us while they lived on earth. As good Catholics we offer prayers and sacrifices for them since they are our own and are members of the “Community of Saints”.
Traditionally, the Catholic Church has held that Mass Suffrages (prayers) offered for them is of help for them. Remember that they cannot pray for themselves because they are in purgatory precisely to get out of selfishness but they can pray for us and that is good for them.
In line with what we said in the previous chapter, we could say here that heaven, hell and purgatory are in a fashion in the same place but in the 5th dimension of invisibility pervading the whole of reality.
To be with God seeing him face to face (according to our human limitations) is heaven; to be away from God, not wanting him and forever madly running away from God because everything in that 5th dimension would be pointing to God is the experience of hell which such persons carry around with them forever; to be with God but as yet unable to see him though sense his presence like a blind person and with painful longing to see him is purgatory.