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Question:
One of my
Protestant friends has asked me about Purgatory? I don't know
much about Purgatory and the things she said to cast doubt on
Purgatory were hard for me to defend.
What is Purgatory and
how do I explain it to my Protestant friend?
Answer:
The simplest answer is
that Catholics believe:
Purgatory is the name that Catholics give to the final
purification which occurs at the end of life. Because we still
sin in this life, but will not be sinning when we are in glory,
between death and glorification must come purification. This is
something even Protestants admit. Purgatory is thus the final
rush of our sanctification. It is our transition into glory. All
through the Christian life God is purifying our hearts, giving
us greater holiness, but this sanctifying process is not
complete (or anything like complete) until the end of life. Thus
what God did not choose to give us in this life, he chooses to
give us once we are dead.
"The only additional points on which the Catholic Church
insists concerning the final purification are that, like
sanctification in this life, it can involve pain or discomfort,
and that, as when someone is being sanctified in this life, we
can pray for someone being sanctified in purgatory. The Church
does not teach that purgatory occurs in a special region of the
afterlife or even that it takes place over time, for we have
little idea how time works in the afterlife, and purgatory may
be instantaneous from our point of view."
Over the years, I too have had some of my Protestant friends ask
me to defend this belief. I always hesitate, because I fear
that in explaining my understanding of purgatory, I place too
much energy on a relatively small portion of Catholic Theology.
I would rather talk about things that bring us together as
common Christians than on issues that are sometimes used to
divide us.
But when I have been pressed to explained it, I try to make sure
to point out that lot’s of people misunderstand what Catholic’s
teach about purgatory. We believe purgatory is not a
middle state between heaven and hell (like a distinct region or
destiny of the afterlife). It is simply a state of
sanctification for souls as they go to heaven. Purgatory is the
final stage of sanctification (maybe instantaneous).
Everyone who goes to purgatory goes to heaven.
A priest in our deanery often shares " when most of us pass into
eternal life --- since we are very human --- most of us are not
ready to love everyone and everything the way God does --- we
hold grudges; we still have people we call enemies; and on and
on. Purgatory is that action by which God purifies our ability
to love and so to live in heaven forever." Well said!
As a noted Catholic Cardinal (now Pope Benedict) once explained,
this final purification may take place in the immediate presence
of God (to the extent that God's presence may be described in
spatial terms). As we are drawn out of this life and into direct
union with Jesus, his love and holiness burns away all the dross
and impurities in our souls and makes us fit for life in the
glorious, overwhelming light of God's presence and holiness. Put
simply, purgatory is our souls transition from the imperfection
we experienced on earth to the eternal joy we await in Heaven.
When pressed for more, I have referred my friends to a great
article that explains our understanding of purgatory in more
depth than I could in conversation alone. It's called
How to Explain Purgatory to Protestants, although
it's very helpful for Catholics as well. |
IHM Youth Ministry
