Purgatory Explained By Saints’ Quotes

So many people, even some Catholics, deny the existence of purgatory, even though it is official Church teaching, and yes, it is even biblical.  Purgatory is God’s method of making us perfect before we enter heaven because nothing imperfect ever enters heaven. Purgatory is not a “second chance” at salvation. Everyone in purgatory is already saved and has no worry about ever entering hell.

The Purpose of Purgatory

Purgatory burns away the earthly imperfections leftover in our souls after our sins have been forgiven in confession. The bible says in Revelation 21:27 that nothing unclean will enter heaven, and purgatory is how “just men are made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). A good analogy to describe purgatory is when we step on a rusty nail. Confession and sincere repentance remove the rusty nail from our foot, but the rest of our body is still infected. We have to take medicine to get rid of that infection. Penance and purgatory are like that medicine. If we didn’t do enough penance on earth for our sins, then, after death, the fires of purgatory and the longing to see God complete the cleaning-up process. It’s important to remember that the word “purgatory,” (like “Easter,” “Christmas,” “rapture,” and “personal lord and savior,” ) is not mentioned by name in scripture, but the concept is certainly there. To find out where purgatory is in the bible, click here.

Protestantism on Purgatory

The Protestant view of purgatory is that purgatory isn’t necessary and that it doesn’t even exist. Martin Luther took it upon himself to deny the existence of purgatory after fifteen centuries of Church teaching that it does indeed exist. To be fair, Johann Tetzel was going around Germany selling indulgences (reduction in purgatory time) for monetary donations to rebuild the Vatican.

The Council of Trent reformed this practice of simony (selling blessings) so that for the last 500 years, no one in the Catholic Church can sell indulgences. However, an abuse of the system of indulgences does not negate the existence of purgatory. Imagine if an abuse such as a politician accepting a bribe eliminated the government! Or if a TV evangelist preaching the health and wealth doctrine (give me lots of money, and you will be blessed by God with health and wealth in this life) eliminated Christianity! No, an abuse of the system does not mean the system doesn’t exist; rather, it just means that there are scoundrels everywhere who love money more than truth. Most protestants believe that they are clothed in the purity, holiness, and righteousness of Jesus because they accept Him as their personal Lord and savior, and therefore there is no need to burn off impurities in their soul. Luther called this philosophy “we are all dunghills covered in snow.”

Catholicism on Purgatory

The Catholic view of purgatory is that Christians are not dunghills, but rather, sinners in need of mercy. Rather than us sinners all being condemned to hell for offending almighty God, He extends his forgiveness to us in this life with the sacraments of Baptism, the Eucharist, Confession, and the Anointing of the sick. These all take away our sins (the Eucharist wipes away only venial sins, not mortal), and our penance for these sins cleans up the residue leftover in our souls after forgiveness.  God’s salvation extends to us even after death, when His mercy becomes His justice, which demands that we be cleansed totally from our sinful nature and attachment to the things of the earth. This justice is called Purgatory.

Vision of Purgatory

Some saints like St. Faustina have been given the privilege of seeing purgatory, and she describes it as a gray, shadowy place. The saints-to-be there can’t pray for themselves, so they begged St. Faustina to pray for them to be released. There are different levels of purgatory, the lowest reserved for those who repented the least while on earth, but who were given the gift of perfect contrition on their deathbed. This area is most like hell, with the exception that damned souls in hell curse God, while those in purgatory praise God. The highest level of purgatory is described as a place where the longing to see God is the primary punishment. Bottom line –

PRAY EVERY  DAY FOR THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY!

When they get to heaven, then they will pray for you!

 How to Avoid Purgatory

If you want to avoid purgatory (and you really should), frequent the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist.  Have true contrition for your sins, and forgive everyone who has ever harmed you.  Pray! Give alms to the poor, and show mercy to everyone through prayers, works, and kind words. Going to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament not only helps us but also frees others from purgatory. Consecrate yourself to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Most importantly, Totally trust in God’s mercy (He is our Father, after all) to save you from it. Don’t kid around about how many years in purgatory you might get, because if you think that way, then you don’t really trust in God’s mercy, and then it’s purgatory you’ll get, for sure. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Quotes on Purgatory by the Saints

I do not think that apart from the felicity of Heaven, there can be a joy comparable to that experienced by the souls in Purgatory. An incessant communication from God renders their joy more vivid from day to day: and this communication becomes more and more intimate, to the extent that it consumes the obstacles still existing in the soul… On the other hand, they endure pain so intense, that no tongue is able to describe it. Nor is any mind capable of comprehending the smallest spark of that consuming fire, unless God should show it to him by a special grace (St. Catherine of Siena).

The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward Him is not hampered by the weight of the body, and that time of enjoyment of the Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle; the soul suffers enormously from the delay (St. Thomas Aquinas).

If only you knew with what great longing these holy souls yearn for relief from their suffering. Ingratitude has never entered Heaven (St. Margaret Mary).

He who saves a soul saves his own and satisfies for a multitude of sins (St. James the Apostle).

If during life, we have been kind to the suffering souls in purgatory, God will see that help be not denied us after death (St. Paul of the Cross).

My love urges Me to release the poor souls. If a beneficent king leaves his guilty friend in prison for justice’s sake, he awaits with longing for one of his nobles to plead for the prisoner and to offer something for his release. Then the king joyfully sets him free. Similarly, I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer! (Our Lord to St. Gertrude).

As we enter Heaven, we will see them, so many of them, coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say ‘a poor soul you prayed for in purgatory (Venerable Fulton Sheen).

No one is barred from heaven. Whoever wants to enter heaven may do so because God is merciful. Our Lord will welcome us into glory with His arms wide open. The Almighty is pure however, and if a person is conscious of the least trace of imperfection and at the same time understands that Purgatory is ordained to do away with such impediments, the soul enters this place of perfection gladly to accept so great a mercy of God. The worst suffering of these suffering souls is to have sinned against Divine Goodness and not to have been purified in this life (St. Catherine of Genoa).

In our prayers, let us not forget sinners and the poor souls in Purgatory especially our poor relatives (St. Bernadette).

With Charity towards the dead we practice all the works of charity. The Church encourages us to aid the souls in purgatory, who in turn will reward us abundantly when they come into their glory (St. Francis de Sales).

Each one will be presented to the Judge exactly as he was when he departed this life. Yet there must be a cleansing fire before judgment because of some minor faults that may remain to be purged away (Pope St. Gregory the Great).

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori:

The practice of recommending to God the souls in Purgatory, that He may mitigate the great pains which they suffer, and that He may soon bring them to His glory, is most pleasing to the Lord and most profitable to us. For these blessed souls are His eternal spouses, and most grateful are they to those who obtain their deliverance from prison, or even a mitigation of their torments. When, therefore, they arrive in Heaven, they will be sure to remember all who have prayed for them.

By assisting them we shall not only give great pleasure to God, but will acquire also great merit for ourselves. And, in return for our suffrages, these blessed souls will not neglect to obtain for us many graces from God, but particularly the grace of eternal life. I hold for certain that a soul delivered from Purgatory by the suffrages of a Christian, when she enters paradise, will not fail to say to God: ‘Lord, do not suffer to be lost that person who has liberated me from the prison of Purgatory, and has brought me to the enjoyment of Thy glory sooner than I have deserved

St. John Vianney:

I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: ‘Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!’

If it were but known how great is the power of the good souls in Purgatory with the Heart of God, and if we knew all the graces we can obtain through their intercession, they would not be so much forgotten. We must, therefore, pray much for them, that they may pray much for us.

The fire of Purgatory is the same as the fire of Hell; the difference between them is that the fire of Purgatory is not everlasting.

It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the sufferings there that one must endure exceed our imagination

St. John Chrysostom:

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.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina:

We must empty Purgatory with our prayers

More souls of the dead than of the living climb this mountain to attend my masses and to seek my prayers