Catholics and non-Catholics alike commonly ask if Purgatory exists and, if so, if it is even necessary. Often, they discuss it without knowing what Purgatory is. So, before jumping into the necessity of Purgatory, we should understand precisely what it is.
The Catholic Encyclopedia defines Purgatory as “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.”
In other words, God has forgiven them, but they have not received justice for their sins, and/or they have not perfectly detached themselves from their sins. For more about perfect detachment from sin in this life, please click here.
Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1472 adds,
To understand this doctrine [of Purgatory] and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the ‘eternal punishment’ of sin. On the other hand, every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory.
To read about sin, guilt, forgiveness, and punishment, please click here. This article will provide a strong foundation for understanding why God punishes forgiven and, therefore, justified sinners.
Justice and Purgatory
Punishment serves four purposes for the for the sinner: a) it serves as retribution for sins committed (retributive justice), b) it deters future sins (reformative justice), c) it restores what has been taken from society (restorative justice), and d) it heals the offender (rehabilitative justice).
Since we could never repay God for sins we commit, His Son, who is infinite and whose salvific works have infinite value, offered Himself as the eternal Sacrifice for our sins. Thus, when we are in Christ, that is, in a state of grace, God will not sentence us to eternal punishment (retribution) provided we die in His grace. However, this does not mean that some satisfaction is no longer due.
If I steal $1000 from someone, God’s forgiveness does not remove my obligation to repay the individual. In fact, it makes increases my obligation to do so. Because God has mercy on me, and I become more like God with grace, I should have mercy on those I have wronged (see Matthew 5:21-26 and 18:23-35). Consequently, I have a moral duty to make some kind of satisfaction for my actions (restoration).
By committing sin, I also make it easier to commit more sin. Consequently, I need to be deterred from doing so (reformation). Finally, as a result of my sinning, I have developed an attachment to my sin. So, I need God to help me completely detach from it (rehabilitation; see Hebrews 12:4-11).
Satisfaction for Sins
Those in Purgatory are on their way to Heaven and will not go to Hell. Consequently, they will not receive retributive justice. Since they will not have the opportunity to sin in Purgatory or in Heaven, they will not need reformative justice to deter them from future sins.
However, their post-baptismal sins take something from society and the Church, and all sins (post-baptismal or otherwise) create within their persons attachments to the sins committed. Accordingly, if they do not satisfy justice during their earthly lives, they will need some way to receive restorative and/or rehabilitative justice in the life to come.
For one who dies in a state of grace but with an imperfectly purified soul, Purgatory is how God applies these two types of justice. In Purgatory, we make temporal satisfaction for our sins, and God cleanses our souls from all attachment to them. God’s forgiveness is perfect and absolute provided we come to Him with a sorrowful heart and a sincere desire to change.
God’s forgiveness, however, in no way precludes our need to make satisfaction for our sins. Forgiveness removes hostility and/or division between two entities; it does not remove the need for punishment or satisfaction. By the way, satisfaction is simply punishment that one willingly undergoes out of love for God and neighbor.
Attachment to Sin and Purgatory
When I die, I am still me. Within myself, I retain all the things to which I am attached in this life, good and bad. And, according to Jesus’ own words, which common sense affirms, “…nothing unclean shall enter [Heaven]” (Revelation 21:27). Therefore, if I have any attachments or inclinations to sin in my soul upon bodily death, I cannot enter Heaven. However, if God has forgiven me, then I will enter Heaven, just not immediately.
Now, if bodily death causes the justified soul to enter Heaven immediately, thus implying the soul’s perfection, why would God punish His children unto perfect holiness (see Hebrews 12:3-11)? The only answer would be that He punishes us unto bodily perfection.
But this makes no sense because the body dies. In other words, why perfect the body alone for it to simply die and decay? Rather, God perfects our souls by giving us the grace to cooperate bodily and spiritually with His will.
Also, bodily death does not obliterate blemishes or weaknesses in the soul. For example, someone who loves or desires food inordinately will not experience hunger when their body and soul separate. But their disordered love or desire for food will continue in the soul after death.
Bodily death alone cannot make someone unlove or undesire something. If this were the case, we would cease loving and desiring God when we die. So, since God will not permit a disordered love or desire to exist in Heaven, He will purge it. This same concept applies to every disordered love for anything.
St. Paul exhorts the justified Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1) to cleanse themselves “from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God” precisely because of the soul’s imperfections and disordered inclinations. The justified Corinthians had sanctifying grace in their souls, but they still needed to purge all disordered love from themselves.
And St. Peter writes, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22), for this same reason. (Note: Peter is acknowledging that obedience to truth can purify souls on earth. The Church acknowledges this as well. See the Catechism paragraph above.)
Cooperation with Grace
Therefore, grace does not ordinarily perfect the soul instantaneously, and neither does bodily death. Rather, our cooperation with grace makes the soul perfect. God does not manipulate us with grace even if we ask Him to do so. He never overrides our nature, which He designed to reflect His intellect and free will.
(Note: The fewer attachments to sin a person has or the less intensity with which a person desires sin, the quicker grace will fill and perfect the soul. This happens because fewer obstacles to grace exist in the person.)
With most of us who are in a state of grace, however, we reject sin but sometimes find ourselves desiring something we should not have, fearing something we should not fear, or committing venial sins we should not commit. Therefore, we must purge all of these things from our lives, or God will purge them in Purgatory.
Come back for part two.
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4 thoughts on “Why Purgatory Is Necessary – Part 1”
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I’m reminded of a Catholic mass for my cousin’s son, who died in his 20’s from a drug overdose. The priest told us to pray for him, but then added, pray to him.
This clearly contradicts the Bible. I feel confident to say that it also contradicts Catholic teachings.
This is just one example of why I have questions about the Catholic faith.
By the way, I agree with Codex.
Can’t wait to read Part II.
It seems necessary to us, even though, when He was here with us, He chose not to mention it. Though perhaps it was revealed in a vision, as He appeared to Saul of Tarsus. I suspect not, though.
Why is it not enough to know that, in perfect goodness and mercy, God has prepared what we need, as the cradle-song goes “to fit us for heaven, to live with Him there”?
It’s dangerous to take our speculations about the divine Mind and build a theology around them. On the other hand, plausible speculations like purgatory are very comforting, like “all dogs go to Heaven”.
The latter does not outweigh the former, though. Had it not been for making up (unless, it was Divinely inspired by revelation: correct me please) a purgatory theology, God’s hammer-blow of the Reformation need never have happened! Remember how He dealt with the money-changers in His temples when he was in the flesh?
That’s easy, it’s in the Bible as the Trinity is in the Bible but just not directly stated as such. Apologetics. In 2 Maccabees, in 2 Corinthians as the article quotes.
It may not be an easy concept but “once saved, always saved” may be more difficult for me.
Being sinless, even if I do my best is going to be very hard, day after day.
As for me, we may pray for the holy souls in Purgatory. Sometimes, it seems it could be one of the most worthwhile things we do on earth. To seek their release. I joined the Holy Souls sodality. A number of Saints have written on Purgatory and have their experiences. Purgatory was included in the messages of Fatima, this came up recently, the children were told that Amelia, someone they knew when alive was in Purgatory until the end of the world! I cannot readily fathom this, but it does not mean it is false.
Father Dan Cambra speaks of this, he thought as a kid, he would hear knocking in the night, maybe even heard his name called. His grandmother said that maybe it’s the souls in Purgatory. I first rejected this as something in the active imagination of children… but now, at night, I heard something, I did not think anything of it. After months of this, I started picking up the chaplet and maybe that and making humble sacrifices might help those souls. Now, as strange as it seems to tell the story, the knocking has ceased.
Respectfully, I would consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church next (1030-31), consult other sources and reflect on this.