Skip to comments.Beginning Catholic: Catholic Purgatory: What Does It Mean? [Ecumenical]
Posted on 08/13/2008 9:02:31 AM PDT by Salvation
For the Catholic Purgatory is a period of purification after death.
When we die, our souls are judged immediately by Christ in what's called the "Particular Judgment":
Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven through a purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation. (Catechism, 1022)
Purgatory is this period of purification before heaven.
It's not always well understood by today's Catholics but Purgatory is still very much a part of Catholic doctrine.
Don't think that Purgatory is anything like a "second chance" for those who have not won the reward of heaven!
During our human life, we either accept or reject God's offer of divine grace. Once we die, our choice is definitive. We cannot change our mind after death. (Catechism, 1021)
Heaven and hell are real. They're part of a viewpoint that's fully Catholic and Purgatory is simply a transitional state for those who have merited heaven but still have aspects of their souls that are not yet fully purified. Purgatory is where that purification happens after death.
The souls in Purgatory are assured of salvation. They've died in God's grace and friendship, and will end up in heaven. But they're not yet in a full state of holiness the holiness that's necessary to behold God "face to face" in heaven. (Catechism, 1030)
The Catholic Church is often accused of inventing the concept of Purgatory out of thin air. Not so!
You don't hear about it from many who aren't Catholic but Purgatory does have deep roots in Sacred Scripture as well as Catholic Tradition the full, living faith of the Apostles as received from Christ.
First, it's based on the ancient Jewish practice of prayer for the dead, as mentioned in Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." (2 Macc 12:46)
The early Christians continued this practice: "From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God." (Catechism, 1032)
Inscriptions on the walls and tombs of the Catacombs testify to the belief of many early Catholics in Purgatory.
The words of the Apostles in the New Testament also clearly tell us about being "tested by fire" (1 Pet 1:7). St. Paul warns us that if someone builds on the true foundation of Christ but doesn't take care to build well, "the person will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor 3:15).
Finally, the Catechism quotes St. Gregory the Great:
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. (Catechism, 1031)
(It's worth reading the Catechism's brief section on Catholic Purgatory to see the straightforward teaching of Catholics about Purgatory.)
Part of the faith of Catholics is that Purgatory is a good thing!
Purgatory reveals the depth of God's mercy: even those who are not yet perfect can attain the fullness of heaven.
For Catholics Purgatory helps us hope in perfection even when we can't completely achieve it in this life.
This Catholic does...I remember my Irish mother telling us
“offer it up for the poor souls in purgatory”...of course the “pour souls in purgatory” never had to eat my mother's cooking. LOL ...J/K
Very interesting concept.
I do......while in the hospital three times this last year!
None of those scriptures mention purgatory nor an place or state between this world (life) and heaven. surely if there was such a place God just come out and plainly state so in His Word, after all it would be absolutely necessary we know about it. He tells us clearly about heaven and hell but not this purgatory; speaks for itself that there is no such place. I believe the doctrine of purgatory to be very dangerous and would say more to warn those that believe this only because of a genuine concern for others eternity but in respect for the rules of this ecumenical thread I can’t and won’t.
Trust the finished work of Jesus on the cross and nothing else. For nothing else can be trusted.
Its mentioned right there. Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of Our Lord? Then it was mentioned, wasnt it?
I would reply what you quote above is not in the bible. This quote is in opposition to Jesus Who said He alone paid for all sin and if another gospel is preached not to follow it.
Question. I am trying to discuss this without offending anyone, but seeing that this is an ecumenical thread would it be better if I stopped and said no more in this thread?
Maccabees is in the Catholic Bible.
Please remember this is an ecumenical thread. No antagonism.
I did a search in Esword (NASB & KJV) and those are the numbers it showed with similar words included ie hell...hades etc.
You should READ THROUGH the whole thread and see the SCRIPUTRAL EXAMPLES.
Please remember this is an ecumenical thread. No antagonism.
You are right I will stop there as I have strong beliefs on this subject and don't want to push the envelope.
I did. I have seen these scriptures presented before also on this belief. I have discussed this extensively before on more than one occasion.
It’s in one of those books that you guys took out.
Setting aside the issue of whether the apocryphal/deuterocanonical books are inspired, one of the most basic rules of Biblical interpretation is that it’s very dangerous to base any point of doctrine on a single passage of Scripture.
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An open letter to Mr. Stephen A. Baldwin, Actor, and born again Christian.
- The Limbo of the Patriarchs or Limbo of the Fathers (Latin Limbus Patrum), also the Bosom of Abraham or Paradise, is seen as the temporary state of those who, in spite of the personal sins they may have committed, died in the friendship of God, but could not enter Heaven until redemption by Jesus Christ made it possible. The term "Limbo of the Fathers" was a medieval name for the part of the underworld (Hades) where the patriarchs of the Old Testament were believed to be kept until Christ's soul descended into it by his death through crucifixion and freed them (see Harrowing of hell). The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes Christ's descent into "hell" as meaning primarily that "the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ's descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead." It adds: "But he descended there as Saviour, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there." It does not use the word "Limbo".
The poster asked for an example from the Bible. I gave it.
I don’t interpret the Bible. I’m not smart enough. I let those much more scholarly than myself do it for me.
Yes! Until His death, there was no way for anyone to enter heaven. This nebulous world is sometimes referred to as 'Sheol'.
The Greek wording in the Apostles' Creed is ?????????? ??? ?? ????????, ("katelthonta eis ta katôtata"), and in Latin descendit ad inferos. The Greek ?? ???????? ("the lowest") and the Latin inferos ("those below") may also be translated as "underworld", "netherworld", or as "abode of the dead". Thus, sometimes this phrase is translated as "descended to the dead." The first use of the English "harrowing" in this context is in homilies of Aelfric, ca.1000. Harrow is a by-form of harry, a military term meaning to "make predatory raids or incursions". The term "Harrowing of Hell" refers not merely to the idea that Christ descended into Hell, as in the Creed, but to the rich tradition that developed later, asserting that he triumphed over inferos, releasing Hell's captives, particularly Adam and Eve, and the righteous men and women of Old Testament times.
Did you search for the other words for hell?
And I’m srawing a blank here.
My priest said he went through the entire Bible with those search words. Remember, too, we are talking about more books!
What would a person have to do to get that reward? Not that I think that will be my end (I hope!)...
For Catholics, it would mean to die in the state of mortal sin. For non-Catholicss, I expect it would be to die in the a state of unrepentance for sins committed during life. Even those who are not raised in any faith tradition have a 'sense' of right and wrong.
In NYer’s post smoe more words that mean hell.
And Im drawing a blank here. (Just fixing that typo.