Purgatory
What is Purgatory? Purgatory is a place where souls go after death to be purified or “purged” of their sins. Unlike Heaven and Hell, a soul does not stay here permanently. Every soul is Purgatory will eventually go to Heaven. Most people do not go directly to Heaven, but instead go to Purgatory first. Only pure and holy things are allowed in Heaven, and since most people do not die in a state of grace (free from sin), they cannot go directly to Heaven.[1] Purgatory is a place of purification, a “purifying fire”[2]. When we sin, even though we are forgiven, the stain of sin is still on our souls. We can purge this stain in this life through “penance”: prayers, fasting, offering up sacrifices, offering up our suffering, acts of charity, and acts of mercy.[3] The amount of penance we do on earth has a direct correlation with the amount of time we spend in Purgatory.[4] An example may help in understanding this concept. A child arguing with his sibling at the table knocks over a glass of milk. The child is instantly sorry. He promises to behave at the table from now on. The parent forgives the child, but there is still milk on the floor and it has to be cleaned up. After we sin, we are (or should be) sorry and we promise not to do it anymore. But the stain is still there. Like the child with the milk, we can either immediately clean up the mess (by doing penance) or be stubborn and get stuck cleaning it up later when all our friends are outside playing (going to Purgatory instead of going directly to Heaven). Purgatory is not a joyful place. In Purgatory we see all of our unconfessed and unrepented sins in comparison to God’s holiness. There is intense sorrow at the realization of our own sinfulness. We suffer greatly at the horror of how many times we ignored God’s grace in our lives and deliberately neglected to do acts of kindness, charity, and mercy. We are in agony when we realize how much God loves us and how little we loved Him in return. There is unrelenting loneliness because we are fully aware that we are not in the presence of God, unlike the souls in Heaven who continually behold His face. The purification received in Purgatory, while necessary, is extremely painful. Purgatory Really Exists Jesus spoke frequently of the existence of Purgatory and why souls are sent there. In Matthew (5:21-26), Jesus tells us that if we do not forgive others, we ourselves will be judged and thrown into prison (Purgatory) until the last penny is paid. In Matthew 12:36, Jesus says that for every idle word we speak (gossip), we will be held accountable on the day of Judgement. In Luke 12: 58-59, the individual is encouraged to make peace with his fellow man before they get to the judge lest the judge throw him into prison until the last…
