You guessed it folks, this post is all about the doctrine of purgatory. Recently I had posted up a story on Instagram and my Facebook messenger app and snapchat asking others to ask questions about the true faith Catholicism. One person reached out to me and asked me what is the proof of purgatory.
We must first define what is purgatory before ever defending it to set a premise. We must set the premise, most often Catholic doctrine and things of Catholicism are so badly misrepresented that often the wrong definition is given, this is a sad thing. In order to defend something right we must rightly define that thing in which we are defending.
The following is from the Baltimore Catechism which is organized as a series of questions followed by answers.
Q. 1381. What is Purgatory?
A. Purgatory is the state in which those suffer for a time who die guilty of venial sins, or without having satisfied for the punishment due to their sins.
Q. 1382. Why is this state called Purgatory?
A. This state is called Purgatory because in it the souls are purged or purified from all their stains; and it is not, therefore, a permanent or lasting state for the soul.
Q. 1383. Are the souls in Purgatory sure of their salvation?
A. The souls in Purgatory are sure of their salvation, and they will enter heaven as soon as they are completely purified and made worthy to enjoy that presence of God which is called the Beatific Vision.
Q. 1384. Do we know what souls are in Purgatory, and how long they have to remain there?
A. We do not know what souls are in Purgatory nor how long they have to remain there; hence we continue to pray for all persons who have died apparently in the true faith and free from mortal sin. They are called the faithful departed.
Q. 1385. Can the faithful on earth help the souls in Purgatory?
A. The faithful on earth can help the souls in Purgatory by their prayers, fasts, alms, deeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for them.
Q. 1386. Since God loves the souls in Purgatory, why does He punish them?
A. Though God loves the souls in Purgatory, He punishes them because His holiness requires that nothing defiled may enter heaven and His justice requires that everyone be punished or rewarded according to what he deserves.
The following is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church compiled under St. Pope John Paul II.
Purgatory Is Necessary Purification
Before we enter into full communion with God, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated and every imperfection in our soul must be corrected
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 4 August 1999, following his catecheses on heaven and hell, the Holy Father reflected on Purgatory. He explained that physical integrity is necessary to enter into perfect communion with God therefore “the term purgatory does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence”, where Christ “removes … the remnants of imperfection”.
1. As we have seen in the previous two catecheses, on the basis of the definitive option for or against God, the human being finds he faces one of these alternatives: either to live with the Lord in eternal beatitude, or to remain far from his presence.
For those who find themselves in a condition of being open to God, but still imperfectly, the journey towards full beatitude requires a purification, which the faith of the Church illustrates in the doctrine of “Purgatory” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1030-1032).
To share in divine life we must be totally purified
2. In Sacred Scripture, we can grasp certain elements that help us to understand the meaning of this doctrine, even if it is not formally described. They express the belief that we cannot approach God without undergoing some kind of purification.
According to Old Testament religious law, what is destined for God must be perfect. As a result, physical integrity is also specifically required for the realities which come into contact with God at the sacrificial level such as, for example, sacrificial animals (cf. Lv 22: 22) or at the institutional level, as in the case of priests or ministers of worship (cf. Lv 21: 17-23). Total dedication to the God of the Covenant, along the lines of the great teachings found in Deuteronomy (cf. 6: 5), and which must correspond to this physical integrity, is required of individuals and society as a whole (cf. 1 Kgs 8: 61). It is a matter of loving God with all one’s being, with purity of heart and the witness of deeds (cf. ibid., 10: 12f.)
The need for integrity obviously becomes necessary after death, for entering into perfect and complete communion with God. Those who do not possess this integrity must undergo purification. This is suggested by a text of St Paul. The Apostle speaks of the value of each person’s work which will be revealed on the day of judgement and says: “If the work which any man has built on the foundation [which is Christ] survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor 3: 14-15).
3. At times, to reach a state of perfect integrity a person’s intercession or mediation is needed. For example, Moses obtains pardon for the people with a prayer in which he recalls the saving work done by God in the past, and prays for God’s fidelity to the oath made to his ancestors (cf. Ex 32: 30, 11-13). The figure of the Servant of the Lord, outlined in the Book of Isaiah, is also portrayed by his role of intercession and expiation for many; at the end of his suffering he “will see the light” and “will justify many”, bearing their iniquities (cf. Is 52: 13-53, 12, especially vv. 53: 11).
Psalm 51 can be considered, according to the perspective of the Old Testament, as a synthesis of the process of reintegration: the sinner confesses and recognizes his guilt (v. 3), asking insistently to be purified or “cleansed” (vv. 2, 9, 10, 17) so as to proclaim the divine praise (v. 15).
Purgatory is not a place but a condition of existence
4. In the New Testament Christ is presented as the intercessor who assumes the functions of high priest on the day of expiation (cf. Heb 5: 7; 7: 25). But in him the priesthood is presented in a new and definitive form. He enters the heavenly shrine once and for all, to intercede with God on our behalf (cf. Heb 9: 23-26, especially, v. 24). He is both priest and “victim of expiation” for the sins of the whole world (cf. 1 Jn 2: 2).
Jesus, as the great intercessor who atones for us, will fully reveal himself at the end of our life when he will express himself with the offer of mercy, but also with the inevitable judgement for those who refuse the Father’s love and forgiveness.
This offer of mercy does not exclude the duty to present ourselves to God, pure and whole, rich in that love which Paul calls a “[bond] of perfect harmony” (Col 3: 14).
5. In following the Gospel exhortation to be perfect like the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5: 48) during our earthly life, we are called to grow in love, to be sound and flawless before God the Father “at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thes 3: 12f.). Moreover, we are invited to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Cor 7: 1; cf. 1 Jn 3: 3), because the encounter with God requires absolute purity.
Every trace of attachment to evil must be eliminated, every imperfection of the soul corrected. Purification must be complete, and indeed this is precisely what is meant by the Church’s teaching on purgatory. The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. Those who, after death, exist in a state of purification, are already in the love of Christ who removes from them the remnants of imperfection (cf. Ecumenical Council of Florence, Decretum pro Graecis: DS 1304; Ecumenical Council of Trent, Decretum de iustificatione: DS 1580; Decretum de purgatorio: DS 1820).
It is necessary to explain that the state of purification is not a prolungation of the earthly condition, almost as if after death one were given another possibility to change one’s destiny. The Church’s teaching in this regard is unequivocal and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council which teaches: “Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed (cf. Heb 9: 27), we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where “men will weep and gnash their teeth’ (Mt 22: 13 and 25: 30)” (Lumen gentium, n. 48).
6. One last important aspect which the Church’s tradition has always pointed out should be reproposed today: the dimension of “communio”. Those, in fact, who find themselves in the state of purification are united both with the blessed who already enjoy the fullness of eternal life, and with us on this earth on our way towards the Father’s house (cf. CCC, n. 1032).
Just as in their earthly life believers are united in the one Mystical Body, so after death those who live in a state of purification experience the same ecclesial solidarity which works through prayer, prayers for suffrage and love for their other brothers and sisters in the faith. Purification is lived in the essential bond created between those who live in this world and those who enjoy eternal beatitude.
To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors the Holy Father said:
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Upon all of you I invoke the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Happy summer holidays to you all!
Now we have properly defined the doctrine of purgatory the proving of the doctrine must commence by first examining the scriptures and the church fathers for we do not attest the scriptures to be sufficient and the sole authority in faith and reason. We sit on a three legged stool of tradition, scripture, and magisterial teachings.
The Biblical Proof:
Scripture is blatantly clear on the state of who enters heaven. It states that nothing unclean shall enter heaven. Here are the chapter and verses:
- Hab 1:13
“Your eyes are too pure to behold evil,
and you cannot look on wrongdoing;
why do you look on the treacherous,
and are silent when the wicked swallow
those more righteous than they?”
- Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
- Revelation 21:27
“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
The first place to look: Old Testament
We make some interesting discoveries if we scan the Old Testament. We find 2 Maccabees 12:39-46:
“ And the day following Judas came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers. And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain. Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden. And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”
In this section of sacred scripture we find that Maccabeus and members of his hebraic military forces were collecting dead rotting bodies that have been slaughtered in battle. They find that the bodies were carrying idols that jews were forbid to wear (v40), Judas and his friends came to the realization that through prayer they died as an atonement or offering for their sin. As a result the men turned to prayer asking that their sin may be blotted out. He provided a sin offering (which today is still being offered in the church through the mass when we represent the unbloodied sacrifice of calvary) and sent it to Jerusalem (in which we send the sin offering Jesus Christ to the heavenly Jerusalem). The scripture commends this and says they acted very well and honorable.
There are immediately two objections that the anti-catholic makes.
- They do not accept the inspiration of Maccabees
2. The men in Maccabees committed idolatry, which in Catholic theology is a sin and if you are Catholic you would suffer the eternal pains of hell and there for purgatory must be eliminated.
The Catholic Counterstrike:
- Rejection of the canonicity of Maccabees
Rejecting the inspiration of Maccabees does not take away from the historical value at all. This book of scripture helps us in seeing that the jews believed in praying and making atonement for the dead before the coming of Christ. The Jewish faith is what Jesus and the apostles believed in, cherished, loved, and were raised with. The Holy Spirit was leading the faith. This is what Jesus says:
“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The words of our lord state that there are most sins that can be forgiven in the next life to a people who already believed. Let us say Jesus was trying to condemn the teaching, he was doing a terrible job at it. He would have gone out and said something blatantly.
2. The men in Maccabees committed idolatry, which in Catholic theology is a sin and if you are Catholic you would suffer the eternal pains of hell and there for purgatory must be eliminated.
Careful exegesis and reading will lead us to the fact that these men were carrying sacred tokens of Jamina. A modern day example of this would be so close to a Christian athlete preforming some sort of ritual of the superstitious realm before going into a game. Even this would be idolatry which would be a mortal sin for us. For the jews this was a venial sin. The Jewish frame of thought in this time period was that there were multiple gods but there was a God who was above all other gods. Anyway, good Catholics like a good Jew would know to pray for the souls of who have died.
The poofs of purgatory continued in the New Testament
- Plainer Text
Jesus is so crystal clear in Matthew 5:24-25 when he talks about purgatory when he states:
” leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.”
One interpretation we could look to is Terullian’s interpretation in De Anima 58 written in AD 208:
” it is most fitting that the soul, without waiting for the flesh, be punished for what it did without the partnership of the flesh . . . if we understand that prison of which the Gospel speaks to be Hades, and if we interpret the last farthing to be the light offense which is to be expiated there before the resurrection, no one will doubt that the soul undergoes some punishments in Hades, without prejudice to the fullness of the resurrection, after which recompense will be made through the flesh also.”
(The Soul, 58,1)
This teaching parabolic, utilizing prison and the necessary and dire need for penance as it shows forth a metaphor for suffering of the purgatorial kind for lesser offenses or transgressions represented by the “kodrenates” in the original language which is penny for verse 26. Most protestant traditions will state that Jesus is giving an example for life and has nothing to do with purgatory.
Protestantism as a whole like its arguments are week especially when put into fuller context. In this chapter Jesus is going through the Beatitudes or the blesseds and is talking either about heaven (v 20), hell (vv 29-30) and laying down the framework for the theology of mortal and venial sins mortal being (v 22) and venial being (v 19), in this context heaven is the goal (vv3-12). Jesus makes this very and abundantly clear when he says if you do not love your enemies what rewards will you have (V46). These rewards are so painstakingly obvious that the rewards are not for this life but the next. (Vv 6:1 and 6:19) and this is later echoed through the letter of St. Peter who tells us that our treasures are in heaven.
Scripture in at least two places states that we must view it in its full context which is life to come in the next world.
1. John 20:31
“ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”
2. James 1:17
“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
We can know that scripture does not contradict its self and that the entire net frame of scripture comes together and supports one another. Coming to that conclusion we may see that the sermon on the mount had an “heavenly” emphasis.
Another proof text is I Peter 3:19
“ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison”
The catholic position makes even more sense. He ascended into the prison or the holding place in which he detained the souls of the Old Testament. Phulake which is Greek for a temporary holding place is used so many a numerous times in the New Testament. The ENTIRE New Testament is clear in stating that this is peaking in the next world not this world.
2. Plainest Text
“11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.”
– 1 Corinthians 3:11-15
It would be most honest in all meanings of the word not to reject that this text speaks of God’s judgement. The works of the faithful are to be tested after death through a flame as an agent which purifies. We can see this in multiple places of scripture.
- Mal 3:2-3
- Matthew 3:11
- Mark 9:49
We can also see that scripture attests to the fact that the fire consumes in atlas two places off of the top of my head.
- Matthew 3:12
- 1 Thessalonians 7-8
Therefor an individual may come to the proper conclusion that this is all a symbol or metaphor for God’s right and just judgement. Some of the works here are being burned up, consumed, or purified. According to what is it being purified? It is being purified according to (greek hopoiov- of what sort) or quality.
This most certainly can not be heaven because there are various forms of imperfections and stated earlier the scriptures clearly attest that nothing unclean shall enter heaven. This can not be hell because souls are being saved and hell is eternal. This is clearly and painstakingly obvious purgatory.
Usually in my dialogue if it can be called that with protestants the main rebuttal is that there is no mention of the word purgatory in scripture as well as the purifying of sin. The only thing that can be texted is the works. They attest that St. Paul or scriptures try to place the emphasis on the rewards or the unperashable crown of glory the believer will attain. The main contradiction is that their WORKS go through but they escape it.
For every rebuttal they throw we’ve got a good answer and then some.
Sins are bad and even worse wicked works. Examine the scriptures look at Therese three texts:
- Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”
- John 8:40
“As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.”
- Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Why would these works need purification if they do not represent sins and imperfections? Why would they need purification? A work must be cleansed with the human person for the works and the words show forth what is stored up in the heart and where they reap from. We are in one sense what we do when it comes to morality. Works are not detatched from the person.
The idea that works being burned up separate from the soul or the worker that commits that act contradicts the text. A clear reading of the text states plainly in the plainest matter that the works will be tested by fire and if the worker survives or is burned up he may have eternal life or suffer loss. The kicker is when St. Paul states: HE will be saved as only though a fire. (greek diapuros)- the works of the individual and the individual its self will be go through that cleansing fire that “HE!!!!!” might definitely have salvation and enter into heaven. That sounds exactly similar to purgatory.
CHURCH FATHER QUOTES ON PURGATORY:
- Tertullian (155-220) “We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthday anniversaries [the date of death—birth into eternal life]” (Tertullian, The Crown 3:3).
- Chrysostom (349-407), “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” (Homilies on First Corinthians 41:5).
- Augustine (354-430), “Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter, but all of them before that last and strictest judgment. But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, which are to follow after that judgment,” (The City of God 21:13).
Defending Rome 