10th Week Thursday - Purgatory

Today’s Gospel speaks about purgatory. It states, “Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Who is the judge? Jesus is the judge who judges each soul at the moment of death. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Cor 5:10).

The book of Revelation describes why there is purgatory. It states, “But nothing unclean will enter [heaven], nor any[one] who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev 21:27).

What is the prison?, but purgatory. And one will not be released until they have paid the last penny. We are not released until we have made recompense for our sins.

What is purgatory like? St. Paul states, “For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Cor 3:11-15). Purgatory is often described as a place of fire. The fire is not a consuming fire, but a purifying fire.

The Bible teaches that God uses fire and discipline to reform and purge His children. If this is not done during one’s lifetime on Earth, it must be done in Purgatory.

The Catechism states, “#1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

St. Gregory the Great said, “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.”

The book of Maccabees speaks about praying for the dead. It states, “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.”

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.

The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead. We can pray the Rosary, offer our Holy Communion, the graces we receive during Mass or the time we spend with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, for a poor soul too.

St. Augustine said, “This fire of Purgatory will be more severe than any pain that can be felt, seen or conceived in this world.” Therefore, who wants to go to purgatory, who wants to suffer more in the next life, than in this life, let us pray God will use our pain and suffering in this life, to remit the punishment due to our sins, that we may skip purgatory, and have a straight shot to heaven and avoid fire and purification in the next. St. Faustina saw the Virgin Mary visiting the poor souls and giving them comfort and relief, let us pray to Her asking Her to deliver our family members and friends who have gone before us.