The doctrines related to Purgatory are among those most neglected by the Catholics today. It is, indeed, the rare homily that instructs the faithful about this vital topic. Far too many Catholics think that the Church abandoned the doctrine as a result of the Second Vatican Council.
This condition exists despite the clear teaching of the Council of Trent.
“Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, from the Sacred Writings, and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught… that there is a Purgatory and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the Faithful, but particularly by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar—the Holy Synod enjoins on Bishops that they diligently endeavor that the sound doctrine concerning Purgatory, transmitted by the Holy Fathers and Sacred Councils, be believed, maintained, taught, and everywhere proclaimed by the Faithful of Christ.”
That is one reason that the best-known book on the subject, Father F. X. Schouppe’s 1893 book, Purgatory1 is so very valuable to modern readers. Purgatory is very real, very important and worthy of deep study by every Catholic adult.
Widespread Errors
Perhaps one reason for the widespread ignorance is the fact that the word “purgatory” does not appear in the Bible. Unfortunately, this fact leads many, both Catholics and Protestants, to dismiss it as superstition. However, its existence is strongly implied by Second Maccabees 12:46: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” Of course, Second Maccabees is one of the canonical books excised from most Protestant Bibles.
If the common Protestant idea that one goes to Heaven or Hell immediately after death were accurate, Purgatory would be unnecessary. However, if that were the case, Heaven would be virtually empty. Union with Almighty God implies perfection, a state very few achieve in this life. Since the vast majority of people die with at least unconfessed venial sins on their souls, their presence would render the heavenly realm less than perfect. Divine justice requires that sinners atone for those sins before entering God’s presence. In His mercy, God provides a place to do that after death, which the Church calls Purgatory.
The Communion of Saints
The universal Church spreads over three realms—Earth, Purgatory, and Heaven. Those on Earth make up the Church Militant, possessing a duty to fight for the welfare of the Church and to draw unbelievers to her. The members of the Church Triumphant populate Heaven. Purgatory’s “poor souls” comprise the Church Suffering, also known as the Church Expectant.
Despite existence in three separate realms, these parts of the Church are not distinct. In fact, they are indissolubly connected. Communication between the three occurs continually. Believers on Earth offer prayers to Heaven. Among their many other purposes, some of those prayers work to alleviate the pains of those in Purgatory. While in Purgatory, the poor souls can do nothing to improve their own condition; however, they can and do pray to Heaven for their loved ones on Earth. Angels and saints in Heaven are intimately involved with those on Earth and will, eventually, carry the poor souls from Purgatory to Heaven. These connections define “the communion of saints.”
Like the word Purgatory, the phrase communion of saints does not appear in the Bible. The closest Scripture comes is Hebrews 12:1, which refers to “we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head.” Nonetheless, the communion of saints is among the most basic and oldest of Church teachings, as witnessed by the fact that the phrase appears in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
Purgatory’s Purpose
Purgatory is a place of atonement and purification, and its punishments can be severe. However, unlike Hell, no one is consigned to it for eternity. The mere fact of being in Purgatory means that every one of the poor souls will eventually go to Heaven. It is, as Father Schouppe describes, “a transitory state which terminates in a life of everlasting happiness.”
As members of the Church Militant, individual believers should adopt two attitudes toward Purgatory—fear and confidence.
The fear of Purgatory is easy to understand. Our Lord’s Providence has given many saints visions of Purgatory, and the punishments those witnesses describe are harrowing. Many of those accounts will be related in later installments of this series. Fear of such a state should motivate believers in two ways. First, they should encourage compassion for loved ones who may be undergoing purification. That laudable emotion should, in turn, lead to prayers to relieve the poor souls’ pains.
At the same time, the fear of Purgatory should encourage every person to take care that they do not sin. “Think of the fire of Purgatory,” Father Schouppe warns, “and you will practice penance, that you may satisfy Divine Justice in this world rather than in the next.”
A Realm of Justice and Mercy
Excessive fear, however, plays into the hands of God’s enemies because it invites despair and drives out confidence in His mercy. As recorded in Psalm 144, verses 8-9, “The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy. The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” One of those works is Purgatory.
The modern world has a difficult time reconciling justice and mercy. Too many see them as mutually exclusive. That misconception may be a function of human nature, modern error or some combination of both. If God is merciful, they insist, He will set aside justice in His eagerness to forgive all.
It is not given to humanity to understand the depths of God’s justice or His mercy. However, this series will attempt to convey Father Schouppe’s insights in such a way as to make that seeming paradox understandable.
This article is the second of several articles on Purgatory, a most important subject that we are providing our readers. The prior article can be found here.
Photo Credit: © Renáta Sedmáková – stock.adobe.com
First published on TFP.org.
Footnotes
- The most commonly available edition is the 1986 paperback version by TAN Publishing, which standardized punctuation, spelling, etc. To avoid violating their copyright, quotations in this series will use the 1905 version published in Great Britain by Burns, Oates and Washbourne, Ltd, available through the Internet Archive.