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Some Reflections on Purgatory
by Father Paul A. Duffner, O.P.
While there is no explicit reference in the Scriptures to purgatory, there are many
passages in the sacred books on which the Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based. Our purpose here is not to
demonstrate the existence of purgatory, but rather to examine a few things that theology can tell us about that
place or state of purification that most humans must encounter before their entrance into heaven.
In general, Protestant theology is opposed to
Catholic theology in regard to the doctrine of purgatory. A central tenet of the Reformers was that when the repentant
sinner receives
God's justifying grace, the debt of eternal punishment is so totally blotted out that no debt of
temporal punishment
remains to be paid, either in this life or in the next. This teaching was condemned by the Council of
Trent (1545 - 1563).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
refers to purgatory as follows:
"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" (n. 1030).
The souls in
purgatory are on the way to heaven.
They have
arrived at a stage where their salvation is sure. They passed from this life loving God, and the degree of that love for each individual
person is fixed for all eternity. It will neither
grow nor diminish. Yet, while they left
this world in God's friendship, there can be a number of things that can prevent them from being admitted to
the face-to-face vision of God. The obstacles that delay their entrance into heaven are the following:
 Unrepented venial sins.
The temporal punishment due to sins (mortal or venial) already forgiven.
Attachments to creatures that, through
sin, have taken
root in the soul.
Unreprented Venial Sins
When one dies in the state of grace, but with unrepented venial sins, it is the common opinion of theologians that those sins are repented and
forgiven immediately after death. Why is this? With the separation of the soul from the body, at the moment of death, there is an immediate and enormous change in one's knowledge, and in the manner
of knowing. The soul no longer arrives at truth through the slow process of reasoning, but like the angels, it knows all that it knows intuitively and immediately. Once the soul is no longer burdened by the many distractions and needs of the body, its love is directed only to God, ceaselessly and with
the full intensity of
its
capacity, in a way never experienced on earth.
That love
dominates all the soul's activities, and one is aware, as never before, of God's love and goodness. This brings unspeakable happiness, and
an intense yearning for the face-to-face vision of
God.
But at the same time, the soul is held back because of
punishment due
to sin and attachments to creatures.
This delay is most painful, and the greater the degree of love at the moment of death, the more painful the agony in being held back, and the greater the remorse for having offended God. This intense longing
for God and
hatred for one's sins causes the soul to turn to God with a completeness of surrender that is not comprehensible to man here on earth. In this
way the soul
withdraws its
consent to all unrepented venial sins, and thus their guilt is remitted.
Purgatory,
therefore, is a strange combination of joy and pain, neither of which cancels out the other, because both proceed
from a thirst for God. Even in this life, one can willingly undergo some painful experience for one
who is dearly loved, and can be happy to do so for the beloved. But in purgatory, where the
knowledge of God's love and goodness and of our own unworthiness and ingratitude are immeasurably greater, that happiness and that pain can both increase a hundredfold.
If, however, the soul's turning to God is an act of charity sufficient to remit all unrepented venial sins, it is no longer
a meritorious act, i.e. it does not merit an increase of grace. And what is more, as
we shall see, the soul
must still endure the punishment (suffering) due to those sins.
Temporal Punishment due to Sin
Every sin merits a two-fold
evil effect, the first
is guilt for having violated
divine justice; and the second is the temporal
punishment due to sin. Since
sin consists in seeking some pleasure or
satisfaction against God's Will, divine justice demands that reparation
be made by undergoing some pain or suffering against our will.
Saint Thomas expresses this as follows:
"That a guilty person (a sinner) be brought back
within the order of justice, it is necessary that the will suffer privation of what he
desires; this is done by being punished whether by being made
to forego the good things which it would wish to have, or by the infliction of the evil
things which it shrinks from enduring" (Op.3, c.7, Ed. Rom.).
The sufferings of daily life can serve to pay the debt for venial sins repented during
this life, but for venial sins unrepented at the moment of death, that debt must be paid in purgatory. Too, it could be that for many of the sins forgiven in this life (e.g. through sacramental
confession), some of the debt of temporal punishment due to sin remains to be paid in purgatory.
We must not confuse the two
effects of sin mentioned above. Forgiveness of sin does not mean (in the divine scheme of things) that it will not be punished. The guilt is removed when the sinner sincerely repents, but the offense still deserves to be punished. This is often expressed in the Scriptures: "For them You were a God Who
forgives; yet You punished all their offenses" (Psalm
99:8). And we see how God dealt with David who ordered the death of Uriah,
of whose wife David had fathered a child: "Nathan (the prophet) said to David: 'The Lord on His part has forgiven
your sin; you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the
child born to you must surely die" (2Samuel 12:13).
Many a parent would do well to reflect on God's merciful love that
forgives, but punishes as well to help check the fault. For some, the notion of forgiveness is forgiving punishment. Such makes for a spoiled child.
As regards the extent of suffering in purgatory, Saint Thomas Aquinas answers:
"Severity of punishment corresponds properly
speaking to the amount of guilt (i.e. the gravity of sin); whereas the length of punishment corresponds to the firmness with which sin has taken root in
its subject. Hence it may happen that one may be delayed longer who is tormented less, and
vice versa" (Append.
to Suppl. 2, 6).
It is clear from the above that all do not
suffer to the
same degree in purgatory, for all do not come to that stage of their salvation with the same debt of punishment to undergo. And theologians tell us sin is punished more severely in purgatory than on earth, because the separated soul, released from the
dependence on the body, knows far better than it did on earth the goodness, love and majesty of the God it has offended, and is much more aware of its self-love and unworthiness. From the moment of death, love of God is the overpowering activity of the soul; and from this love springs all the painful longings of the soul: the longing to atone for sin, and to make amends to God, Who out of infinite love created and redeemed him; the longing to suffer all that God wishes even though, as theologians declare, it is greater than any suffering we know on earth.
Consequently, intense as the suffering of purgatory may be, the soul sees it as just; and since the soul sees it as the means appointed by God to remove all hindrances to the complete possession and enjoyment of God, the soul happily accepts it. Though the soul on earth did not have the courage to impose this deep interior suffering, it now accepts that suffering willingly. Consequently, as Father
Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. explains, all in
purgatory have perfect peace, perfect abandonment into the hands of the Lord. There is no
anxiety, for all are sure of their salvation; no impatience, for there is perfect union
with the divine will; no envy, for they love all souls as themselves; no terror, for they
adore the divine justice (Everlasting Life, p. 184,
185).
Attachment to Creatures
In the preceding section we were looking more at the intensity of the suffering of purgatory. This section considers the length of that purification. Even after the debt of
temporal punishment due to sin has been paid, there can still remain what Saint Thomas
calls the "remains of sin" (De Malo, Q.7,a.11,ad 4). It was to this that he was referring in the
words quoted above: "the length of punishment
corresponds to the firmness with which sin has taken root in its subject." The Angelic Doctor comments further:
"Some venial sins cling more persistently than others,
according as the affections are more inclined to them. And since that which clings more
persistently is more slowly cleansed, it follows that some are tormented in purgatory
longer than others, inasmuch as their affections are steeped in venial sins" (Ibid.).
Although, as we have pointed out, after death the soul no longer has to battle with the inclinations, habits and passions of the body, the habits of thought and will are in the soul, and their corruptions are not
shed by merely shedding the body. Speaking of this Father Garrigou-Lagrange explains:
"When grave sin is remitted by grace, the soul is no
longer turned away from God, but it can retain a defective
disposition which carries it toward created good. These
defective dispositions, while they no longer have predominance, remain as the fuel of
concupiscence. The drunkard or the backbiter, even after absolution, retains the
disposition to fall back into his old sin. Do these dispositions remain in the separated
soul? Yes. They are like rust, penetrating at times to the depths of the intelligence and
will. Does this rust disappear suddenly upon the entrance of purgatory?" With
Saint Thomas he answers: "the duration of
the suffering corresponds to the rootedness which the sin has in its subject" (Ibid. p. 181; IV Sent. dist. 21, q.1., a.3).
By frequently weakening and consenting even to small venial
sins, the soul gives the "law of sin" a hold on the will, so that it can become more deeply rooted in the soul. Saint Paul,
holy as he was,
complained about "another law in my members fighting
against the law of my mind, captivating me in the law of sin," so that "I do not the good that I
will, but the evil I hate, that I do" (Romans
7).
Insofar as the "law of sin" has a hold on the will, the soul remains divided within itself. In regard to God, it delights in His law. Yet, in regard to creatures that have captivated it, occasionally they draw the will to delight in them in
disregard of God's law. The roots of this division remain after death and render the soul unfit for heaven until they are entirely eliminated.
God could remove
these "remains of sin" in the soul in an instant, raising the soul's
love for Him to such an intensity as to burn out instantly all other loves
and attractions. This He may do in the case of martyrs. But in other souls it is fitting that they should go through the
long agony of painfully detaching their souls from the wrong affections to creatures
which they have willfully and persistently encouraged to take root in their souls.
 The sacrament of extreme unction
fortifies the soul for the last struggle, and hinders disordered inclinations and attachments from harming us at the supreme moment. However, those defective dispositions still
remain, and must be purified in purgatory. In this way egoism, selfishness, lust, envy, pride, etc. are "burned away" (as spiritual writers express it) until charity reigns completely in
the soul.
How are we to understand the expression that these dispositions
are "burned away?" The early Fathers spoke of a purifying fire. Theologians are not in agreement as to the nature of that fire. The word fire is used in the Scriptures (sometimes literally,
sometimes figuratively) as a punishing and purifying element. In the Sacred Books fire is
often used as a symbol of God, e.g. God speaking to Moses from the flaming bush,
and the Holy Spirit (the Love of the Father and the Son) appearing over each of the apostles
on Pentecost as
small flames of fire.
Could it be that, since sinners refuse to love God by obedience to His law, in some mysterious way, the fire of divine love which they have spurned, is the very
instrument of their punishment or purification? At any rate, the Church has made no pronouncements concerning the
existence of a real fire in purgatory. Perhaps the image of fire best expresses the painful purification that takes place in the gradual liberation from sinful attachments, and the suffering in payment for the
temporal punishment due to sin.
Practical Reflections
By reason of the Mystical
Body of Christ, the souls in purgatory are our neighbors just as truly as those in our neighborhood. And these
departed souls can
do nothing for themselves. They can no longer merit an increase of grace, nor gain indulgences which would remit temporal
punishment due to sin, nor receive cleansing and strengthening graces of the sacraments. They can only suffer to satisfy the debt of punishment due to their sins.
 We, on the other hand, can assist them by our prayer, by offering on their
behalf the satisfactory value of our good works, sacrifices and trials, by almsdeeds, by gaining indulgences for
them, and especially by the Sacrifice of the Mass. In all these ways we help ourselves as well as the poor souls, for the charity which motivates our
actions merits
for ourselves an increase of grace. As regards the gaining of indulgences, we have to keep in mind that the Church has the power of "binding and
loosing" only
for the living, not for the dead. Consequently we can
only fulfill the requisites for gaining an indulgence and entreat Our Blessed Lord to apply their fruits to the souls of the departed. And we can well believe that in the measure that we help them now in
their need, when we come to that stage of our salvation we will be helped by others. And those we have helped will be grateful to
us in heaven
for all eternity.
In the light of all that we have discussed, it seems that many Catholics have a very erroneous opinion as to the
duration of purgatory. Some, perhaps reflecting on the repentant thief on Calvary, or relying on a plenary indulgence at the moment of death, or on the
tradition of what is called the sabbatine privilege, seem confident that they will be in heaven very shortly after death. And for the same reason they believe too easily in the prompt
deliverance of their loved ones, and after a period of a month or so no
longer pray for
them. Solid theologians discourage that kind of thinking. In this regard, Father
Garrigou-Lagrange comments:
"To escape false imagining, let us recall that purgatory
is not measured by solar time, but by . . . discontinuous time. Discontinuous time is
composed of successive spiritual instants, and each of these instants may correspond to
ten, twenty, sixty hours of our solar time, just as a person could remain thirty hours in
ecstasy absorbed by one sole thought. Hence, there is no proportion between our solar time
and the discontinued time of purgatory" (Ibid. 177).
Quoting several theologians who contended that purgatory is so severe, and the suffrages of the Church are so efficacious that no
soul remains in
purgatory more
than ten or twenty years, Father
Garrigou-Lagrange explains: "Theologians
all but unanimously reject that view. Souls converted at the last moment, after a life of
grave disorder, remain in purgatory much longer than ten or twenty years. Theological
opinion, in general, is that purgatorial purification is of long duration".
Yet, with all this, their interior
love for God transfigures their sufferings and fills their souls with a peace and surrender
to God's Will which we on earth cannot imagine. As someone has expressed it:
"Purgatory is not an antechamber to
hell;
it is the waiting room for heaven."
Some Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory
 Eternal
Father, I offer You the Holy Wounds of Your Son, and His Precious Blood, for the
conversion of sinners and for the relief of the souls in Purgatory.
Amen
Eternal rest
grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in
peace.
Amen
Eternal
Father, by the virtue of Your generosity and love, I ask that You accept all my actions,
and that You multiply their value in favor of every soul in Purgatory. Through Christ Our
Lord.
Amen
O Gentlest
Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrement, ever consumed with burning love for
the poor souls in Purgatory, have mercy on the soul of Your departed Servant.
Be not severe in Your judgement, but let some drops
of Your Precious Blood fall upon him (or her), and send, O merciful Savior, Your angels to
conduct him (or her) to a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Amen
May the
Angels lead him into Paradise.
May the Martyrs receive him at his coming and take
him to Jerusalem, the Holy City.
May the Choirs of Angels receive him, and may he,
with the once poor Lazarus, have rest everlasting.
Amen
May the
souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
O God, Who
has commanded us to honor our father and our mother, in Your mercy have pity on the souls
of my father and mother, and forgive them their trespasses; and make me to see them again
in the joy of everlasting brightness. Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen
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