3rd Grade Religious Ed: Purgatory & the Communion of Saints

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DiZent

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We had an exceptional class today about the Communion of Saints. We use the Faith and Life Curriculum from Ignatius Press. The Teacher’s manual had a “chalk talk” drawing that depicts the 3 aspects of the Communion of Saints - in Heaven (Church Triumphant), in Purgatory (Church Suffering) and on Earth (Church Militant). The kids had good questions and the co-teacher & I used the drawing to answer them. Purgatory is a difficult concept to grasp, even for adults sometimes. Connecting Purgatory with the larger concept of the Communion of Saints was very helpful.

Anyone else have experiences teaching about Purgatory?
 
My daughter had a teacher explain purgatory as a shower. When we die and have stains from sins on our souls we need to clean them in purgatory before we enter heaven. We can not go to a fancy party in play clothes covered in mud or work clothes. We must first shower, change, fix our hair, etc. Heaven is the fanciest banquet ever, so we must go through the process of getting ready.
 
In 6th grade I liken it to the pain of separation from the beloved, such as when my wife and I are apart for a few days.
 
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