C.S. Lewis on Purgatory

[landon13]

I was just reading an apologetics book that gives this quote from C.S. Lewis, who was not a Catholic, on his belief in Purgatory:

Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, “It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy”? Should we not reply, “With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.” “It may hurt, you know” - “Even so, sir.”

This quote is from Lewis’s Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer

This is one quote from a non-Catholic that really honed in the doctrine of Purgatory before I decided to join the Catholic Church because our souls do need cleaning. Even though Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for our sins, we need Purgatory to clean our sins and wash our sins away for our own good and our own perfection.

 

[MaryT777]

Nice post. CS Lewis is a favorite of mine. I love Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.
A great read for any Christian.

Mary.