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Brucejlb
Guest
Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible. It is purely a Catholic doctrine. It became a great way to collect money from people. They could pay to release people from purgatory by donating to the church.
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Vonsalza
Guest
It is a device that answers the question “How does a man enter a perfect heaven in a perfect state?”, which scripture doesn’t explicitly answer. Not even the assumed instant-glorification in evangelical thought is clearly given in the texts.
Little doubt that western legal tradition has made it a bit more concrete and defined than it really need be. But the notion that scripture doesn’t support it is false; particularly if you include Maccabees in your bible (I do).
Enjoy;
Is Purgatory in the Bible?
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Muzhik
Guest
From all the things I’ve read over the years, my views of purgatory are these:
It is both a state and a place. Unlike heaven and hell, both of which are eternal, purgatory is tied to time. When time ends, so will purgatory.
Some sources describe it as like hell, with one big difference: there is no despair. One of the punishments of hell is eternal despair, knowing that you chose this place by your actions and knowing that it will never, never end. In purgatory, though, there is no despair. You know that there will be an end to your suffering at some point, and the knowledge that you will at that time be admitted to heaven is a great consolation. Also, some visions report that your guardian angel and Mary may visit, in order to provide consolation.
One fairly consistent description among those who have been given visions of purgatory is that it is a place of many levels, from the lowest level that one visionary reported as being separated from the fires of hell by a thin wall, to the highest point which was described as the outer vestibule of heaven.
One tradition in the Catholic Church (tradition, not doctrine) is that of the 30-Days Gregorian Masses for the Dead. Pope St. Gregory, while still an abbot, was given a vision of a recently deceased monk under his care. The monk was clearly suffering, and informed Gregory that if Gregory were to offer a Mass for his soul every day for 30 consecutive days, the monk would be freed from purgatory and admitted into heaven. Gregory did so, and on the night after offering the final Mass, he was given a vision of the monk being received by Jesus.
If this interests you, check out www.thedivinemercy.org or contact a missionary seminary such as Divine Word College (https://dwci.edu/). The stipends offered for the 30-Day Masses go to help missions overseas who can really use the money,
It is both a state and a place. Unlike heaven and hell, both of which are eternal, purgatory is tied to time. When time ends, so will purgatory.
Some sources describe it as like hell, with one big difference: there is no despair. One of the punishments of hell is eternal despair, knowing that you chose this place by your actions and knowing that it will never, never end. In purgatory, though, there is no despair. You know that there will be an end to your suffering at some point, and the knowledge that you will at that time be admitted to heaven is a great consolation. Also, some visions report that your guardian angel and Mary may visit, in order to provide consolation.
One fairly consistent description among those who have been given visions of purgatory is that it is a place of many levels, from the lowest level that one visionary reported as being separated from the fires of hell by a thin wall, to the highest point which was described as the outer vestibule of heaven.
One tradition in the Catholic Church (tradition, not doctrine) is that of the 30-Days Gregorian Masses for the Dead. Pope St. Gregory, while still an abbot, was given a vision of a recently deceased monk under his care. The monk was clearly suffering, and informed Gregory that if Gregory were to offer a Mass for his soul every day for 30 consecutive days, the monk would be freed from purgatory and admitted into heaven. Gregory did so, and on the night after offering the final Mass, he was given a vision of the monk being received by Jesus.
If this interests you, check out www.thedivinemercy.org or contact a missionary seminary such as Divine Word College (https://dwci.edu/). The stipends offered for the 30-Day Masses go to help missions overseas who can really use the money,
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Brucejlb
Guest
This is a statement published by the ruling pope in 1999. Ask your priest if it is true.
“No Hell”: Pope CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 1999 5:52 AM ET
A hell without fire and brimstone. That’s the Roman Catholic Church’s latest view on what life in the hereafter might be like. And it comes straight from the Pope. The Pope made the statement yesterday in the Vatican City.
At this morning’s mass at the basilica of St. John’s, news of the Pope’s statement caught most of the people completely by surprise. “The Pope said what?” asked one man. “I’d have to see it before I believe it.”
For centuries the popular image of the wrath of God has been fire, brimstone, and every imaginable - and unimaginable - horror. The modern teaching of the Catholic church does not refer to hell as a place.
So, for many practicing Catholics, like Frank O’Leary, the Pope has simply confirmed what they believe anyway. “A lot of these things are metaphorical,” he says. “I never really thought of heaven as a physical place. It is not surprising to me that the Holy Father would point out that hell is not physical in the sense of this physical plane that we’re on right now.”
The Pope isn’t saying there’s no hell at all. He’s saying that hell is the state of eternal torment a soul ends up in when it cuts itself off from God.
And so another piece of religious folklore gives way to the rational mood of our times. It was only last year that Catholics heard from their Pope about the need to build more bridges between faith and reason. And just last week he set the record straight about heaven. Not as a place in the clouds but as a state of eternal union with God.
“No Hell”: Pope CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 1999 5:52 AM ET
A hell without fire and brimstone. That’s the Roman Catholic Church’s latest view on what life in the hereafter might be like. And it comes straight from the Pope. The Pope made the statement yesterday in the Vatican City.
At this morning’s mass at the basilica of St. John’s, news of the Pope’s statement caught most of the people completely by surprise. “The Pope said what?” asked one man. “I’d have to see it before I believe it.”
For centuries the popular image of the wrath of God has been fire, brimstone, and every imaginable - and unimaginable - horror. The modern teaching of the Catholic church does not refer to hell as a place.
So, for many practicing Catholics, like Frank O’Leary, the Pope has simply confirmed what they believe anyway. “A lot of these things are metaphorical,” he says. “I never really thought of heaven as a physical place. It is not surprising to me that the Holy Father would point out that hell is not physical in the sense of this physical plane that we’re on right now.”
The Pope isn’t saying there’s no hell at all. He’s saying that hell is the state of eternal torment a soul ends up in when it cuts itself off from God.
And so another piece of religious folklore gives way to the rational mood of our times. It was only last year that Catholics heard from their Pope about the need to build more bridges between faith and reason. And just last week he set the record straight about heaven. Not as a place in the clouds but as a state of eternal union with God.
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Arkansan
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Gab123
Guest
Marino Restrepo is a Catholic missionary who had an experience of Purgatory. Here is his testimony:
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Brucejlb
Guest
There is no mention of “purgatory” in the Bible, so I was wondering where this idea came from.
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Brucejlb
Guest
I did some research.
Bible Purgatory
Question: “What does the Bible say about Purgatory?”
Answer: According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Purgatory is “a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” To summarize, in Catholic theology Purgatory is a place that a Christian’s soul goes to after death to be cleansed of the sins that had not been fully satisfied during life. Is this doctrine of Purgatory in agreement with the Bible? Absolutely not!
Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins (Romans 5:8). Isaiah 53:5 declares, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Jesus suffered for our sins so that we could be delivered from suffering. To say that we must also suffer for our sins is to say that Jesus’ suffering was insufficient. To say that we must atone for our sins by cleansing in Purgatory is to deny the sufficiency of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (1 John 2:2). The idea that we have to suffer for our sins after death is contrary to everything the Bible says about salvation.
The primary Scriptural passage Catholics point to for evidence of Purgatory is 1 Corinthians 3:15, which says, “If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” The passage (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) is using an illustration of things going through fire as a description of believers’ works being judged. If our works are of good quality “gold, silver, costly stones,” they will pass through the fire unharmed, and we will be rewarded for them. If our works are of poor quality “wood, hay, and straw,” they will be consumed by the fire, and there will be no reward. The passage does not say that believers pass through the fire, but rather that a believer’s works pass through the fire. 1 Corinthians 3:15 refers to the believer “escaping through the flames,” not “being cleansed by the flames.”
Bible Purgatory
Question: “What does the Bible say about Purgatory?”
Answer: According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Purgatory is “a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” To summarize, in Catholic theology Purgatory is a place that a Christian’s soul goes to after death to be cleansed of the sins that had not been fully satisfied during life. Is this doctrine of Purgatory in agreement with the Bible? Absolutely not!
Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins (Romans 5:8). Isaiah 53:5 declares, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Jesus suffered for our sins so that we could be delivered from suffering. To say that we must also suffer for our sins is to say that Jesus’ suffering was insufficient. To say that we must atone for our sins by cleansing in Purgatory is to deny the sufficiency of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (1 John 2:2). The idea that we have to suffer for our sins after death is contrary to everything the Bible says about salvation.
The primary Scriptural passage Catholics point to for evidence of Purgatory is 1 Corinthians 3:15, which says, “If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” The passage (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) is using an illustration of things going through fire as a description of believers’ works being judged. If our works are of good quality “gold, silver, costly stones,” they will pass through the fire unharmed, and we will be rewarded for them. If our works are of poor quality “wood, hay, and straw,” they will be consumed by the fire, and there will be no reward. The passage does not say that believers pass through the fire, but rather that a believer’s works pass through the fire. 1 Corinthians 3:15 refers to the believer “escaping through the flames,” not “being cleansed by the flames.”
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Brucejlb
Guest
Don’t believe all you hear! Always ask where the Bible mentions it.
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boldlygo
Guest
The Bible was given to the world by the Catholic Church…
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Seagull
Guest
This holy Soul ( Saint Catherine ) found herself,
while still in the flesh, placed by the fiery love of God in Purgatory,
which burnt her, cleansing whatever in her needed cleansing,
to the end that when she passed from this life she might
be presented to the sight of God, her dear Love.
By means of this loving fire, she understood in her soul
the state of the souls of the faithful who are placed in Purgatory
to purge them of all the rust and stains of sin of
which they have not rid themselves in this life.
And since this Soul, placed by the divine fire in this loving Purgatory,
was united to that divine love and content with all
that was wrought in her, she understood
the state of the souls who are in Purgatory.
And she said: …(that’s when Saint Catherine discusses her vision )
while still in the flesh, placed by the fiery love of God in Purgatory,
which burnt her, cleansing whatever in her needed cleansing,
to the end that when she passed from this life she might
be presented to the sight of God, her dear Love.
By means of this loving fire, she understood in her soul
the state of the souls of the faithful who are placed in Purgatory
to purge them of all the rust and stains of sin of
which they have not rid themselves in this life.
And since this Soul, placed by the divine fire in this loving Purgatory,
was united to that divine love and content with all
that was wrought in her, she understood
the state of the souls who are in Purgatory.
And she said: …(that’s when Saint Catherine discusses her vision )
Tis_Bearself
Patron
The Catholic Church is not “sola scriptura” and there are quite a few teachings of the Church that are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible.
You insisting that we always have to look in the Bible to verify is contrary to the teaching of the Church.
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Jump4Joy
Guest
Dante I believe has a description of purgatory.
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Roseeurekacross
Guest
You are in error. You are discussing indulgences.
We don’t buy indulgences, we earn them.
If this ever was a practise , no doubt by sinful people, it’s not been for centuries
We don’t buy indulgences, we earn them.
If this ever was a practise , no doubt by sinful people, it’s not been for centuries
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Gab123
Guest
There’s no mention of the word “Trinity” in the Bible, yet the teaching is certainly there.
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Gab123
Guest
The Bible doesn’t tell you what books should belong in the Bible; for that you have to ask the Church, and trust Sacred Tradition.
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joeybaggz
Guest
Where? The “Why Catholics are Wrong and Will Go to Hell” book written by some tithe pocketing, street hustling, Jack Chick loving soul?
If I wanted to denigrate someone on the basis of race, I could read the writings of the KKK and call it research. Your sola scriptura post not based on any objective, unbiased research.
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straykat
Guest
I don’t have a handy quote, but I like the story of St. Macrina, on her deathbed, as she was teaching her little brother (St. Gregory of Nyssa) that he shouldn’t worry about her and that she was at peace. And before there was a concept of “purgatory as a place”, she taught him “purgatory as a state”. She illustrated that our lives are a like a man and his house. And all of our attachments to the world and our sins is akin to how elaborate and furnished this man’s house is. And when the man dies, the house comes crashing down on him. In death, Christ comes upon him and pulls him out of the rubble. All of his attachments are akin to the broken furnishings, the splinters, the planks stuck in his side. It’s painful when Christ pulls him out, but Christ isn’t going to leave him be either, since he loves him.
But that pain… that’s the purging. And in St. Macrina’s mind (one of the earliest ascetics in the church), it’d be best to shed your attachments in the here and now.
Perhaps it could be visualized as a “place”, but what difference does that make?
But that pain… that’s the purging. And in St. Macrina’s mind (one of the earliest ascetics in the church), it’d be best to shed your attachments in the here and now.
Perhaps it could be visualized as a “place”, but what difference does that make?
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simonjosiah1
Guest
Padre pio and st john vianny (both mystics) say that purgatory is contant burning in flames, similar to hell, only hell is eternal, purgatory is temporary. The suffer so much, that’s why its important to pray for them.
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TheOldColonel
Guest
I once visited Amsterdam, NY. It made me think of purgatory. 
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