Does Anyone Here Think That...

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bella5110

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I am wondering if anyone here thinks that this life we are living is actually Purgatory itself. I had some friends over for coffee this morning, and most of them agree that this indeed might be Purgatory.
I mean with all the hatred in the world, the catastrophes, the wars, all kinds of religions. etc…that life is sometimes very difficult to deal with.

My question is, do you think that this life is actually Purgatory?
And it’s how we live it that will get us to Heaven? Thanks.
 
Well, I do think that how we live this life will most certainly determine where we spend eternity.

But no, I don’t believe this life is purgatory. Otherwise we’d all be made MORE holy as the years go by & I know lots of people who move in the OTHER direction.

No, purgatory is yet to come… if we’re so blessed. 😉
 
Well, not everyone suffers particularly in this life, nor does the level of suffering appear to be in any way related to sins they may or may not have committed. So I’d say no - although the sufferings of some here MAY indeed be so horrendous as to ensure their entry straight into heaven.
 
From as far back as I can remember my brother use to say that when he died he was going straight to heaven. He suffered terribly the last year of his life. Even as he was dying he would turn away pain medication. He received the sacrament of confession and annointing of the sick before he died. I think perhaps he did suffer his purgatory on earth although that may not be for all people.
 
Well, you could be on to something there Bella (never thought Id say that lol). It would ceratinly seem there is enough to tempt ppl to either side and in every way in this o’life.

Me thinks both Heaven and Hell and all in between can be found in our lives. O trust me, Hell can certainly be experienced if you allow for it;) but the opposite is also true:thumbsup:
 
Loginus said:
Well, you could be on to something there Bella (never thought Id say that lol). It would ceratinly seem there is enough to tempt ppl to either side and in every way in this o’life.

Me thinks both Heaven and Hell and all in between can be found in our lives. O trust me, Hell can certainly be experienced if you allow for it;) but the opposite is also true:thumbsup:
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My best buddy Longinus, what a compliment from you to say something nice about me…😃
 
LilyM said:
Well, not everyone suffers particularly in this life, nor does the level of suffering appear to be in any way related to sins they may or may not have committed. So I’d say no - although the sufferings of some here MAY indeed be so horrendous as to ensure their entry straight into heaven.
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But I think that you cannot get through life without some sort of suffering. No one travels through life suffering free.
And there is so much suffering. Look at Darfur and other places. It breaks my heart. If that isn’t suffering, I don’t know what is.😦
 
I think there can be a start of purification here on earth. For example my dd’s godfather developed a brain tumor, which caused him a tremendous amount of suffering. After doing everything they could he did end up dying from it. I do think people in those situations do start there purification here on earth.

Ok, I just looked at the Catechism and this is what it says.

1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures,** which must be purified either here on earth**, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.83
 
I believe that our lives here on earth are a part of the process of purification, possibly the biggest part, if we allow it. Everything depends upon our cooperation with the Holy Spirit in our journey towards holiness. And I don’t know about you all, but whenever I decide to cooperate with God, to clean up my act, things don’t necessarily get better in my life, but quite the opposite, the heat seems to get cranked up a notch or two. This tells me that the fires are already at work trying to purify me of my attachments to the nasty stuff that clings to my soul.

Now, most of the time I get panicked and flee from all this heat, and completely undo any progress I have made. The trick is to recognize the pattern and ask for the grace to get through so I can get to the next level of purification.

I believe that whatever we don’t get accomplished here on earth in this process, we will have to endure afterward, and without the opportunity to help ourselves through direct prayer for grace. This is why it is important for us to remember those who have passed on, to pray for them as they can no longer help themselves in this way.

And the best thing to do to avoid a prolonged purification in the afterlife, is to try to allow God to accomplish it in us while we are here. It’s not going to be fun in either place, but I have a feeling it’s a lot less so over there. 😉
 
I am sure our sufferings here make us better people, more sensitive to the suffereings [and plight] of others. I have had my fair share of suffering in this life. But then others have suffered more than I.

God has been very good and in my last days has released me from a great period of my life which was conspicous only by the amount of suffering I have had to endure.

Since my sufferings ended, I have not prophesised, I have had no mystical encounters, nor have I felt the Lord walking with me in the way He did when I was in great trevail.

There is therefore a lot to be gained from suffering and a lot missed when suffering is alleviated
 
I think:

You can find a foretaste of both heaven and hell on earth.

Purgatory? Not so much. Only in the sense that it is a temporary place just as our existance on earth now is.

The horrors and the pains and sufferings we face and endure here are challenges to us. And yes, a foretaste of Hell.

The love and joy and things that glory our Risen Lord are all a foretaste of heaven.

My outlook is that much of our suffering here is very needed. In Carrying the Cross, we share with Christ his passion.

Our striving to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord through his Church and the many graces and the sacraments gives us the ultimate joy.
 
bella5110 said:
My question is, do you think that this life is actually Purgatory?
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No I do not believe that.
And it’s how we live it that will get us to Heaven? Thanks.
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How we live it may help us to get to Heaven, stay out of hell, and pass Purgatory on the way, when our soul in flight is summoned before it’s maker.
 
amills said:
From as far back as I can remember my brother use to say that when he died he was going straight to heaven. He suffered terribly the last year of his life. Even as he was dying he would turn away pain medication. He received the sacrament of confession and annointing of the sick before he died. I think perhaps he did suffer his purgatory on earth although that may not be for all people.
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That’s a very wise point… Thanks for sharing it.
 
Well, I do you think you can look at this life as a type of purgatory at the very least. I think we can all agree that what we do and say here affects eternity. I think this life has a high instructional value.

I’d say that its very important to try and get as much as we can out of this life. If we take advantage of all the moments both good and bad and learn and grow from them we are definately improving our position in the next life.
 
Sixtus said:
I am sure our sufferings here make us better people, more sensitive to the suffereings [and plight] of others. I have had my fair share of suffering in this life. But then others have suffered more than I.

God has been very good and in my last days has released me from a great period of my life which was conspicous only by the amount of suffering I have had to endure.

Since my sufferings ended, I have not prophesised, I have had no mystical encounters, nor have I felt the Lord walking with me in the way He did when I was in great trevail.

There is therefore a lot to be gained from suffering and a lot missed when suffering is alleviated
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I think you’re right. The most empathetic people I have known are those who have suffered the most. I know that my own sufferings have made me more sensitive to - and compassionate for - the sufferings of others. Also, those who have suffered greatly seem more grateful for the little goodnesses of life. I have found that the greatest predictor of how happy a person will be is how grateful he is for what he has.

God bless,
Paul
 
Hebrews 11:35 says that some **‘were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.’ **

Whether this applies directly to purgatory or not, I’m not sure. But it seems to indicate that the things we suffer in this life do have some effect on the outcome of our after-life. So to the extent that purgatory is linked with the final judgement, yes, I think it can have an effect.

To what extent, I don’t know. I’d have to search further to see if there’s anything else in Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition which lends itself to this idea.
 
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