Forgiven?

[renee120776]

I was newly confirmed and I was confused about the subject of mortal sin. If a mortal sin is committed and confessed with sincerity, does it still count against them; will they still automatically go to purgatory if they died with a clean slate?

 

[teachccd]

I was newly confirmed and I was confused about the subject of mortal sin. If a mortal sin is committed and confessed with sincerity, does it still count against them; will they still automatically go to purgatory if they died with a clean slate?

While no one can know the judgment of God, a person who dies in the state of grace goes to purgatory not for the guilt of their sin but for the temporal punishment or purgation of that sin. In order to be in the presence of God we must have no attachment to sin. Purgatory allows us to move into the unapproachable light of God and, as our eyes adjust to the sun from the darkness within, allows our souls to adjust to the presence of our God. I hope this helps.

 

[thistle]

I was newly confirmed and I was confused about the subject of mortal sin. If a mortal sin is committed and confessed with sincerity, does it still count against them; will they still automatically go to purgatory if they died with a clean slate?

When I die, if I find myself in Purgatory I will be happy because it means I have been saved and next step is Heaven. Why would anyone worry about going to Purgatory?

 

[JRKH]

I was newly confirmed and I was confused about the subject of mortal sin. If a mortal sin is committed and confessed with sincerity, does it still count against them; will they still automatically go to purgatory if they died with a clean slate?

It depends on what you mean by “a clean slate”.

Nothing that is imperfect can behold the beatific vision. For this reason we are called to perfection in Mt 5:48. Since it is highly likely that the vast majority of us will die in a less than perfected state, we will undergo “purgation” - that is a purging, a cleansing, a “burning away” of all imperfection that remains in us.

So - in the above question - No the sin does not count against them - but even though the person repent and sincerely confess, there may still remain a tendency or temptation toward that sin, or their may be some sort of restitution that is not (or cannot) be made, or some remaining (self imposed) guilt etc…in short some imperfection that remains - which must be dealt with before we enter Heaven and behold God face to face.

Our journey to perfection, our sanctification, is ongoing. Be of good cheer and move forward in confidence.

Peace
James

 

[Newbie2]

When I die, if I find myself in Purgatory I will be happy because it means I have been saved and next step is Heaven. Why would anyone worry about going to Purgatory?

Some of us, like yours truly, will spend more “time” or need more “burning off” than others.

 

[thistle]

Some of us, like yours truly, will spend more “time” or need more “burning off” than others.

lol

 

[SighGuy]

Yup. In the Catholic.com searchbar, type in Purgatory and you’ll get a lot of info if you’re interested in learning more than just the simple yes or no answer to your question.

Basically, it’s as though you committed a crime. You can be forgiven, but there is still a debt to pay. The best example is David’s affair with Uriah’s wife and his murder of Uriah. He sincerely begged for forgiveness-- and for that, he was forgiven (! this is huge!) by God through Nathan the prophet, yet there was still a penalty that he had to pay (the death of his son from his adulterous/murderous affair).

 

[Zekariya]

Only those who die in a state of grace are in purgatory.

When you commit a mortal sin after baptism, there is eternal punishment and temporal punishment that you must pay. After confession all of your sins are forgiven and your eternal punishment (if the sins were mortal) is removed. There is still temporal punishment to pay.

An example: A lapsed Catholic murders a man. His temporal punishment is life in prison. He confesses the sin (with true repentance) and is absolved. He still must pay the temporal punishment either in prison for life or in purgatory.

We can offer our penance, sufferings, prayers, and indulgences on behalf of our sins or others’ sins to lessen purgatory.

An indulgence pays for our temporal punishments that we earn from sin that we commit. When we die, if we have not paid for all of our temporal punishments, we will pay for them in purgatory.

A partial indulgence remits part of our temporal punishment. A plenary indulgence remits all of our temporal punishment we have earned up to that point.

Note: Baptism remits all sins and temporal punishment. Confession remits only sins.

We can gain indulgences for the poor souls in purgatory and pray for them.

 

[snarflemike]

Some of us, like yours truly, will spend more “time” or need more “burning off” than others.

Avail yourself of the many opportunities to receive an indulgence. Yet one more gift that Christ offers us, through his Church.