I'm terrified of purgatory

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aniq52
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I didnt say they were infallible, but many of them were experts like St Alphonsous, who spoke largely on the matter.
 
I have similar fears, and well-founded in my case as I have a literal ocean of temporal punishment awaiting me.

My advice is to atone as much as you can in this life, through prayer, alms giving, acts of charity, the seeking of indulgences (especially plenary), Eucharist Adoration, First Fridays and First Saturday devotions, attend the Feast of the Divine mercy and say the chaplet often. Say a rosary daily, and enroll in the confraternity of the brown scapular. Consider devoting these works to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. Heroic Act of Charity.

Don’t be afraid. As St. Padre Pio said “Hope, pray, don’t Worry. . . Worry is useless.”
 
Last edited:
Especially take advantage of the wonderful graces given on the Feast of Divine Mercy. The indulgence of that day wipes away temporal punishment. It is an extraordinary grace given by God for the time we are now in, the time of Mercy. God promises through his words to St. Faustina that the floodgates of Mercy are open that day for us.
 
All living people have the hope of correcting and changing life, and this should focus on.
The dead can not change anything. They want, they are horrified by their past insanity, but nothing can change them forever.
Even people who are sick with incurable diseases have hope for they are alive. The dead can no longer change anything, and they are no longer allowed to return here to this world for another chance.
 
Last edited:
Simply do the following:
  1. Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet often, including adding the “Jesus, I Trust in You” prayer and the prayer beginning “O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness…” to the end of the prayer. And do the Divine Mercy Sunday devotion once a year on the Feast of Divine Mercy.
  2. Do as many good works as you can for others, including praying for souls currently in purgatory and maybe getting indulgences for them if you can do that.
  3. Follow all the advice given in the book How to Avoid Purgatory by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan
Then you don’t need to worry about Purgatory.

Just my 2 cents. I used to worry about Purgatory and don’t anymore because I do the above instead.
 
Aniq52 said:
I know this sounds weird but im scared of purgatory even though the fire is tempory .I don’t understand why god punishes people in fire for venial sins. why do venial sins have to be punished with purgatory if there not a big deal?
Click to expand...
When compared to human behavior, venial sins are no big deal, but next to God all sins are a big deal even venial sins. The image Fraevo63 posted has the cure. If you truly love someone, you will do anything for them. You can see this in marriages how husband and wife make so many sacrifices for each other and their family. They suffer a lot, but they keep doing it because of their love. You need to get to that place in your relationship with God. Then you will have the trust to accept whatever suffering he calls for you.

As others wrote, start a devotion to Divine Mercy. I would also recommend a devotion to the Way of the Cross (or Stations of the Cross). In particular, the one by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Relationship with God, like any relationship, takes work over the long run. Work on it every day. Develop the practice of praying without ceasing as St. Paul recommended, so you are always contemplating God.

Another thing you can do is make small sacrifices for God. Fast from something good you enjoy, do something extra for your family. They don’t have to be big, but be thinking about what would be pleasing to God. Then pray to him like, “Lord, I want to watch TV, but instead I will pray the Way of the Cross for you because I love you and want to be with you for all eternity in your heavenly home.” You’re putting God at the center of your life. Ultimately, the goal is to imitate Jesus’ perfectly, for your life to be a complete and perfect offering to God with every ounce of your energy spent for the good of others both out of love for them, and most importantly, out of love for God.
 
Aniq52 said:
im scared of purgatory even though the fire is tempory
Click to expand...
I hear you…It doesn’t sound like fun, but sometimes life isn’t fun…and neither life nor purgatory lasts forever, but once we have reached purgatory, we know we have escaped the 2nd Death and the eternal fires of Hell, and in God’s due time we will experience paradise…Rejoice and be glad!
 
Aniq52 said:
I know this sounds weird but im scared of purgatory even though the fire is tempory .I don’t understand why god punishes people in fire for venial sins. why do venial sins have to be punished with purgatory if there not a big deal?
Click to expand...
What do you have to fear? If I die and find myself in Purgatory I will be happy because it means I have been saved. Everyone in Purgatory will go to Heaven, after appropriate cleansing.
 
I think I saw someone say that there is no purgatory in the east. That’s not quite true; the Eastern churches may not use the term, but they do pray for the dead. And for Eastern Catholics, this is a dogma of the Church, which they must accept. “We shall not debate about purgatory, but we entrust ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Church”. http://www.ewtn.com/library/councils/treatbr.htm
I’m not afraid of Purgatory, I’m thankful for it! Revelation 21:27.
 
If you want to avoid purgatory, try changing your outlook?

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

The saints are those who grow from being afraid of punishment to being horrified at offending God.
May we all get there as soon as possible. In the meantime, fear nothing that could bring you closer to pleasing him. In the end, none of the saints complain about those things that achieve that.
 
Last edited:
Just because there is no dogma, doesnt mean its not true. Some of yall think Gods justice is childs play. Our Blessed Mother showed purgatory to certain saints and many of them described a fire similar to that of hell. Ill take their experience.
 
Robtimus151 said:
Just because there is no dogma, doesnt mean its not true. Some of yall think Gods justice is childs play. Our Blessed Mother showed purgatory to certain saints and many of them described a fire similar to that of hell. Ill take their experience.
Click to expand...
And who is limiting your perceptions and beliefs? You are welcome to believe that purgatory is a punishing and fear inspiring painful pit of flames.
Some of yall think Gods justice is childs play.
Click to expand...
Exactly, some of y’all do.
 
goout said:
And who is limiting your perceptions and beliefs? You are welcome to believe that purgatory is a punishing and fear inspiring painful pit of flames.
Click to expand...
“You want the justice of God and so you shall have the justice of God. For the soul receives from God exactly what it expects.” - St. Therese of Lisieux

If one thinks Purgatory will be a big nasty lake of fire and that they will go there, then they’ll probably get their wish.
I myself pray to ask God to let me and my loved ones skip Purgatory.
 
Confess your sins and expiate them through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and “patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death” ( CCC 1473) and you won’t have to worry about purgatory.

But here is an important, hopeful consideration on the pain of purgatory that should help ease some fear:

Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi
But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.
Click to expand...
St. Catherine of Genoa, Treatise on Purgatory
I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise; and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing. A thing which is covered cannot respond to the sun’s rays, not because of any defect in the sun, which is shining all the time, but because the cover is an obstacle; if the cover be burnt away, this thing is open to the sun; more and more as the cover is consumed does it respond to the rays of the sun

It is in this way that rust, which is sin, covers souls, and in Purgatory is burnt away by fire; the more it is consumed, the more do the souls respond to God, the true sun. As the rust lessens and the soul is opened up to the divine ray, happiness grows; until the time be accomplished the one wanes and the other waxes. Pain however does not lessen but only the time for which pain is endured. As for will: never can the souls say these pains are pains, so contented are they with God’s ordaining with which, in pure charity, their will is united.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
What you speak of are private revelations, we are not required to believe them.
 
I read a lot of Catholic books, so I can’t always remember where I got something, but this stands out. One of the Saints said that if there was an announcement in hell that they would all be let out after a million years, there would be a massive celebration.

I have also read that if people in purgatory were given the option for a “redo” back on earth they would turn it down, as their place in Heaven is assured. Going back to earth would not guarantee that. Purgatory is not a picnic, but it sure beats hell.
 
I know that we arent required to belive them, however, the Church proclaims that they are worthy of belief. Also, stop praying the rosary, wearing the brown scapular, even the Divine Mercy devotions since they come from private revelations.
 
Last edited:
The thought of purgatory scares me pretty strongly too. One thing that I have recently started doing is praying to St. Joseph as well as the Blessed Mother for a happy death for myself and my family. I have also been thinking about the last line of the Hail Mary. I am hoping that if our Blessed Mother does indeed pray for me at the hour of my death, that will be enough for me to eventually make it to Heaven, even if I have a “layover” in purgatory. I have asked my husband (who is not Catholic) to have as many Masses said for me as possible, if I go first. I’ve heard of people making provisions in their Will to have money set aside for Masses.

I am grateful that purgatory exists, but the thought of being there is indeed terrifying.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top