Is it bad to desire purgatory?

  • Thread starter Thread starter newbie25553
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
N

newbie25553

Guest
Recently, I’ve found myself greatly desiring to go to purgatory. I’ve been Catholic about 3.5 years now, and with all of the routine living of the Sacraments, I find I’ve identified several things about my character and thoughts, etc. that I have that I detest. The prospect of these things about me being burned away in the fires of purgatory is very attractive.

So - is it wrong to desire purgatory? What can/should I do with these feelings?
 
newbie25553 said:
Recently, I’ve found myself greatly desiring to go to purgatory. I’ve been Catholic about 3.5 years now, and with all of the routine living of the Sacraments, I find I’ve identified several things about my character and thoughts, etc. that I have that I detest. The prospect of these things about me being burned away in the fires of purgatory is very attractive.

So - is it wrong to desire purgatory? What can/should I do with these feelings?
Click to expand...
I’ve had that same experience, and I think it is a tremendous grace to look forward to being purged of these things. So first of all, give thanks to God for that grace!

The good news is, now that you’ve seen these things in yourself and have the desire to be rid of them, you have the rest of your life (starting today) to work with God’s grace – in this life! – to be purged of those things. So give thanks to God! 😃

Purgatory is such a merciful gift of our Father. And please God we will each of us be purged in preparation for heaven. But that purification begins in this life. We definitely shouldn’t wait until the next to begin the process :o

God bless you!
 
It sounds like a desire to be cleansed. You haven’t been Catholic for very long. As time goes by, you’ll find yourself wanting - or not wanting - all sorts of things. Roll with it. 😉
 
newbie25553 said:
Recently, I’ve found myself greatly desiring to go to purgatory. I’ve been Catholic about 3.5 years now, and with all of the routine living of the Sacraments, I find I’ve identified several things about my character and thoughts, etc. that I have that I detest. The prospect of these things about me being burned away in the fires of purgatory is very attractive.

So - is it wrong to desire purgatory? What can/should I do with these feelings?
Click to expand...
You can start your purgatory on earth. Start by praying the rosary daily.

Life has a way of throwing you curve balls which serve to purge you of the dross if you deal with it by praying for God’s grace.
 
Pax Christi.

You’re desiring cleansing in the wrong place. Cleanse yourself here and now.

Aim for Heaven. Anything short of that delays Eternal Joy and loving and serving God.

Delay disappoints God, and is the sin of sloth.

Pray. Fast. Sacrifice. Purge now.

God bless.
 
I think the purging done on earth is far less painful than in purgatory. Accept your sufferings
if you can and offer them up. Try to do your purgatory on earth so you may go straight to heaven when you die.
 
If your goal is Purgatory, you may not even get there!

Heaven should always be the goal.

ICXC NIKA
 
newbie25553 said:
Recently, I’ve found myself greatly desiring to go to purgatory. I’ve been Catholic about 3.5 years now, and with all of the routine living of the Sacraments, I find I’ve identified several things about my character and thoughts, etc. that I have that I detest. The prospect of these things about me being burned away in the fires of purgatory is very attractive.

So - is it wrong to desire purgatory? What can/should I do with these feelings?
Click to expand...
Why don’t you desire Heaven? It is Heaven that purges us. It is Heaven that help us out of Purgatory. Purgatory actually begins in this life. It is not a place we go to since you are in Purgatory now. Purgatory only continues in the next life if you still need it. Allow Heaven to purge you now in this life. Why wait until after death when you can do something in this life.
 
St. Therese says that “… the Fire of Love is more sanctifying than is the fire of Purgatory.” God gives us sufficient graces to purify ourselves on Earth.

“Thou shalt make thy Purgatory in the flames of My pure love.”
  • Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata, July 14, 1903
 
Some people end up in Purgatory because they don’t desire heaven enough.

If you have faith, courage, and trust in God, you can ask for your Purgatory on earth. I haven’t been brave enough myself to do that. But suffering on earth gains merit, whereas suffering in Purgatory only expiates sin, so you have the opportunity, if you do it correctly, to gain a thousandfold merits in exchange for what is, in the great scheme of things, a minor inconvenience.
“In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” -St. Theresa
Click to expand...
 
newbie25553 said:
Recently, I’ve found myself greatly desiring to go to purgatory. I’ve been Catholic about 3.5 years now, and with all of the routine living of the Sacraments, I find I’ve identified several things about my character and thoughts, etc. that I have that I detest. The prospect of these things about me being burned away in the fires of purgatory is very attractive.

So - is it wrong to desire purgatory? What can/should I do with these feelings?
Click to expand...
Yes, because you’re desiring for something that you’re meant to go through in the present life. Purgatory is punitive in nature and not something the soul is suppose to go through. In other words: it is never God’s will for a soul to go through Purgatory, hence it should never be your will either. It is only ever a necessary concession. Our suffering is meant to be on Earth. Purgatory is a temporal suffering for wicked deeds towards an otherwise penitent soul, which satisfies the temporal deficit towards Justice (as opposed to final impenitence, which by its definition is un-purgable, since the sin actively continues for eternity. Souls in Purgatory are not sinning, but souls in hell are. God doesn’t punish temporal sins with perpetual punishment, but he does punish perpetual sins with perpetual punishment)

Certain contemporary opinions of Purgatory have deviated from the Purgatory of the Doctors of the Church and of the mystics. The opinion of some is that if you’re not a totally holy person, you’re going to go through Purgatory, which is another way of saying that everybody goes through Purgatory, or that it is a default destination, which simply isn’t true, and what the Zealous Doctor Alphonsus Liguori in particular spoke against.

God can (and does) transform a soul into the state of the Beatific Vision without causing any discomfort for them whatsoever. Prayers for grace are not so feeble. A soul that faithfully loves the Lord, and is consecrated to Our Lady, and secure in the protection of the angelic hosts, will enter Heaven. No pit-stops.
 
Aim high,
then if for some reason you fall a little short,
Purgatory can be your parachute.
Desire that your Purgatory is in the here and now, if you must,
but live to walk in Heaven with your first steps beyond earthly life.

:tiphat:
 
Thanks everyone, very helpful. I know that we should seek purification in this life firstly. It’s been a rough week and I’m having trouble getting back on the horse. And, my “purgatory in this life” is something out of my control I must deal with every day. I always wish I could fix it, because it causes much suffering, but it’s out of my control so I must keep picking up my cross.

It’s hard.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top