Thanks, Mintaka.Over on the Eastern side of things, they have different emphases and images for the theology post-death purification. I understand that they see it as a sort of journey.
But I don’t know much about it. (Not knowing the right name to look under is a pain.)
Those are the differences I’m trying to learn about.At the risk of sparking a rehash of a debate from a few months ago, if a Maronite is an orthodox Catholic he or she accepts the universal Magisterial teaching on Purgatory as on all matters of faith and morals, but may use different terminology, different emphases, etc. in speaking about it.
Now that seems strange. I’m pretty hardcore Western but the use of the actual word “purgatory” in the name of a Maronite parish seems a little odd even to me. Usually I thought Eastern Christians used different terms to refer to the same process.I do know that there are Maronite churches that are called “Our Lady of Purgatory Maronite Church”
I dont know if that helps?
ourladyofpurgatory.org/Now that seems strange. I’m pretty hardcore Western but the use of the actual word “purgatory” in the name of a Maronite parish seems a little odd even to me. Usually I thought Eastern Christians used different terms to refer to the same process.
Well, if they feel comfortable with it then I who am I to disagree?
Although the Fathers of the early Church, including St. Ephrem, attest to the reality of the soul’s need for purification after death, the widely known term “purgatory” is not explicitly stated in the Scriptures. The term comes from Western Tradition, and did not even appear in it until the 11th century at the earliest. The formulation of the teaching became a source of controversy between Greek East and Latin West; the Syriac Churches, including the Maronites, never became involved in the controversy. Since the 16th century, the Catholic Church officially teaches that the departed stand in need of purification from whatever keeps them from full union with the Trinity in the Kingdom and is wisely silent about further details about the nature of that purification.
We must remember that what is being described is a state of the soul, not a place.
Maronite Tradition repeatedly expresses two ideas about the Faithful Departed. The first is that not all the dead have yet completed their journey to the happiness of the Kingdom. They are “at rest” and “awaiting” the final saving action of the Lord. Second, they need our prayers for the forgiveness of their sins and purification. This theme is conveyed through the prayers offered up on Sunday of the Faithful Departed, on the Maronite Calendar.
Great quote from Fr. Salim’s book! I’d say that pretty accurately describes the Eastern view of purgatory.According to Fr. Anthony J. Salim who authored “Captivated by your Teachings” - a resource book for adult Maronite Catholics: