M
me_again
Guest
This is from a seasoned, highly educated priest**:**
The Catholic dogma of purgatory sometimes leaves us struggling for an understanding and for reconciling God’s mercy and justice. The way I explain it to the children is about a mother who commands sternly to her children not to play baseball in the backyard because they can break a window pane. When a disobedient kid breaks the glass, the furious mom sends the kid to his room without supper and, from now until the cost of the glass is paid for, he will be without his weekly money allowance. In the evening, the tender mom forgives her child and gives him supper, but the cost of the glass will still be taken from his allowance. He might do some special job in the house, or makes enough money to pay for the damage done, or finds a generous heart to pay for the broken glass.
.
The Catholic dogma of purgatory sometimes leaves us struggling for an understanding and for reconciling God’s mercy and justice. The way I explain it to the children is about a mother who commands sternly to her children not to play baseball in the backyard because they can break a window pane. When a disobedient kid breaks the glass, the furious mom sends the kid to his room without supper and, from now until the cost of the glass is paid for, he will be without his weekly money allowance. In the evening, the tender mom forgives her child and gives him supper, but the cost of the glass will still be taken from his allowance. He might do some special job in the house, or makes enough money to pay for the damage done, or finds a generous heart to pay for the broken glass.
.
- God will forgive us our sins in the confessional and readmit us to His Holy Supper, but we still have to make amends for our damages, either in this life (alms, prayers - especially the Holy Mass - sacrifices, acceptance of illnesses and fortune reversal), or in the next one (Purgatory).
. - Following Vatican II, Pope Paul VI said: “The truth has been divinely revealed that sins are followed by punishments; sins must be expiated - through sorrows and trials of this life, otherwise in the next life of purgatory.”
. - Let us then pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory because when they reach Heaven with our help, they will intercede with God on our behalf. One of the best ways to help them and, at the same time, help our souls, is to acquire holy indulgences, especially when it is a plenary indulgence, which totally cancels the purgatory time all together. One of the most popular plenary indulgences is the consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is recited after Holy Communion at the feast of Christ the King, which is next Sunday, November 23.