Purgatory fires. Hell fire

[Carryingmycross78]

I was wondering how can the fire’s of purgatory and Hell be painful if we do not have a physical body?

 

[Carryingmycross78]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[thistle]

I was wondering how can the fire’s of purgatory and Hell be painful if we do not have a physical body?

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

FIRE OF HELL. The physical reality, outside the person, by which those in hell are punished besides their loss of the vision of God. It is called fire in the Scriptures to emphasize the excruciating pain it causes, and to identify it as some external agent tormenting the lost. But it is not ordinary fire, since it does not consume what it burns, and, although material, it can affect the purely spiritual substance of the soul.

FIRE OF PURATORY. The external source of suffering in purgatory besides the temporary deprivation of the vision of God. Although many sacred writers, interpreting St. Paul (I Corinthians 3:15), assume a physical fire, the Church’s official teaching speaks only of “purifying punishments” and not of purifying fire (Denzinger 1304).

 

[TK421]

The primary torments of hell are spiritual, as these torments exceedingly outweigh the physical torments.

At the Resurrection, the damned will be reunited with their corrupt bodies.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

We do not know the mechanism by which the fires of Hell and Purgatory cause pain to a non-physical soul, but the visions of Hell we’ve received through multiple private revelations all indicate that the fires of Hell are real fire, and despite being physical, do truly burn the souls of the damned.

In my mind, they hurt us because they must. That is their nature, as the source of divine punishment incurred by being subject to God’s judgment. The fires burn us because they have to, regardless of our physical state… That’s not Church teaching or anything, just my thoughts on the matter.

The primary torments of hell are spiritual, as these torments exceedingly outweigh the physical torments.

While it is true that the pain of the loss of God is the primary source of suffering in Hell, don’t discount the pains of the fire.

 

[midori]

Suppose your spouse/SO dumps you because they’ve been cheating on you with your best friend all through your relationship. Does it hurt? Yeah. Did they ever lay a finger on you? No.

Fire can be used as a metaphor for purification-- like burning out impurities in metal. Or fire can be used as a metaphor for torture, like being burned alive. Sometimes ice is the metaphor-- the coldness of the absence of love and good things.

There may be literal fire and ice; I’m not arguing one way or the other, because it doesn’t get in the way of the point that’s being made. But we can experience emotional/spiritual pain that is far greater than the physical discomfort we endure.

But ultimately, when we undergo our initial judgment, we’re in the presence of God. And to be compelled to separate ourselves from that after having experienced it— that’s a tough thing. Whether it’s on a temporary basis or a permanent basis, there’s a lot of anguish connected with being separated from the greatest thing in the universe, especially when compounded by a full knowledge of Reality, and a full absence of excuses and self-illusion.