Verse 23 seems to be refering to the heavenly sanctuary, like the Mosiac sanctuary, also needs purification. However the purification of heavenly things is nonsense. There are folks who think that this text might be refering to the Church on earth, imperfect like the Church in heaven, needs purification. However others see it as the “Church in heaven, the Church Triumphant, in the sense that it has to *purify sinners so as to be able to recieve them into its bosom *and destroy the roots of sinners as as to be able to recieve them into its bosom and destroy the roots of evil.”
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa contra Gentiles, IV, 91, 6, says “To that [the beautific] vision no rational creature can be elevated unless it be thoroughly and entirely purified…]. But it does not at times happen that such purification is not entirely perfected in this life; one remains a debtor for the punishment…]. Nevertheless, he is not entirely cut off from the reward, because such things can happen without mortal sin, which alone takes away the charity to which the reward of eternal life is due …]. They must, then,
be purged after this life before they achieve the final reward.”
Verse 24 refers to the glorious ascension into heaven of Jesus Christ himself who intercedes for our every need and serves as our advocate in the presence of God the Father (cf. Heb4:14, 7:25; 8:1; 9:11-12).
Verses 25-26 talk about the sacrifices of the Old covenant and the sacrifice of Christ. “There are numerous points of contact and a degree of continuity, fo the former are a foreshadowing of the latter.” However there are differences. The sacrifices of the Mosiac Law were multiple, Christ’s sacrifice was unique, the Mosiac sacrifices did not really have the power to forgive sins, Christ’s sacrifice does; the Mosiac ones were done with the blood of animals, Christ shed his own blood; the Mosiac ones belong to the time of waiting and preparation, Christ’s sacrifice marks the beginning of “the fulness of time” (cf. Mt 13:40-49; 24:3; 28:20; 1 Cor10:11; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10).
Think about this. If Christ’s sacrific consists essentially in his passion, and if the passion did nto have the power to forgive all past, present and future sins, it would have had to be repeated, but that would be absurd, for Christ could die only once; therefore, Christ’s sacrifice, offered once and for all, is infinitely efficacious.
Sandusky, consider the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. The celebration of the Mass is not at odds therefore with the efficacy and unicity of the sacrifice of Christ, because the Mass is not a new sacrifice involving the shedding of blood, a numerical repetition of the sacrifice of the Cross: it is an unbloody renewal of that sacrifice, to apply its infinite efficacy. The Council of Trent says in Missae sacrificio chapter 2 “It is one and the same victim–he who makes the offering through the ministry of priests and he who then offered himself of the Cross; the only differenc is in the manner of the offering.” Given that the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary was a bloody sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Mass is an unbloody sacrifice. Taking a look at Pius XII’s Mediator Dei “a commerative showing forth of the death which took place in reality on Calvary is repeated in each Mass, because by distinct representatives Christ Jesus is signified and shown forth in that state of the victim.” The Mass, then get its efficacy from Christ’s death on the cross, that sacrifice therefore has connection with time and space.
Verses 27-28 cover three basic truths of Christian belief about the last things.
- The immutable decree of death
- The fact that there is *judgement *after death.
- The second coming of Christ in glory.
“Not to deal with sin”: this phrase ,means that the second coming of Christ has to do with salvation, that is, glory, to those who place their hope in him. The purpose of the second coming of Christ therefore doesn’t mean redeeming man from sin. He will come not as Redeemer but as the Judge of all. His coming “is appointed”: it is as necessary as death and judgement.
Verses 27-28 are an implicit exhortation to watchfullness. (cf. also 1 Cor 7:29, Sir 14:12; and Lumen gentium, 48). It is thus not clear whether St. Paul in these verses is refering to particular judgement or general judgement. In any event, we must remember that the existance of a general judgement does not conflict with the certainty that there is a particular judgement, for the Church, in line with Sacred Scripture, although it awaits the glorious revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ on the last day, sees that event as distinct from and serarate in time for the judgement which
every individual will underdo immediately after his death (cf.
Letter on Eschatology, op. cit.). Hint, hint purgatory.
