Forgive me if this seems a trite way of speaking, or irreverent, but I’m trying to grasp this “new” concept. It’s in opposition to the way I was taught as a child, and as I have believed until recently. I have to admit that most Catholics I’ve spoken to about it start to sound like confused salesmen when I try to get simple answers. I tried to put it in simple words to see if I understand what I’ve read in the OCE and Catechism, and if these plain words capture it. I’m clear I may be wrong…but I don’t like equivocation and over-explanation. Am I wrong? Where? I’m I still too Protestant?
In the simplest of terms, no one gets to purgatory who wasn’t already headed for heaven by way of salvation by grace. It’s not a place to get saved after you missed the boat here. It is rather where most Christians would spend time being purified by fire, so to speak, in order to be prepared to be in the presence of God, since God can not look upon sin, and there is every likelihood that we will be carrying some small sin that we didn’t happen to acknowledge or ask forgiveness for while alive, however scrupulous we may have been.
Many sins are simply sins of omission, by default, we didn’t even know we did them, or others so much a part of our nature that they don’t occur to us as sinful. Consider the homeless person one may have stepped quickly past when it was the Lord or an angel presenting you an opportunity, just like an example, there are MANY of those, including me getting all uppity with someone about what I consider to be an error of doctrine or some such. I might remember that as a clever defense of the faith, God may remember someone who was turned away from faith that he then had to go and rescue…see what I mean? Purgatory cleans up a Christian’s ethereal being to prepare to be with God. At least that’s how I understand it. meh.
Yes, there are degrees of sin. Mortal, and venial. Killing someone, adultery, etc., mortal. Telling her the hat looks nice and she should wear it when it’s a high pile of orange fuzz and you know that everyone will laugh behind her back, or ignoring or failing to do what you could to help another, venial. All sin can be forgiven, but the consequences, either in this life or the next are inescapable. A killer convicted will be put to death or spend his life in prison, though he can be forgiven for his sins.
By the same token, a Christian who is a sinner will pay the consequences in life, but having failed to ask forgiveness, failing to repent, carries that sin into death. It would be “purged” by that fire. The scriptural basis, historical belief in, and the Church Traditions by which it has been accepted as doctrine are presented in that article. It’s not so much required as a point of salvation, and neither does purgatory get you saved after the fact. You don’t go there without having been saved in the first place. I don’t get it as a do over at all. We’re saved by grace or we go the other way. No exits.
Thanks. I want to have this right, among other things, and in terms I can explain to my 8 year old daughter in a little while, or to some biker I might speak to, not to a theologian or a Catholic at coffee with whom I doubt I’ll be discussing the state of his soul.
