The process of purgatory

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Could purgatory also be called the ascension? When a person dies and has been found blessed by Jesus’s father:

Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

He still may not be able to enter heaven. Thus purgatory. But also we know that one must ascend to the Father.

John 20.17
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

One would presume that Jesus can ascend directly and without delay but most of us will take some time. Jesus has gone through the ascension ahead of us and will lead us to his Father in heaven through our own ascension. This is the process of purgatory.

Can it be founded?
 
I would say absolutely.

There’s a neo-gnostic view in the East called “aerial tollhouses” and it’s where after death you ascend to God and have to pass through tollhouses manned by demons in order to get to heaven.

A pretty good amount of Eastern Orthodox believe in it. I think personally that it’s neo-gnostic garbage, but it gives some credence to your purgatory as ascension theory.
 
No,Ascension is to Heaven .Sin is an barrier to go to Heaven for us.Jesus did first visited his Father as mentioned in the Gospels ,like wise he did visit purgatory,limbo and hell too.

1 peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
 
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I suppose that falls under the category, “a rose by any other name is still a rose.”

However, just because it makes it easier for you to understand the process this way, remember that others, set in their ways, might find it confusing.

Edit: Well, I take it back.

Ascension has to do with the fact that Jesus ascended into heaven under His own power. Thus, He is the only one that has ascended into heaven.

Mary was assumed into heaven. None of us can work our way into heaven or get in of our own power.
 
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@Spyridon It’s not our dogma just a theory. Actually we are discouraged from believing in it and most stories, including written by Orthodox saints regarding the after life. We are also discouraged in believing there is a purgatory also because it cannot be checked.
Since nobody came back from complete death (not sleep or comma) the Church in the East decided to accept all stories as revelations of the saint and promote none in particular. Officially we learn that Jesus delivers us our first judgement, the personal judgement. So in a way we go straight to Heaven because He is in Heaven without being received as part of it, just in order to receive His judgement. We are told that after this personal judgement all people will have a second one judgement after the Second Coming, the collective judgement - each soul will be judged for their role in society, nations, the world etc.
Here is this story of the tollhouses - for those who are curious:
http://orthodoxinfo.com/death/theodora.aspx
It’s just the vision of a saint. I think from here it looks like these toll houses are ran by Angels. Anyway, since the saint was alive when she had it, what she saw could’ve been in present time.
If I understood correctly we are taught this: Christians will be judged by Jesus Christ, all people us included will be judged by God and His Angels.
 
Ok, but though Jesus ascended because he knows the way to heaven doesn’t it make sense that if we are to come to heaven we must follow Jesus to heaven, though for us it is not without Jesus’s guidance. Looking at this way, Mary is assumed into heaven because it is heaven that guides us, or lifts us up. Still if there is sin or imperfection that remains, the will of the spirit has to come into full obedience to the will of God the Father. We know that all that are in heaven do the will of God the Father because the “Our Father” prayer says so. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Though, it isn’t critical to me that purgatory need be thought of as the ascension, as a process, a perfecting of the will, a continuation of what we try to do on Earth, as a place between Earth and Heaven, the final part of this journey.

It is just a thought. If it is rather thought of as a prison, it wouldn’t make much difference because the purpose is the same, isn’t it?
 
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“Apart from the Cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to Heaven.” - Saint Rose of Lima

Being blessed and privileged to daily share in Christ’s Cross is purgation. Even though we have shared in the life of Christ by being baptized into his death, and thus rising and ascending with Him in a mystical way, we are still in need of being perfectly purified to fully share in the glory of His Kingdom. This Cross that we share transcends time, thus it begins now in this life, and for most, extends to purgatory after our physical death.

Purgatory, a grace of the Cross that we share in, is a part of that ladder to which we ascend to the beatific vision.

At least, that is how I understand it.
 
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Ok but how does anyone else get there but by God’s power too. If it takes power for Jesus to ascend then wouldn’t it take power for anyone to ascend?
 
When Jesus ascended, he ascended in body and soul.

For us, our body and soul are not united after death until the resurrection.

So, at the particular judgement, even the blessed do not ascend physically (body and soul).
 
“JamesATyler said:
Could purgatory also be called the ascension? When a person dies and has been found blessed by Jesus’s father:
Click to expand...
“JamesATyler said:
Matthew 25

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

He still may not be able to enter heaven. Thus purgatory. But also we know that one must ascend to the Father.

One would presume that Jesus can ascend directly and without delay but most of us will take some time. Jesus has gone through the ascension ahead of us and will lead us to his Father in heaven through our own ascension. This is the process of purgatory.

Can it be founded?
Click to expand...

No, I think your not even close on Purgatory; WHY it exist and WHY in an absolute sense in Divine Justice it is essential.

To rightly understand Purgatory requires a right understanding of God’s Nature & the Nature of our sins.

Space does not permit a full discussion on this important issue.

1Tim.2: 3 to 4 “This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

READ 1 JN 1:8-9; 1 Jn 5:16-17 & Jn 20:19-23

The above passages in a concise manner explain Divine Nature and its demands

When a Body dies & returns to dust Gen. 3:19 man’s Soul which is gifted by GOD at the instant of conception with a mind, intellect & freewill which makes humanity the ONLY RATIONAL thing in GODS Created Universe; precisely because LIFE IS BY GOD’S INTENT thee LIFE-TEST [READ Isa.rses 7 & 21, and note the word "MIGHT"

By man’s life choices We decide for OURSELVES eternal hell or heaven; God dare I say “only” affirms our choice

When a Body dies and that bodies Soul faces the immediate Judgment; there are THREE possibilities
  1. Hell if that Soul has dies with unforgiven Mortal sins 1 Jn 5:16-17 & Jn 20:19-23
  2. Heaven ONLY if that Soul is upon death PERFECT Mt 5:48 . Because GOD is Perfect; only Souls that too ARE perfect upon death CAN & WILL ascend DIRECTLY into heaven
  3. Because God desires that as many as possible Souls Do attain Heaven; and because a GREAT many souls will die, worthy of NEITHER Hell or Heaven as they may have venial sins or the Temporal Punishment [GOOGLE IT] that ALL [even confessed & forgiven sins accrue]; and therefore are NOT perfect, even without any unforgiven Mortal sins; so these souls would HAVE to go to LIMBO [GOOGLE IT] & NEVER attain the Beatific Vision; which is contrary to the Divine WANTS.
So Purgatory exist to expunge these debts that MUST be repaid in order for that Soul to be made Perfect & acceptable to God for heaven

Wish I could share more.

GBY
Patrick
 
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