The answer I have been given in the past is that we are purged of our guilt for the sins we committed. To partake in the beatific vision before then would cause us unbearable misery and shame. But I think there is another purpose, too.
I hope we can all agree that in addition to damaging our relationship with God, sin wounds or disfigures our soul. I speculate that the purpose of Purgatory, at least in part, is to heal these wounds and to allow us to configure our souls to be like Christ’s if we failed to do so sufficiently when we were alive.
If I’m right, I don’t imagine that I’ve come up with a new idea. If I’m wrong, please correct me. Thanks!
What needs cleansing through purgation is ‘sinful nature’; ‘sins’ are washed by the blood of our Lord.
The Mosaic Law had largely been misused as a stick to beat people with and the emphasis was on imposing severe penalties for sin while doing nothing about its cause. Our Lord was the first to exhort people to deal with the
cause rather than punish the
effect. This can be easily inferred from the below quoted verses:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. (Matt 5:21-22a)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. ’But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart". (Matt 5: 27-28)
‘The wage of sin is death’ and we rightly deserve hell for our sins; our redemption from eternal damnation is made possible only because our Lord’s suffering and death. To become a beneficiary of our Lord’s supreme sacrifice we must: (i) believe in Him and (ii) keep His love command and forgive our offenders.
True, that forgiveness cancels our eternal punishment; but what about our sinful nature? Even if we were to be forgiven 70 times 7, can we be sure that we will stop sinning? Meditatively read what our Lord said in this regard:* “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ‘For everyone will be salted with fire’.”* (Mk 9:43, 49)
To enter life is to enter heaven. To get there our carnal nature must die; this is achieved through suffering.
“Through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God”. (Acts 14:22b)
There are two distinct dimensions to our struggle for salvation –
escaping Hell through forgiveness of sins and
gaining Heaven through freedom from slavery to sin.
Escaping Hell: God sacrificed His only Son to suffer and die on the cross as expiation for our sins. By forgiving our offenders we receive absolution for all our sins which constitute the main hurdle.
Gaining heaven: To stop sinning is humanly impossible and yet our helplessness is not futility for our God is ‘the help of the helpless’ Whose power is made perfect in our weakness. The battle is truly His and we only have to show our love by refusing to remain slaves and struggling.** Freedom is achieved through complete purging of our sinful nature by our own sufferings which can only increase manifold if avoided now and kept for purgation after death.** When we suffer we come to our senses and our spiritual vision is restored and we know the truth. Truth sets us free from the bondage to sin and we stop sinning as Satan cannot deceive us anymore. *“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” *(John 8:32)
