What do you think purgatory is like?

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youngsterat16

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This is a concept that i’ve pondered on for a while. I know what it is and the purpose is to be cleansed of sin before entering heaven but how do you think it works? Obviously i know no one will no for sure beings we’re all still here on earth but i’m just wondering what others think it’ll be like. Heaven is more wonderful than imaginable and hell is worst than imaginable but i just can’t help but wonder about purgatory. Also i was thinking that time is a man-made thing and doesnt exist in heaven but how does time in purgatory work do you think? i pray for the souls in purgatory every time i think to do so but it just makes me wonder. and maybe there won’t be an answer you guys can really give me but i’m just curious on other people’s thoughts. I’ve tried googling this but havent had much luck
 
catholicexchange.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-purgatory

This is a good, interesting article on Purgatory. I would guess that souls in purgatory comforting each other and interceding for others would be part of the process of purgation, just as virtuous actions here on Earth can be as well. There are some things we simply don’t know this side of the particular judgement, however.
 
Some Saints were taken to Purgatory and gave their account on what it is.

To summarize : Its a place filled with fire that cleanses souls. The souls are being made pure through pain, but the worst pain they experience is the loss of the presence of God. Obviously once they are purified they will go to heaven.

to quote Jesus from the diary of Saint Faustina: " My Mercy does not want this, but justice demands it"

that’s why it’s very important to pray for those souls so their time of purification may be over and they can be with God.
 
That would depend on whether or not it really is in Colorado!

ICXC NIKA.
 
Saint Faustina receive a vision of purgatory as written in her diary
 
There are some great Catholic books on this topic with references from saints who have had visions. One such book is titled; “Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints” By: Rev. Fr. F. X. Schouppe
 
Leo714 said:
Some Saints were taken to Purgatory and gave their account on what it is.

To summarize : Its a place filled with fire that cleanses souls. The souls are being made pure through pain, but the worst pain they experience is the loss of the presence of God. Obviously once they are purified they will go to heaven.

to quote Jesus from the diary of Saint Faustina: " My Mercy does not want this, but justice demands it"

that’s why it’s very important to pray for those souls so their time of purification may be over and they can be with God.
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And where, exactly is this fire?
 
Faith1960 said:
It matters to me because there is no fire on earth except in volcanos, so where is this place?
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It’s not on the Earth because those in it are divested of their earthen bodies; however, if the fire is material (there being plenty of material out there for alternate embodiment), **most ** “places” in the cosmos are quite hot.
 
From Charity for the Suffering Souls by Fr. John Nageleisen (imprimatur 1895), it says,
“[in regards to the pain of sense,] with the sole exception of their duration, the torments of Purgatory are the very same as those of Hell; the only difference is that the former is temporary, the latter everlasting. This is the doctrine of St. Thomas, who says: ‘The same fire punishes the damned in Hell and the just in Purgatory, and the least pain in Purgatory exceeds the greatest we can suffer in this world.’”
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The book also says that the Holy Souls have spiritual torments that consist of separation from the beatific vision of God (“the supreme, the most excruciating pain that the soul can endure”) and the consciousness of the fact that it is by their own fault through sin that they are deprived of the beatific vision, which fills them with sorrow. The location of Purgatory is said to be in the earth and very near to Hell, and it is believed that demons torment the Holy Souls.

However, the Holy Souls also have consolations in Purgatory that are not present in Hell. They are assured of their salvation and are more conscious of themselves being beloved children of God than the holiest of the saints were on earth. They also receive consolations from prayers and visits from the Blessed Virgin. These consolations, like the sufferings they endure, exceed what we can experience on earth.
 
We know that if a soul is in Purgatory, they are, without question, going to Heaven after they are cleansed of sin. If I were in that position, I’d be ecstatic knowing that I’d be in Heaven soon. As far as your question about time, and your wish to know more about Pergatory’s specific details, I can’t answer. But it must be pretty amazing to know that you have a spot at the Lord’s feet!!!
 
GrowingFaith said:
We know that if a soul is in Purgatory, they are, without question, going to Heaven after they are cleansed of sin. If I were in that position, I’d be ecstatic knowing that I’d be in Heaven soon. As far as your question about time, and your wish to know more about Pergatory’s specific details, I can’t answer. But it must be pretty amazing to know that you have a spot at the Lord’s feet!!!
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But the question is, will it really be “soon”? We don’t know how long any of us would be there!
 
Evania said:
There are some great Catholic books on this topic with references from saints who have had visions. One such book is titled; “Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints” By: Rev. Fr. F. X. Schouppe
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Father Benedict Groeschel had highly recommended this book by St. Catherine of Genoa:

“Catherine of Genoa, Purgation and Purgatory, The Spiritual Dialogue”.
 
youngsterat16 said:
This is a concept that i’ve pondered on for a while. I know what it is and the purpose is to be cleansed of sin before entering heaven but how do you think it works? Obviously i know no one will no for sure beings we’re all still here on earth but i’m just wondering what others think it’ll be like. Heaven is more wonderful than imaginable and hell is worst than imaginable but i just can’t help but wonder about purgatory. Also i was thinking that time is a man-made thing and doesnt exist in heaven but how does time in purgatory work do you think? i pray for the souls in purgatory every time i think to do so but it just makes me wonder. and maybe there won’t be an answer you guys can really give me but i’m just curious on other people’s thoughts. I’ve tried googling this but havent had much luck
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If I die and find myself in Purgatory I won’t care what it is like because I will know that I am saved and next move is to Heaven.
 
I’ve thought about purgatory and the path to heaven lately, and it seems to me that our goal should always be to be perfected at the end of our life, and as a result, pass by purgatory and enter straight into heaven. Think about it this way: during this life, we are able to merit, to do penance, to gain indulgences, to pray for ourselves. The souls in purgatory can no longer pray for themselves. The article on purgatory in the supplementum of the Summa Theologica says that the greatest pain on earth is less than the least pain in purgatory, because in purgatory the entire soul is hurting as it works off its temporal punishment due to sin. Of course the souls in purgatory know they’re going to heaven, but it doesn’t mean it will be fun, easy, or fast on the way there. Even more reason for us to take more seriously working off our temporal punishment due to sin in this life (I know, easier said than done), and to pray for the poor souls in purgatory.
 
thistle said:
If I die and find myself in Purgatory I won’t care what it is like because I will know that I am saved and next move is to Heaven.
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Quite right. 👍

May the holy flames of love envelope us all.
 
I imagine Purgatory is like military boot camp, punishing in a sense, but temporary, and preparing us for something greater.
 
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