That’s really what I believe as a Catholic. I believe it’s really a state we are in temporarily, not a place. And as far as time, there really is no amount ever given. Those old lists of days for indulgences had nothing to do with Purgatory, they were lists of how much penance used to be required (i.e. the penance might have been 30 days, back in the old days).
I kind of agree as far as “how long” we are to spend in purgatory. But I disagree with the “place” and “state” thing. Mary showed purgatory to the three children. It seems that it was more of a “place” then a “state.”
But then again I guess we could think of it as this… in order to show us purgatory, God had to put it in “our terms” or “our understanding” of how certain things are. I guess you could say… God had to possibly put it in the “flesh” so that the children can actually
see purgatory. hmm… something to think about.
But I also remember what Mary told Lucia… that Amelia (a girl who lived in the village) would be in Purgatory “until the end of the world.” There was also another girl who died and Mary told Lucia that she was in Heaven. That to me says that there could be a “long time” to spend in purgatory.
I read something interesting about the
myths of indulgences.
Step number one in explaining indulgences is to know what they
are. Step number two is to clarify what they are not. Here are the
seven most common myths about indulgences:
Myth 1: A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.
This charge is without foundation. Since indulgences remit only
temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell.
Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever
change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to
God’s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, one’s eternal
fate is set (Heb. 9:27).
Myth 2: A person can buy indulgences for sins not yet committed.
The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to
sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[An
indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of
future sin; neither could be granted by any power.”
Myth 3: A person can “buy forgiveness” with indulgences.
The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has
already taken place: “An indulgence is a remission before God of
the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already
been forgiven” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1, emphasis added).
Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with
punishments left after sins have been forgiven.
Myth 4: Indulgences were invented as a means for the Church to
raise money.
Indulgences developed from reflection on the sacrament of
reconciliation. They are a way of shortening the penance of
sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-
related problems appeared.
Myth 5: An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a
fixed number of days.
The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences
were references to the period of penance one might undergo
during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to know
anything about how long or short purgatory is in general, much
less in a specific person’s case.
Myth 6: A person can buy indulgences.
The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of
granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, “in 1567
Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees
or other financial transactions” (Catholic Encyclopedia). This act
proved the Church’s seriousness about removing abuses from
indulgences.
Myth 7: A person used to be able to buy indulgences.
One never could “buy” indulgences. The financial scandal
surrounding indulgences, the scandal that gave Martin Luther an
excuse for his heterodoxy, involved alms—indulgences in which
the giving of alms to some charitable fund or foundation was used
as the occasion to grant the indulgence. There was no outright
selling of indulgences. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “*t is
easy to see how abuses crept in. Among the good works which
might be encouraged by being made the condition of an
indulgence, almsgiving would naturally hold a conspicuous
place. . . . It is well to observe that in these purposes there is
nothing essentially evil. To give money to God or to the poor is a
praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will
surely not go unrewarded.”
Being able to explain these seven myths will be a large step in
helping others to understand indulgences. But, there are still
questions to be asked:* (click link above for more).
