September 3, 2011

• Purgatory

  

   Yes, folks, I’m still here! After a bout of traveling and then the busyness that follows being away from work for ten days I finally have time this rainy afternoon to do some blogging. Earlier in the summer when I canvassed everyone regarding their questions about Catholicism, two people asked about purgatory and I’m sure that many others would have asked had they thought about it. So here is my attempt at offering my thoughts on the Church’s teaching about purgatory.

  First, however, I want to lay out an important detail. One of the number one complaints I receive from non-Catholics regarding the ancient belief in and teaching on purgatory is that “it isn’t Biblical.” Understandable, considering that one of the most important Scriptural supports for this tradition come from 2 Maccabees and we touched somewhat on the issue of Biblical canon in the last post… Similarly they charge that the word “purgatory” doesn’t even appear in the Bible. Touché, but neither do the words “Trinity,” “Incarnation,” or–gasp–”Bible.” Likewise some apologists note the interesting fact that while historical evidence abounds regarding the Church’s teaching and belief regarding purgatory from ancient days there is no record of any protest against it until the Reformation.

  While there yet remains common to any Biblical canon Scripture support for purgatory (pray about 1 John 6:16-17, Matthew 12:32 regarding that “age to come,” or St. Paul’s prayer for the deceased Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, 1 Cor. 3:15, 1 Pet. 1:7), I want to make something as clear as I can. You see, the Catholic Church does not look at the Bible, think about it, pray about it, and then decide what it says we ought to do and believe; the Bible is not an oracle for us. We do not base our doctrines and beliefs upon Scripture, though we do support them with Scripture. You see, Scripture is an inseparable partner of Sacred Tradition; it is neither greater nor lesser than Sacred Tradition and we cannot have one fully without the other. As the Catechism of the Church teaches:

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  “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal.” Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own “always, to the close of the age”.

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  “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”
         ”And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”

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  As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”

   83    The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus’ teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
         Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium.

   

  Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are like the two lungs with which the Church breathes, or the two legs it stands on. You can see (and I don’t mean to insult non-Catholic Christians here) what has happened since the Reformation when Christians broke away from Sacred Tradition and endeavored to decipher true Christianity from Sacred Scripture alone: what began as one temporary group in protest has in these recent days become 40,000+. One former-Baptist minister who is now a Catholic Priest tells the story about how he grew up in a small town in Alabama where there was one Baptist Church. By the time he was older and a minister there were around a dozen and all of them occurred because the minister had one interpretation of Scripture and an influential member of the congregation had another, people chose sides, and there was no reconciliation. Rinse, repeat. However in Catholicism we have the teaching authority of the Magesterium which checks new developments and teachings against Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture for consistency so that as our understanding of Christ’s teaching, as given us by the Apostles, develops we do not begin laying new foundations elsewhere but rather continue to build upon the foundation as laid by the Apostles (Eph. 2:20). With all this in mind, then, we can see how there are beliefs and doctrines (as in essential beliefs that must be accepted even if not fully understood in order to be, truly, a Catholic Christian) within Catholicism that seem to have a “weak Biblical basis.” Well, that is because our beliefs and doctrines are not based on Sacred Scripture but rather in harmony with them. They are based on the deposit of faith received by the Church from the Apostles, just as the New Testament is based on the same, as is Sacred Tradition. So regarding purgatory we can see a few places in the New Testament where it seems there was a notion of a state of preparation “between” earth and heaven, yet it seems it was not really a matter of terrific concern among Early Christians since it is not absolutely 100% explicit. When one understands Scripture in its proper context, this is not a big deal; in fact it is perfectly natural. 

  So what does the Church teach about Purgatory? Let’s look at what the Church teaches about Heaven since, ultimately, Purgatory is awfully pointless without Heaven.

  1023    Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face…

  1024    This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity – this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed – is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.

  1025    To live in heaven is “to be with Christ.” The elect live “in Christ,” but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name. For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.

  1026   By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has “opened” heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.

  1027    This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father’s house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

   

  Notice that first line mentions “perfectly purified.” What’s this business? Remember that St. John taught, “…nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]…” (Rev. 21:27), and St. Paul touches on it similarly in Hebrews 12:14 when he teaches, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” According to these and other references regarding the necessary purity of those entering into the presence of God in Heaven it seems that we Christians here below are in a bad state!

  Now, I am no Protestant theologian nor am I terribly familiar with Protestant theology, so please forgive me if I say something incorrect. Martin Luther used the image of a “snow-covered dung heap” to describe the work of Christ’s grace upon the sinner; basically that Christ’s perfect life, passion and death “clothes” or “covers up” our sins in His own righteousness, He Himself becoming our wedding garment that gains us admission to that great and long-desired feast.

  Any parents of young children out there? Imagine your kid comes in from playing outside and is all filthy and gross (kids are adorable but can be awfully smelly!). You are soon to attend a formal event with your children in tow, be it a nice dinner, a conference, or even church. Are you just going to throw on clean clothes and call it good enough? Of course not; there is a stink and uncleaness that even brand-new out-of-the-dryer clothes cannot make clean or even cover up. Or how about dirty diapers; is it sufficient just to change the diaper? Nope! That baby must be made clean and, yes, it takes some effort.

  In Catholicism we hold that the whole person must be purified, not merely covered up or dressed appropriately. Jesus is not a bandage but medicine. Actually, more like chemotherapy and radiation all rolled into one. The view of Luther, at least as I understand it, presents this idea that we are dirty and God would not dare touch us or handle us lest He get our filth on His hands. So He covers us up, makes us presentable, and everything is hunky dory. That may very well work for God; after all, He is so loving that He could probably overlook a foul odor or sorts. But, you see, Heaven is not for God’s sake, but for ours.

  Imagine what it would be like to enter into Heaven in disguise like that. You know that when God in Heaven looks at you He sees only the goodness and perfection of His Son. Wonderful! But you know the awful truth that, sure, you have been forgiven but the stink, the dirt, the wounds of your past sins still persist under that garment. You know that feeling you have when you realize you forgot to put on deodorant before you went on a date? Or when you realize that awful smell creeping up from under the conference table is your sweaty feet? Or, worse yet, you know that feeling you have when you know you’ve done something awful but someone you care deeply about is completely oblivious? Perhaps they even know about it and you know they know, but they pretend like everything is OK? Torture!

  Could you imagine enduring that feeling for an eternity? Our sins, our wounded nature is not a problem that can be covered up. If it were, why would God need to become, fully, a human being? Would it not suffice simply to appear like a human being, or appear to die upon the Cross, as many Muslims believe? Covering up our sins, after all, is about appearances, isn’t it? Yet we know God say us wallowing in the pigsty of our sins and, pulling on the workboots of human nature, hopped right in (yeah, I’m from Iowa).

  Therefore, while it is not impossible for a person to go straight to Heaven when they die, it is not likely for some people. How often do we get the chance to reconcile and do justice for all our sins? Being forgiven is one thing, and accepting the forgiveness offered by Christ is absolutely crucial. But what about those who die with some unfinished business which, in all likelihood (since death is awfully hard to schedule into an appointment book), accounts for most of us? Remember, nothing unclean will enter! Think of all the Jewish traditions regarding purity, bathing, washing and such and recall, too, that all the Law was put in place in order to prepare the way of the Lord, to open the hearts and minds of the people to the fulfillment of what the Law promised. Do you think all that emphasis on clean and unclean was just about sanitation? 

   

  1030    All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

  1031    The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. (Councils of Florence and Trent, 1439 and 1563AD) The Church formulated (i.e. articulated it or defined it but did NOT “invent” it) her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: (cf. 1 Cor. 3:15, 1 Pet. 1:7)

  As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. (St. Gregory the Great, 540-604 AD)

  1032   This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2nd Macc. 12:46) From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. (Council of Lyons II, 1274 AD) The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

  Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. (St. John Chrysostom, 349-407AD)

  
  

   You see, only because God loves us so dearly would He provide a “place” like Purgatory. He knows that we want to love Him in all purity, completely reconciled not only with Him and not only with all our neighbors, but with ourselves as well. To merely “cover” up our sins and pat us on the back would be absolutely awful in my mind and it seems to me that if God was all about quick and easy fixes, the Bible would be considerably shorter!

  Rather we are purified, and Christian Tradition attests to it. Heck, even St. Augustine, who was beloved by Martin Luther himself, was begged by his mother, Monica, to pray for her soul after she passed away and to offer Masses for her eternal repose. In his Confessions he writes:

  “I therefore, O God of my heart, do now beseech Thee for the sins of my mother. Hear me through the medicine of the wounds that hung upon the wood…May she, then, be in peace with her husband…And inspire, my Lord…Thy servants, my brethren, whom with voice and heart and pen I serve, that as many as shall read these words may remember at Thy altar, Monica, Thy servant…”

  Even far in advance of St. Augustine we have evidence of early Christian’s belief in purgatory and the importance of praying for those who have died. For example, take poor old Abercius who wrote in early Christian “code” (note the reference to the fish, for example, the wine, the bread, the holy virgin, etc.) his own epitaph before he died:

  “The citizen of a chosen city, this [monument] I made [while] living, that there I might have in time a resting-place of my body, [I] being by name Abercius, the disciple of a holy shepherd who feeds flocks of sheep [both] on mountains and on plains, who has great eyes that see everywhere. For this [shepherd] taught me [that the] book [of life] is worthy of belief. And to Rome he sent me to contemplate majesty, and to see a queen golden-robed and golden-sandalled; there also I saw a people bearing a shining mark. And I saw the land of Syria and all [its] cities; Nisibis [I saw] when I passed over Euphrates. But everywhere I had brethren. I had Paul … Faith everywhere led me forward, and everywhere provided as my food a fish of exceeding great size, and perfect, which a holy virgin drew with her hands from a fountain and this it [faith] ever gives to its friends to eat, it having wine of great virtue, and giving it mingled with bread. These things I, Abercius, having been a witness [of them] told to be written here. Verily I was passing through my seventy-second year. He that discerneth these things, every fellow-believer [namely], let him pray for Abercius. And no one shall put another grave over my grave; but if he do, then shall he pay to the treasury of [the] Romans two thousand pieces of gold and to my good native city of Hieropolis one thousand pieces of gold.”

   

  Notice that he asks any brethren who understands this somewhat cryptic message to pray for him; well, no one is going to read this until Abercius is dead! 

   

  I hope that this proves helpful in not only getting the Church’s teaching out there and establishing that this was not a recent fabrication but actually a very ancient, traditional belief. Life does not “end” at death but rather, in many ways, begins. Purgatory is evidence of God’s love and mercy, not some way for the Church to scare a few more bucks out of people. If you have difficulty with the idea of purgatory, ask yourself honestly:

  “If you died right at this moment, do you feel ready to sit at the Table of the Lamb’s Supper?”

   

  

   

  (A helpful article: http://www.catholic.com/library/Purgatory.asp)

  • 1:38 pm
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