Purgatory is the final purification for those who have died in God’s friendship but still need to be cleansed of their attachment to sin. It makes us pure and ready for the full glory of heaven.
What the Church teaches about Purgatory is very simple: “The souls of the just which, in the moment of death, are burdened with venial sins or temporal punishment due to sins, enter Purgatory.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified” (CCC 1030). It notes that “this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031).
The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.
Why do we believe in purgatory? | WHY (1:32)
Is Purgatory in the Bible?
Like the word “Trinity,” the word “Purgatory” is not in the Bible. However, the Bible emphasizes that we need to be perfectly pure, without a single blemish, to enter God’s kingdom.
27 However, nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does abominable or deceitful things, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
Our belief in Purgatory is based on a passage from 2 Maccabees, in which the Jewish hero, Judas Maccabeus, orders prayers and sacrifices for slain patriots, that their sins might be forgiven. Jesus, too, speaks of the possibility of forgiveness after death when he teaches, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven … in this age or in the age to come” (Mt 12:32).
In his First Letter to the Corinthians (3:10–15), St. Paul says that a Christian life can have its foundation only in Jesus Christ, but that on that foundation, the life we go on to live may be more or less worthy, as it’s constructed of works that conform more or less perfectly to Christ, or not at all. Much of what we do is unworthy of our Christian vocation and so, won’t survive judgment. Employing the important biblical typology of fire, Paul says that, “If anyone’s work will remain, which he has built up, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work will be burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself, however, will be saved, but, in this manner: as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:14–15).
St. Paul then describes a state of being. He cannot be describing hell, because people are being saved there. He is not describing heaven, because there is imperfection being “burned up” there (cf. Heb. 1:13, Rev. 21:27).
St. Paul is describing a third place, Purgatory: a place (or state of being) where the faithful dead who are in a state of grace but not yet purified of all imperfection go for final purification to prepare them to enter the glory of heaven. Purgatory isn’t the same thing as hell, but the typology of fire still has its place. Paul employs it as an image of God’s own purity, holiness, goodness, and love, which cleanses those whom God draws into his presence because impurity can’t bear his touch. After all else we say about Purgatory, this is the dogmatic center of the teaching.
“It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the sufferings there that one must endure exceed our imagination.” — Saint John Vianney
Did Catholics Make Up Purgatory? (9:26)
Is Purgatory a second chance?
We must remember one thing: Purgatory is not a “second chance”; it is the final step for righteous individuals who, before death, lacked an opportunity to atone for venial sins or do sufficient penance for serious sins already confessed.
Pray for souls in Purgatory
We lead busy lives, and keeping up with our obligations to work and family are often enough to fill our time. And, our prayers usually focus on those things right in front of us. Something more abstract like Purgatory can be more difficult to call to mind than troubles at work or an ailing family member. It’s easier to focus on the souls in Purgatory by moving from an abstract concept to specific memories of our departed relatives and loved ones. Praying with pictures and holy cards can help focus our spiritual efforts. Visiting a cemetery to pray for the dead is also recommended.
Two of the most traditional ways to pray for the souls of the dead are offering Masses for them and obtaining indulgences to apply to them. Mass is usually said at least once a day in parishes around the world, and often for a particular intention. Nearly every parish has a process for getting a Mass said. A donation is customary but not required. A variety of indulgences abound in November surrounding All Souls Day. Besides those seasonal ones, there are indulgences we can obtain any day of the year, for reading Scripture, adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and making the stations of the cross.
There is nothing more beautiful that you can do as a follower of Christ than to pray for the dead. Pray for those in Purgatory. They need your prayers. Take a moment, right now, to say a prayer for the dead.
“We must empty Purgatory with our prayers.” — Saint Padre Pio
“If, during life, we have been kind to the suffering souls in purgatory, God will see that help be not denied us after death.” — Saint Paul of the Cross
Prayer. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
What You Should Know About Purgatory (7:10)
