Purgatory is an intermediate state of purification between death and heaven for those who die with venial sins for an amount of time appropriate to the amount and severity of the sins as deemed by God to remove the temporal effects of sin. It is the final purification so that one’s soul can enter heaven unblemished.
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.
“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
Why do we believe in purgatory? | WHY (1:32)
What does Purgatory mean?
The word purgatory comes from the word purge. It is a ‘place’ to purge the attachment to sin and the temporal effects of sin. Purgatory is often thought to be a place of suffering because it is painful to ‘pay’ for past sins and to give up your attachment to sin. It is also often referred to as a place, however it should really be thought of as a process or state of purification and not a physical location.
Purgatory, as a process of purification from sin and from our attachment to sin, is a great expression of God’s mercy. As we have seen, nothing unclean can enter heaven. Purgatory allows us to be clean and capable of entering heaven. Part of what makes heaven heavenly is that everyone in heaven loves perfectly. To be heavenly people, we have to learn to love perfectly.
Prayer for Holy Souls in Purgatory
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.
