An ex-Evangelical to a Protestant.

Dear Protestant friend:

I will try to answer your questions about purgatory briefly. It is not a complicated matter, even though many Protestants have tried to complicate it during recent centuries. The ancient Church and the apostles believed in purgatory. One need only study the classic essays to realize that Protestant theology began to oppose purgatory only recently. Purgatory comes from the Latin “purgare,” which means to cleanse, and refers to the removal of sin and selfishness before we can stand before God face to face.

Purgatory in general

You asked how many days purgatory lasts. First I should add this paragraph from the Catechism, which gives an excellent definition of purgatory: “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” (CCC 1030).

It then continues: “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned… The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire” (citing St. Gregory the Great and St. Matthew 12:31): “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 (Mt 12:31). From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come” (1031).

Hebrews 12:14 gives us a clear biblical basis for why final sanctification is necessary. It says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (NIV). Is this the holiness we receive by faith alone? If so, why does the author of the Letter to the Hebrews tell these believers that they must attain a degree of holiness in order to see the Lord? Forgiveness of sins is one thing; attaining holiness is another.

“Days” in purgatory

There are no “days” in purgatory, and there never have been, even though many Protestants think that this is Catholic teaching. The days referred to are days on earth spent doing some required penance, for example, wearing sackcloth, etc.; the indulgence gained was expressed in days, such as “an indulgence of 300 days.” The Catholic Encyclopedia explains: “Catholic doctrine does not specify the nature or the duration of purgatory; nevertheless, the existence of purgatory is a dogma of faith” (Rev. Peter Stravinskas, Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Dictionary).

One matter that must be clarified is that the Church has no jurisdiction over the souls in purgatory, only over souls on earth. Moreover, the Church has not received further revelations about the details of purgatory. Purgatory is something alluded to in the Scriptures, so we know that it exists, but we do not know exactly what it is. Some theologians have tried to describe it as a “place” and a “period of time,” but in reality we do not know any details. For this reason the Church does not say that purgatory lasts the same period of time that we have on earth (knowing that time is measured differently in eternity). Cardinal Ratzinger, a recognized theologian, says that purgatory has an existential rather than a temporal duration. It may be momentary experiences rather than lasting experiences.

Purgatory is simply the final stage of sanctification. An Evangelical friend recently admitted that he believed a person had to be truly holy (not merely declared holy) in order to stand before God and his glory. I asked him whether he was holy enough now—that if our car swerved and hit a tree, he would be ready to look God face to face. He said no. Then he commented that this made him consider purgatory as a real possibility. He was right.

Purgatory is the final stage of sanctification. Evangelical Protestants believe in sanctification, although its meaning is generally very nebulous and uncertain. What makes one think that death somehow makes him immediately holy, sanctified, even though he may have approached death full of selfishness, evil thoughts, greed, and fear? Purgatory is the final stage of sanctification, the sanctification without which no one will see God (Heb 12:14). “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

St. Paul tells us, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life” (Romans 6:22). Sanctification comes after the absolution of sins. The result of sanctification is eternal life. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us how this sanctification occurs: “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). If the process of holiness has not been completed on earth, if we are still full of selfishness and self-love, God, in his infinite mercy, continues this process after our death so that one day we may enjoy his glory.

I finish this brief explanation with an example that helped me understand purgatory when I converted to Catholicism. When I was young, I decided to travel through Europe for a week, leaving my wife and family at our home in Switzerland. To save money and time, I slept on trains, did not bathe, etc. When I returned a week later, unshaven, disheveled, and dirty, my wife refused to let me enter the house. I thought, “I am your husband, I am part of the family, I belong in this house!” But I was not clean or “ready” to enter the house. Entering heaven is the same.

So my wife made me take off my clothes and wash outside with a sponge before I entered the house. I was part of the family, but I needed a final cleansing before I could fully enjoy the home. Jesus said to his apostles, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean” (John 13:10). Purgatory is simply the last stage of sanctification.

Author: Steve Ray / Catholic-convert.com

Source: Apologetica.org

Translator: Arlene Collazo