Throughout history, humanity has sought to investigate the fate of the soul after death, and on this path to eternity perplexities have frequently arisen about the existence of Purgatory.
It is true that we will not find any explicit references to the word Purgatory in the Holy Scriptures, but does the same apply to its essential reality? Does not a quick reading of the Holy Gospels, for example, challenge the opinion of those who, claiming a lack of biblical evidence, deny its existence? These are the questions to be analysed this article.
The eternal destiny of the soul
After death there are only two eternal destinations: Heaven and hell. Only those who remain steadfast in the Faith, in a holy life, ascend to the former: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22). Perseverance, however, does not consist in not falling, but in getting back up when there is a fault and making continuous progress, loving, honouring and serving God, in order to merit eternal life.
For this reason, God’s justice goes hand in hand with His mercy, as St. Paul teaches us:
“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality” (Col 3:23-25).
Hell, in turn, is also eternal. This is a common doctrine among the chosen people, reaffirmed on several occasions by Our Lord Jesus Christ:
“When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the Angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. […] Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink’” (Mt 25:31, 41-42).
Logical evidence of Purgatory
We know that sin is a rupture with the divine plan for humanity, both in the universal and particular sense. St. John teaches us the difference between mortal sin, which breaks our relationship with God, and venial sin, which weakens our love:
“If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal” (1 Jn 5:16-17).
Considering that there are only two eternal destinations, Heaven and hell, and that only those who are completely clean of sin are admitted to heavenly bliss, a problem arises: what happens to those who die in a state of venial sin? Heaven does not accept any imperfection, but venial sin does not distance the soul from God to the point of making it deserve hell. How can a soul in this condition be purified? That is why Purgatory exists.
The reasoning is clear, but what is its foundation in the Holy Scriptures?
The Bible describes the essence of Purgatory and the need for its existence: to purge and cleanse the venial faults and imperfections of those who have been good, but not totally perfect, according to the Lord’s command: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Prayers and atoning sacrifices for the dead
“Judas Maccabaeus’ sacrifice for the sins of the dead,” Book of Hours of the Grand Constable Anne de Montmorency – Condé Museum, Chantilly (France)
The Second Book of Maccabees recounts that, when collecting the bodies of those who had fallen in battle, the Jewish soldiers found objects consecrated to idols under the tunics of the dead, a practice forbidden by the Mosaic Law. The army of the Lord then began to pray, begging for this sin to be forgiven, and Judas Maccabaeus organized a collection to be sent to Jerusalem so that atoning sacrifices could be offered in the Temple (cf. 2 Mc 12:39-46).
Those deceased combatants were fighting in the host of the Most High God, which suggests that there was no formal break with the true religion on their part. However, their fault had so tainted them that they became the target of divine punishment (cf. 2 Mc 12:40).
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the sacred author praises Judas’ decision: “It was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (2 Mac 12:45). And it follows from these words that certain sins can be remitted after crossing the threshold of eternity, which will become even clearer in the Divine Master’s teaching.
“Till he should pay all his debt”…
Let us first analyse the parable of the cruel servant who, after being forgiven a great debt, did not show the same mercy to his debtor and was therefore subject to severe punishment (cf. Mt 18:23-35).
In the final dialogue, Our Lord Jesus Christ reveals an important fact about the punishment this servant will receive for his deeds:
“When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:32-35).
In His divine wisdom, the Saviour introduced the detail “till he should pay all his debt,” which allows us to deduce the existence of Purgatory. Indeed, we know that Heaven and hell are eternal, but the parable reveals to us that, out of divine mercy, there is a state of waiting for those who have been saved and need to purify themselves before contemplating the face of the thrice Holy God; a time of suffering will pay off the “debts” they have incurred on this earth as a result of their sins.
Another statement by the Divine Master leads us to this same certainty: “And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt 12:32). Therefore, there are certain faults that can be forgiven in the afterlife, and others that will not be erased even in eternity.
“Parable of the ungrateful servant” – Library of the Monastery of Yuso,San Millán de la Cogolla (Spain)
Different classes of sins, different punishments
In another passage from the same Evangelist, we see Our Lord on the mountain proclaiming the Beatitudes, which teach perfect moral conduct to the people of all times.
At one point, the Master says: “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny” (Mt 5:21-26).
The distinction made by the Divine Redeemer regarding the seriousness of faults is noteworthy: imperfections, light sins and serious sins. The latter certainly lead to hell; the others do not, but in this passage Our Lord emphasizes the need for the soul to purify itself from them before entering the heavenly homeland – “you will never get out till you have paid the last penny” – as mentioned above.
He who sins rises up against God, against the order established by Him in the universe and against his own conscience.1 The sacramental absolution received in Confession forgives the offence committed against God and its consequent eternal penalty, but it does not erase certain remnants of sin, such as the offence against the order of the universe and, in the biblical case cited above, against one’s neighbour and one’s own conscience, faults that carry a temporal penalty. Some of this penalty can be paid in this life through indulgences, penances, prayers or mortifications, but what remains of it must be purified in the flames of Purgatory.
On the day of judgement, our works will be tested by fire
Let us move on from the Divine Master’s teaching to that of the Apostles.
One of the most enlightening passages on Purgatory is found in the First Letter to the Corinthians, in which St. Paul explains the importance of right intention in the apostolate and the need to restore to God the glory of all our deeds, since nothing good we do comes from ourselves.
Addressing people who were dedicated to preaching the good news, he warns them: “For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw – each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor 3:11-15).
St. Paul first lists noble materials such as gold, silver and precious stones, which symbolize works done out of pure love for God. On the other hand, wood, hay and straw represent, in the Apostle’s words, the works of those who have not set their hearts exclusively on the Lord, which will be consumed by fire. Because he is not a perfect follower of Christ, it is necessary for the works of the one who acts in this way to pass through the fire, but only for a while, because he will still be saved…
What about the merits of Christ?
The merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ are infinite and sufficient to cleanse us from our sins. However, the refusal of the goods of the Redemption, manifested by actual sin, cuts us off from divine blessings, which can only be recovered through the Sacrament of Confession, instituted by the Saviour.
No one will be able to contemplate God face to face with any blemish or imperfection in their soul, no matter how small. Before the Supreme Tribunal – in the words of St. John – “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 Jn 1:8-10).
We insist that Christ’s merits are infinite, but if, through sin, we do not accept them, they become the sign of our condemnation. Our sacrifices, therefore, play a necessary role, as St. Paul says: “in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col 1:24).
From Scripture to the Magisterium of the Church
Based on Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, the Councils and Popes were unanimous in affirming the existence of Purgatory.
As early as the 13th century, the First and Second Councils of Lyon declared: “For in that transitory fire certainly sins, though not criminal or capital, which before have not been remitted through penance but were small and minor sins, are cleansed, and these weigh heavily even after death, if they have been forgiven in this life”; [Those who] “die truly repentant in charity before they have made satisfaction by worthy fruits of penance for (sins) committed and omitted, their souls are cleansed after death by purgatorical or purifying punishments.”2
Pope Leo X was no less categorical in affirming the existence of Purgatory, while denouncing the doctrines that Luther propagated throughout Christendom. In his Bull Exsurge Domine of 1520, the Supreme Pontiff condemned the following errors stated by the heresiarch: “Purgatory cannot be proved by means of the Sacred Scripture contained in the canon”; “The souls in purgatory are not sure of their salvation”; “The souls in purgatory sin without intermission, as long as they seek rest and abhor punishments”…3
The Council of Trent concluded in its profession of faith: “I steadfastly hold that a purgatory exists, and that the souls there detained are aided by the prayers of the faithful.”4 And the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified that this purification prior to the divine vision is completely different from the punishment of the condemned.5
Redemption of the souls of Purgatory by the Blood of Christ, by Pedro de Villegas Marmolejo – Sacred Art Museum, Écija (Spain)
Let us pray for the souls in Purgatory!
Bearing in mind what has been said in these lines, let us be aware that Purgatory exists because, if God’s mercy so decrees, we too may go there in the unknown and perhaps not too distant future…
Furthermore, it is in our hands to relieve our brothers and sisters who suffer in this place of torment, by offering for them not only the fervour of our prayers or expiatory sacrifices, as Judas Maccabaeus did, but the holocaust of infinite value that is renewed every day on the altar, the Holy Mass.
Through the merits of our Divine Saviour, united to those of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we can intercede for the souls still suffering in Purgatory, winning for them the key that will open the gates of Heaven! ◊
Notes
1 Cf. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. Summa Theologiæ. I-II, q.87, a.1; ST. PAUL VI. Indulgentiarum doctrina, n.2.
2 DH 456; 464.
3 DH 778-779.
4 DH 998
5 Cf. SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH. Letter on certain questions regarding Eschatology, n.7.
