Purgatory is a place of love
Purgatory is a place that exists through the Divine Mercy of God. It is a place of love. It is all about love. God’s wish is that none should be lost. Saint Catherine of Genoa explains, "As for paradise, God has placed no doors there. Whoever wishes to enter, does so. An all-merciful God stands there with His arms open, waiting to receive us into His glory.”
Recent surveys show eighty per cent of people believe in heaven and hell. In the U.S. eighty-nine per cent believe in God, but only fifty per cent believe in hell. A full seventy per cent of Catholics believe in purgatory.
Catholics believe that purgatory exists and is a state in the afterlife that prepares souls to enter heaven. Purgatory is not meant for everyone who dies, but only those who need further preparation for Heaven.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: 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.
Essentially this state is reserved for people who want to enter Heaven, but still have some attachment to earthly things. On the other hand, souls that freely choose to reject God are not allowed to enter purgatory but freely choose to enter Hell.
Roman Catholic theologian Johannes Quasten shared this explanation: the ancient churches of the Middle East said that when someone dies and is ushered into the presence of God they say, “Wait! I’m not ready for this. I have been selfish, greedy, mean…”
And the angel says, “That’s OK, you don’t have to go in until you’re ready. Go into that garden and rest awhile.” And Jesus walks into the garden and begins to teach them how to love. And when they are ready, he takes them by the hand, and they go into the loving embrace of the Father.” (The Prairie Messenger October 25, 2017)
Which brings me to one of my favourite illustrations of purgatory I used in an earlier article. The story is told of a promiscuous young man, given to drugs and alcohol abuse, careless of personal appearance. One day he sees a beautiful woman. His attraction to her is overwhelming, but he realizes he is totally unworthy of her. He changes his life for the better.
When we meet the Lord, the mere presence of God’s Goodness will make us want to become worthy of that eternal love. We know something of God’s love for us. Isaiah 43:1 says, “Fear not, I have redeemed you.” Christ came to reveal the Father’s love for us.
Finally, a consoling truth. All the souls we pray for will one day help us if we are in purgatory. Jesus promised St Gertrud that the following prayer would release many souls from purgatory: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses being offered 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.
Purgatory, the final purification, will not be a great surprise to us, especially if we have already begun the process on earth. I can picture the father waiting with his arms outstretched.
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