Does Purgatory really exist? ‘I hope so,’ said the priest

[Michie]

(OSV News) Before I came into communion with the Church, there were a handful of Catholic doctrines I found confusing and, frankly, odd. Purgatory was one of them. I couldn’t understand why anyone would believe that people who had entrusted themselves to salvation in Jesus Christ and did their best to live as faithful disciples didn’t go directly to heaven when they died. To me, it seemed like yet another instance of Catholics failing to grasp the reality that salvation is the freely given gift of God’s grace.

I had no idea how wrong I was.

What the Church teaches​

During RCIA, I grappled with Mary, the Eucharist, priesthood and the papacy, but it wasn’t clear if purgatory was something I really needed to embrace as truth. One day I summoned up enough courage to ask the pastor, “Does purgatory really exist?” He responded without any hesitation, whatsoever: “I hope so.”

That may have been the only answer I wasn’t prepared for.

“Remember the ‘Wizard of Oz’?” he continued. “Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and face numerous temptations and threats along the way. Once they arrive, they discover that they must overcome even more obstacles. Finally, they are granted an audience with the wizard, but before that they are taken to a beauty shop, where everything is made clean and new: tin is polished, hair is styled, and old straw is replaced. That’s like purgatory.”

Suddenly, the Church’s teaching made sense. Purgatory was not a place of fiery punishment, or the torture required by an exacting God who wanted to squeeze the last drop of penance out of his imperfect children. Instead, it was the final and most beautiful gift of God’s saving grace — the fulfillment of his promise to make us holy. As author Susan Tassone, aka “The Purgatory Lady,” likes to say, “Purgatory is the masterpiece of God’s mercy.” And even though the “Wizard of Oz” can’t convey the depth of the Church’s teaching, it was an effective lesson for me at the time.

Continued below.

Does Purgatory really exist? 'I hope so,' said the priest

Before I came into communion with the church, there were a handful of Catholic doctrines I found confusing and, frankly, odd. Purgatory was one of them. I couldn't understand why anyone would believe that people who had entrusted themselves to salvation in Jesus Christ and did their best to live...

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[Valletta]

How beautiful. We should strive to be saints but I agree I am glad there is a purgatory.

 

[Danny&Annie&theChristmas]

I have to wonder where the idea of purgatory came from. It seems to be very similar to the Near Death Experiences some tell of. Did these experiences in early Church times give credence to this?

 

[Lady Bug]

Something that kept me from feeling joy in the Christian faith when I first explored it, was the notion that you could encounter unkind, judgy Christians who might have made a genuine profession in the beginning. Yet, we're supposed to believe that since their initial acceptance of Jesus was genuine, that God will just sweep them into heaven no matter what cruelty they did on earth to others, and no matter what pain the victim feels, the victim will get no justice either on this earth or the next, because God loves the perpetrator. Meanwhile the victim feels that God loves the perpetrator more than the victim. There is no joy to be found in a faith that will not execute perfect justice. The perpetrator doesn't need to be thrown into hell, but to think that the perpetrator doesn't need to face the music with God and take a detour before he or she finally enters heaven leaves the question unanswered of where God's love for the victim is. But we here on this forum have that answer.

 

[Danny&Annie&theChristmas]

Something that kept me from feeling joy in the Christian faith when I first explored it, was the notion that you could encounter cruel, hypocritical Christians who might have made a genuine profession in the beginning. Yet, we're supposed to believe that since their initial acceptance of Jesus was genuine, that God will just sweep them into heaven no matter what cruelty they did on earth to others, and no matter what pain the victim feels, the victim will get no justice either on this earth or the next, because God loves the perpetrator. Meanwhile the victim feels that God loves the perpetrator more than the victim. There is no joy to be found in a faith that will not execute perfect justice. The perpetrator doesn't need to be thrown into hell, but to think that the perpetrator doesn't need to face the music with God and take a detour before he or she finally enters heaven leaves the question unanswered of where God's love for the victim is. But we here on this forum have that answer.

While we are commanded to forgive, that doesn't mean our spirits can't cry out for justice.

 

[Lady Bug]

While we are commanded to forgive, that doesn't mean our spirits can't cry out for justice.

Yeah - Jesus can forgive us but He might need to kick us in the azz a little bit before He lets us in.

 

[Danny&Annie&theChristmas]

Yeah - Jesus can forgive us but He might need to kick us in the azz a little bit before He lets us in.

I've seen some near death testimonies on YouTube that were pretty sobering.