Dead souls.
Justice and peace have kissed. - Psalm 85
Years ago my mother amused a seminarian friend of mine when she told him, “I always pray for their dead souls.” I believe she meant to say, “The souls of the dead.” Despite her mistake, it was good for a laugh.
The souls in purgatory are not dead, they are very much alive in that firey waiting room before heaven. Purgatory is a state of purification the imperfect enters before the soul can see God face to face in the beatific vision. The torments and pains suffered in purgatory are said to be much greater than any one of us can imagine.
I once found consolation in the writings of St. Catherine of Genoa who said the soul in purgatory, though suffering, also experiences a certain peace in the knowledge it is saved. I’m not sure her vision of purgatory always affords me much consolation now however. When one reads how saints and mystics, who claimed to meet various souls from purgatory - pleading for prayers and suffrages to alleviate their sufferings - it suggests to me those souls weren’t exactly in a state of contentment and comfort…
Mercy and truth have embraced. - Psalm 85
Although, after having experienced the particular judgement and thereby knowing it is saved, surely the soul would possess a certain contentment in this knowledge. Also, the soul must clearly understand the justice of God in permitting its purification, as well as the incredible mercy of God which granted pardon for its sins. Hence, wouldn’t there be a certain spiritual joy, in addition to its peace? And as the purification progresses, wouldn’t the soul likewise grow in the love of God?
Oh my God! I hope so!
Art: Fernando Botero. Detail: fresco from Chiesa San Antonio, Pietrasanta, Italy.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I would imagine that not everyone’s experience of Purgatory is the same. It seems likely that if one just made it there by the skin of one’s teeth, after a last-minute repentance at the end of a life not lived in accord with Christian principles, it would be a harrowing thing. A person in that situation would see the harm that had resulted from graces rejected over the years, and would be unable to undo any of it.
Father Benedict Groeschel in his book, “Arise from Darkness” has a good discussion of purgatory. He quotes Catherine of Genoa, and St. Marie Therese Couderc. In Fr. Groeschel’s words, “We can hardly paint a horrible picture of purgatory and still say that the dead who are on their spiritual journey toward their heavenly reality are safely in the hands of God.”
Even though there has to be divine justice, God’s principle attribute is mercy; He is not a torturer. His Son loved us enough to die for us, we can trust Him to lead us safely home.
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Melody - I find comfort in what you wrote - Fr. Benedict is great.
I wonder if purgatory could be like the experience of someone who is deeply depressed or suicidal?
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I imagine that purgatory could indeed feel like a deep depression, especially for someone looking back on a largely mispent life. Such a person would have to learn to accept God’s love.
I wonder, too, if for a person who had striven, even though imperfectly, to lead a Christian life, it could be like a student who was nearing graduation and found that he had a deficiency to make up before he could get his degree. His classmates would be moving on to their new jobs and new lives, and he would be stuck in summer school studying calculus or something equally enjoyable. (Remedial Holiness 101?)
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Melody - I also like Remedial Holiness 101.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:25 pm
I think struggling with depression is a form of purgatory on earth.