One day at Mass, during Prayer of the Faithful, one of those leading the prayer said, “God, we thank you for the gift of Purgatory…” Immediately, there was murmuring in the Church. Some wondered what could have prompted that kind of prayer and the rational behind it. After that Mass, I took time to reflect on this man’s prayer. I actually realized how deep that prayer was. The Bible passage that came to my mind while having that reflection was Psalm 139:3-4 that says, “If you oh God should count our iniquities, Lord, who would survive. But with you there is fullness of mercy and forgiveness” We have three branches of the Church.
On November 1, we celebrated the Church Triumphant, that is, those who had ran the race to the end. They are now with God interceding for us – All Saints. We are the Church Militant or the Pilgrim Church, that is, the Church on a journey. On November 2nd, we celebrated the Church Suffering – our brothers and sisters who have left us but are yet to see God due to one sin or the other that needs purification. In this month of November, we pray for them in a special way asking God to have mercy on them. In these celebrations, we also profess one of the articles of our Catholic Faith – the Communion of Saints. These three branches of the Church interact and communicate through prayer and intercession.
The Church Triumphant intercedes for the MChurch Militant and the Church Suffering while the Church Militant intercedes for the Suffering Church. It baffles me when I see or hear people arguing against the existence or none existence of purgatory. Some will ask you, “Where is it in the Bible?”, as if the Bible is a word register or a dictionary. If we reflect and understand the Church’s teaching and belief on purgatory, we will join that man to say, “God, we thank you for the gift of purgatory.” The Psalmist says in Psalm 130:3-4, “If you oh God should count our iniquities, Lord who would survive”? Then I may ask, if you oh God should count our iniquities, Lord who would enter heaven?
The scripture says, “He who does not sin in a day sins at least seven times” – Proverbs 24:16. The same scripture says, “He who says he has no sin in him calls God a liar” – 1 John 1:10. Romans 6:23, says, “We have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” Above all, Revelation 21:27 says, “Nothing unclean shall enter heaven.” My dear friends, if nothing unclean will enter heaven, then I don’t know how many of us will die without any stain of sin? I don’t know how many of us that will die in the state of perfection? Hence, purgatory is seen as the expression of God’s mercy and that’s the reason we have to thank God for this act of mercy.
Purgatory according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church “Is a state of purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, which is experienced by those who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified.” (CCC 1030). This implies that even to enter purgatory is not easy. One has to be in a state of grace and in friendship with God. But the Church still recognizes our human frailty which may cause one form of imperfection or the other.
The Church also recognizes that often time, sins already forgiven leave a scare on the soul – the guilt of sin. These little imperfections cannot enter heaven. They need to be purified. St Paul says in I Corinthians 3:11-15, “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials-gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” This process of purification through fire Saint Paul talks about here is what the Church calls Purgatory.
The souls in purgatory are purified through the prayers of the Church. Hence, we offer Masses and prayers for the dead following the example of Judas Maccabeus in 2 Maccabees 12:39-45. Ironically, everyone prays for the souls in purgatory including those who claim not to believe in its existence. During funerals, you hear ministers saying, “May God rest your soul.” Is that not praying for the dead? Do you pray for one who is already in heaven? No! Do you pray for one already in hell? No! Who then are you praying for if not those who are yet to see God but have the hope of seeing him. That process of purification and waiting is what the Church calls Purgatory.
You can give it your own name if you like. Because it is a process of waiting, that is why the Church calls it a state not a place. It is a transitory phase not a permanent place. Hence it is not listed among the four last things – death, judgement, heaven and hell. My dear friends, in this month of November, the Church invites us in a special way to pray for these holy souls in purgatory.
We are invited to book Masses for them, do some acts of charity and visit cemeteries. We can also join or support the Purgatorian society; those who dedicate their time, energy and resources to pray daily for the souls in purgatory. When we pray for these souls, we are already making friends for ourselves in heaven. Eternal rest grant into them oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
• Rev Fr Lawrence Udochukwu Ekenze, CSsR
