02/11/2021
๐โค๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ
๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐: ๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ "๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐"?
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐พ๐ผ๐?
On All Souls Day, Catholics commemorate and pray for the holy souls in Purgatory, the faithful departed undergoing purification of "temporal punishments" before entering heaven.
When physical human bodies die, human souls never die. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that every spiritual soul โis immortal: It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrectionโ (CCC 366).
So at the moment of death, the soul separates from the body, is judged immediately, and enters either heaven or hell, or immediately through purgatory.
Purgatory has always been a controversial topic for the people who think that it doesn't exist. But what is purgatory by the way? Is it biblical?
There are three things Catholics believe about purgatory:
[1] that there exists some place of final purification;
[2] that purification is painful or involves some discomfort, and;
[3] that the prayers of those on earth can assist those going through this final purification
The word Purgatory comes from Latin: "purgare", meaning "to purge, purify, or make clean"), for the record, purgatory the last opportunity that the Lord gives people to be prepared for full communion with Him.
For the thorough discussion on these things, let us first deal with the two of the most common questions associated with purgatory:
1. ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐ช๐จ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐จ?
The answer is "Yes, He did". By His life, death, and resurrection on the Cross, Jesus took away the eternal consequence (which is hell). However, all of our sins do not only have an eternal consequence: they also have a temporal consequence. The evil in our hearts and in the world is not simply forgotten in death. God is not just grace; He is also justice. In the end, all of us given with freedom are responsible for our attitudes and choices. Therefore, those who die in grace and friendship with the Lord, but are not totally purified, have the chance to go through the purification following death. This is to achieve the holiness needed to enter the joy of heaven.
2. ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ "๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ" ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ก๐?
Definitely not. HOWEVER, this does not necessarily mean that the concept is not biblical. This doctrine is a logical consequence of the biblical idea that God requires expiation for sin. It is based on some passages of Scripture, Church tradition and the practice of prayer for the dead. It was systematized beginning at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, and covered in Pope Benedict XVI's Spe Salvi (2007) encyclical on Christian hope.
In 1 Cor 3:10-15, Saint Paul speaks of a salvation "as through fire." Given this scenario, we can say that the purification is painful or involving some discomfort. In the Old Testament, the most significant passage to illustrate purgatory is 2 Mac 12:39-46, in which Judas Maccabaeus "ordered the celebration of an expiatory sacrifice for the dead, that they might be absolved of their sin." This supports the Catholic belief that the prayers of those on earth can assist those going through the final purification. By the 4th century, the dogma was attested by the prayers that Christians offered for their dead โ for the souls who had not yet reached heaven and who could be assisted by the living faithful.
As we celebrate the memorial of St. Nicholas, may we together with him, pray for the souls in the purgatory.
Sources:
(1) What is purgatory?โAleteia (Retrieved on September 10, 2021);
(2) "What You Should Know About Purgatory" by Mike SchmitzโAscencion Presents (Youtube Video) (Retrieved on September 10, 2021);
(3) Is Purgatory in the Bible?โCatholic Answers (Retrieved on September 10, 2021);
(4) PurgatoryโEWTN (Retrieved on September 10, 2021);
(5) ๐ท Antic Store, Pinterest
