Catholics, or people who know: What exactly is purgatory?

Question

I've heard jokes made about it, but I don't actually know what people are referring to when they talk about it.

If you're in purgatory, do they believe they can eventually get out to go to heaven or hell?

Thanks for the answers: I don't believe it either, I'm a Christian, and just wanted to understand it in case I ever have a conversation with someone who does believe it!

Answer 1

"But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Cor 3:15)

"So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet 1:7)

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. (Wisdom 3:1-6)

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves into perfect beings.

Depending on the amount of change needed by different people, this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on his or her way to heaven.

I do not think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

For more information see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1030: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art12.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Purgatory is a place where people supposedly go after they die. I am a Christian, but the Bible says that there is heaven and hell and no inbetween place---Purgatory is basically a place where you go to, thats not heave, but not quite hell either. You stay there until people pray you out of it...I went to Catholic school all my life for the education, and this is what I remember. I may be a little fuzzy on some details, but Im sure this is it. When Catholics go to church and pray to Mary or light candles for folks, they are trying to pray them out and get them into heaven I believe. But again, being a Christian, I believe the bible that the moment you die, you are either in heaven or hell---there is no pitstop. Be Blessed and Saved folks!

Dont believe the hype---It is appointed once a man to die...and then the judgment! Get it RIGHT before the RAPTURE!

Purgatory is not real---If it was, then all people who believe that Jesus died for our sins would be liars---Jesus said the only way to the Father was through him---Purgatory is a place to make believe they dont have to get saved! You can just be on the fence your whole life doing what you want and God will have mercy and give you a pass after some time spent in purgatory---NOT TRUE! Youve got to become saved and accept Jesus as your lord and savior---its the only way.

I think that catholicism needs to correct itslelf because its leading people to hell. Mary cant do a dang thing for anybody---She is Jesus mother, but not Jesus and not God. Jesus name carries power which is way you prayer in HIS name...nothing is more powerful than that name. Even the devil will bow down!

Answer 3

Okay, you've got your Heaven and Hell - right?

PURGATORY is the place you go BEFORE you're allowed into heaven. You need some final purification before you can actually be admitted.

And, although you didn't ask...

LIMBO is a place you go if you can't go to PURGATORY (and then HEAVEN) because you still have original sin. Like if you die just after you're born and before you are baptised.

I'll bet you didn't know how much you need to know to be a good Christian, did you? You probably thought all you had to do was 'Love your neighbor as yourself', or something easy like that, huh?

Answer 4

From the Catechism


"The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire"
Since this is a Catholic doctrine, I think you should let a Catholic answer your question.

Basically it says

Our you perfect now? Will you be perfect in Heaven?

Purgatory is just the process by which Christ makes an already saved indiividual perfect and free from even the desire to sin.

It may take a moment or it may take months. We do not know.
And it involves some pain

For a more succinct answer check out...

http://www.catholic.com/library/purgatory.asp

For Biblical support check out...

http://scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0511sbs.asp

Answer 5

Purgatory is NOT a "waiting room" where you find out whether or not you are going to hell or heaven. That's just wrong.

Purgatory is the application of Christ's purifying grace to the sinners soul, to remove (purge) all stain of sin so that the person can go to heaven. This is necessary because as the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) And also, "Nothing unclean can enter heaven." (Revelations 21:27)

If everybody is a sinner and if nothing unclean can enter heaven, there has to be a process by which you are transformed from sinner (dirty) to heaven-worthy saint (clean). Jesus died on the Cross in order to cleanse us from our sins, right? Well, that's what purgatory is all about. Non-Catholic Christians also believe that somehow, the grace won by Jesus on the Cross is somehow applied to each individual sinner so that they can be washed whiter than snow and enter heaven. They just don't have a word for it. Catholics (and Orthodox, I believe) do.

Everybody who is in purgatory is on their way to heaven. It is not "between" heaven and hell, it's between earth and heaven. There is no chance of going to hell, because it is a process of purification by the blood of the Lamb.

Purgatory is not a physical place, it is a spiritual process. Nobody knows how long it takes, but it's reasonable to assume that this process occurs outside linear time so the duration cannot be measured in human terms.

Regarding indulgences, it is true that SOME priests sold them for a very limited time, but once this was brought to the attention of the leaders of the Catholic Church, the practice was quickly banned and outlawed. It was not right to sell indulgences and they have never been sold since.

Indulgences are a way of removing some of the stain of sin on your soul via prayer or doing some sort of good work. This is related to what the Bible says about "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" and "sharing in Christ's suffering." We believe that Jesus asks us to cooperate with Him in making the world a better place and in striving to "run the good race" and become more like Him even while we struggle against the "old man" of fleshly desires.

Indulgences are NOT sold now and the practice was NEVER sanctioned by Catholic teaching or canon law. Martin Luther was very right in bringing it to the pope's attention so it could be corrected, which it was.

We do pray for the souls in purgatory, because they are eternal souls who are still members of the Body of Christ. You don't stop being a member of the Body of Christ when you die! Anyway, the people who are in the process of receiving the fullness of Grace from Christ and leaving off all their attachment to sin are suffering, and we pray that their time of suffering will be short and they will be quickly cleansed and free from all sin so they can go to heaven and be with God eternally. I hardly think any Christian ought to tell me that it's wrong to pray that somebody go to heaven!

Answer 6

I went to a Catholic School and I am Catholic. Purgatory was a place where our souls went to be cleansed (by fire) before entering heaven. It is my understanding Catholic's no longer believe or teach about purgatory. I don't know why it was taught back when I was a child, because God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from the fires of hell. To be saved all we have to do is BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so we can go to heaven. He never said we had to go to purgatory first.

Answer 7

Speaking from years of Catholic school...

When someone dies, their souls are not yet pure, they are still tainted from the sins they committed in Life. Purgatory is a 'temporary hell,' a place of torment where you repent for your sins through suffering before entering heaven.

Unforgiven mortal sins send you to hell, but forgiven mortal sins and any venial sins will net you time in purgatory. Some souls (Jesus, other people with pure souls) can skip right past purgatory and get to heaven, but most folks have to pass through purgatory first.

Like Hell, it's purported to be a place of fire, except that it differs from Hell in that people in Purgatory have hope and assurance that they will reach heaven eventually.

The Church, in centuries past, sold indulgences (cut time off of purgatory slips) for money, and that was one of Martin Luther's famous objections that he nailed to the church walls, triggering the reformation.

Hope that helps!

Answer 8

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html

plenty of scripture to support purgatory.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/
see how catholic the early christians were, you will find purgatory written on way in early centuries, before and after the reformation.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/links/search.cgi?query=purgatory
more articles going indepth.

you may not like teh idea or agree with it, but first christians taught it and only the roman catholic church teaches like the first christians, saying as how the first christians were all roman catholic.

i notice how many people have no idea but still answer your question, sadly even some catholics were among them. if you want to know about a catholic teaching it only makes sense to turn to a catholic source for the proper answer, the links are reliable catholic resources, may i remind those who said there is no middle place or third state, where exactly did jesus go after he died according to the bbile? well it would seem he went to a place between heaven and hell, some refer to it as "paradise" and another well known term is "abrahams bosom", this isthe place where those of faith went to before jesus opened up the gates of heaven. to say purgatory is not located in scripture is ignorance, and as st jerome who translated the bible into the vernacular of his day once wrote, "ignorance of scripture is ignorance of christ". also recall that the thief who repented on the cross to jesus, jesus told him that he would be with him in "paradise" not in heaven, teh thief therefore was likely with jesus when he went to paradise, he may have joined jesus in heaven right away or may have needed the purification necessary, remember nothin unclean can enter the kingdom.

Answer 9

Purgatory doesn't exist. Read the Bible: those who are unsaved because they have not been found faithful and have not come to the Lord and made the effort to walk with Him will be destroyed by the fire in the end of days. They will not suffer eternally or suffer for a period of time for their sins and then be sent to Heaven; they will all cease to exist and be forever forgotten.

Our God is not a merciless, quickly angered God; He is an awesome, loving, forgiving, healing God who would do anything to save us! He has gone past the call of duty to let us live with Him forever! He is not trying to torture sinners forever for what they have done; instead, He knows that he must destroy them or else sin would leak into His perfect kingdom, and this must never be allowed. Heaven is to be a haven for those who were once tormented by the Devil but have trusted in the Lord to deliver them. If sinners were allowed to live forever, we could never have that peace that the Lord offers us. Thus, sin must be eradicated from the universe after Christ's return. That day is what we, those He died for, look forward to with burning eyes and heavy hearts. God bless you and may that day find you well! Remember, the Lord WILL NOT leave you comfortless--He will come to you.

Answer 10

Purgatory is the place where you go after you die, Since everyone has sins, we wait in Purgatory until we are clean enough to enter heaven or if you have committed lots of venial and mortal sins, God judges if you go to Heaven or Hell.