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The two paths that lead to Purgatory

–  The path of mortal sin –

By its nature, mortal sin leads much further than Purgatory: it casts one into the pits of Hell. Souls, which are permeated with sin plunge into the depths of Hell. They cannot stand the light of God, which appears to them at the time of their death. But if […]

Torments of Purgatory: The Powerlessness of the Souls in Purgatory

– Powerlessness in their suffering –

Consider the fact that at the moment of death all merit ceases because the soul no longer possesses its freedom to choose between good and evil. Purgatory is that long night of which Jesus spoke, during which no one can freely act; those who languish there are […]

Torments of Purgatory: Duration of suffering for the souls in Purgatory

– What is the duration? –

The Church has not defined anything specific as to the duration of the suffering in Purgatory, but it clearly demonstrates what it believes by celebrating anniversary Masses, for the souls of the deceased. It thus believes that the atonement can be long even lasting for centuries. […]

Torments of Purgatory: The Pain of Remorse

– The evil we needed to avoid –

The torments, of which we just spoke, are not the only ones which torture the souls kept captive in this place of atonement. They still feel sadness, bitter regret, desolation and fierce reproaches from their guilty conscience, a thousand times more severe for them than the pain of […]

Torments of Purgatory: The Sentence of Dam

– Deprived of God –

The greatest suffering in Purgatory is not that of fire, as fierce as it may be. A greater suffering is that which theologians call “The sentence of Dam.” In this world, we do not understand the intensity of the suffering caused by being deprived of God because we do not see […]

Torments of Purgatory: Fire of Purification

The long tradition of the Church tells us that souls cannot be admitted to the eternal kingdom of glory before they are purified by fire. It is not the fire of Hell, which will never die, but one whose harshness will be felt in Purgatory. Such is the affirmation of all doctors of the Church. St. Augustine and St. Thomas called this: […]

The Existence of Purgatory, Part II

– Witnessing of our reason –

Along with faith, our reasoning also proclaims the existence of Purgatory: its voice speaks to us as do the Church and Scriptures. It tells us firstly that God, being perfect Holiness, cannot allow anything impure to enter Heaven. There is an eternal invincible repulsion between the slightest evil and perfect Goodness. […]

The Existence of Purgatory, Part I

– The Word of God –

The existence of Purgatory is not a mere pious belief, which we are free to accept or to reject. It is a formal dogma taught by faith, which we must profess lest we become anathema. It is a holy and salvific thought, proclaims the Old Testament, that of praying for the […]

Purgatory

– What is Purgatory? –

Faith teaches us that Purgatory, as the word indicates, is a place of suffering and atonement. There, Divine Justice continues to purify souls not yet pure enough to be admitted into Paradise, where nothing stained may enter; it is not Hell where there is no longer Redemption; it is an intermediary place situated between the infinite joys […]

– Reasons for the sanctification of this month –

The origins of the Month dedicated to the dead go back to the Old Testament, to the people of Israel. This people in fact, who alone possessed the true Spirit of God, were not content with simply proclaiming in its holy books that it was a holy and salvific deed to pray for the dead. The people of Israel […]