Showing posts with label purification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purification. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 February 2022
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Suffering - God Purifies Us
Let us Rejoice in the joy that follows sadness
From a letter by Saint Peter Damian, bishop
You asked me to write you some words of consolation, my
brother. Embittered by so many
tribulations, you are seeking some comfort for your soul. You asked me to offer you some suggestions.
But there is no need for me to write. Consolation is already within your reach, if
your good sense has not been dulled. My son, come to the service of God. Stand in
justice and fear. Prepare your soul; it
is about to be tested. These words
of Scripture show that you are a son of God and, as such, should take
possession of your inheritance. What
could be clearer than this exhortation?
Where there is justice as well as fear, adversity will
surely test the spirit. But it is not
the torment of a slave. Rather it is the
discipline of a child by its parent.
Event in the midst of his many sufferings, the holy man Job
could say: Whip me, crush me, cut me in
slices! And he wold always add: This
at least would bring me relief, yet my persecutor does not spare me.
But for God’s chosen ones there is great comfort;
the
torment lasts but a short time.
Then God
bends down, cradles the fallen figure,
whispers words of consolation.
With hope in his heart, man picks himself up
and walks again toward the glory of happiness in heaven.
Craftsmen exemplify this same practice. By hammering gold, the smith beats out the
dross. The sculptor files metal to
reveal a shining vein underneath. The potter’s furnace puts vessels to the test. And the fire of suffering tests the mettle of
just men.
The apostle James echoes this thought:
Think it a great joy, dear brothers and sisters,
when you stumble onto
the many kinds of trials and tribulations.
When men suffer pain for the evil
they have perpetrated in
life,
they should take some reassurance.
They also know that for their good deeds
undying rewards await them in
the life to come.
Therefore, my brother, scorned as you are by men, lashed as
it were by God, do not despair. Do not
be depressed. Do not let your weakness
make you impatient. Instead, let the
serenity of your spirit shine through your face.
Let the joy of your mind burst forth.
Let words of thanks break from your lips.
The way that God deals with men can only be praised. He lashes them in this life to shield them
from the eternal lash in the next. He
pins people down now; at a later time he will raise them up. He cuts them before healing; he throws them
down to raised them anew.
The Scriptures reassure us: let your understanding strengthen
your patience. In serenity look forward
to the joy that follows sadness.
Hope
leads you to that joy and love enkindles your zeal. The well-prepared mind forgets the suffering
inflicted from without and glides eagerly to what it has contemplated within
itself.
Friday, 21 September 2012
Purgatory – Catholic Beliefs
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "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). It notes that "this final
purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of
the damned" (CCC 1031).
The
purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will
enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our
mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically
venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.
Check the
Bible
Hebrews 12:14
- without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need final sanctification to
attain true holiness before God, and this process occurs during our lives and,
if not completed during our lives, in the transitional state of purgatory.
Hebrews 12:23
- the spirits of just men who died in godliness are "made" perfect.
They do not necessarily arrive perfect. They are made perfect after their
death. But those in heaven are already perfect, and those in hell can no longer
be made perfect. These spirits are in purgatory.
1 Peter
3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the "prison." These are
the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.
Revelation 21:27
- nothing unclean shall enter heaven. The word “unclean” comes from the Greek
word “koinon” which refers to a spiritual corruption. Even the propensity to
sin is spiritually corrupt, or considered unclean, and must be purified before
entering heaven. It is amazing how many Protestants do not want to believe in
purgatory.
Purgatory exists because of the mercy of God.
If there were no
purgatory, this would also likely mean no salvation for most people. God is
merciful indeed.
Luke 23:43
– many Protestants argue that, because Jesus sent the good thief right to
heaven, there can be no purgatory. There are several rebuttals. First, when
Jesus uses the word "paradise,” He did not mean heaven. Paradise, from the
Hebrew "sheol," meant the realm of the righteous dead. This was the
place of the dead who were destined for heaven, but who were captive until the
Lord's resurrection. Second, since there was no punctuation in the original
manuscript, Jesus’ statement “I say to you today you will be with me in
paradise” does not mean there was a comma after the first word “you.” This
means Jesus could have said, “I say to you today, you will be with me in
paradise” (meaning, Jesus could have emphasized with exclamation his statement
was “today” or “now,” and that some time in the future the good thief would go
to heaven). Third, even if the thief went straight to heaven, this does not
prove there is no purgatory (those who are fully sanctified in this life –
perhaps by a bloody and repentant death – could be ready for admission in to
heaven).
1 Cor.
3:10-15 - works are judged after death and tested by fire. Some works are lost,
but the person is still saved. Paul is referring to the state of purgation
called purgatory. The venial sins (bad works) that were committed are burned up
after death, but the person is still brought to salvation. This state after
death cannot be heaven (no one with venial sins is present) or hell (there is
no forgiveness and salvation).
1 Corinthians 3:15
– “if any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will
be saved, but only as through fire.” The phrase for "suffer loss" in
the Greek is "zemiothesetai." The root word is "zemioo"
which also refers to punishment. The construction “zemiothesetai” is used in
Ex. 21:22 and Prov. 19:19 which refers to punishment (from the Hebrew “anash”
meaning “punish” or “penalty”). Hence, this verse proves that there is an
expiation of temporal punishment after our death, but the person is still
saved. This cannot mean heaven (there is no punishment in heaven) and this
cannot mean hell (the possibility of expiation no longer exists and the person
is not saved).
Saint Augustine
said, in The City of God, that
"temporary punishments are suffered by some
in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all
of them before that last and strictest judgment" (21:13).
It is between
the particular and general judgments, then, that the soul is purified of the
remaining consequences of sin:
"I tell you, you will never get out
till
you have paid the very last copper"
(Luke 12:59).
Excerpts
taken from: http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html
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