(Col 3:1-11; Ps 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13AB; Lk 6:20-26)
Today’s readings don’t mention Purgatory directly or indirectly, but it entered my thoughts as I reflected upon the passages . . . and if you haven’t thought about Purgatory lately, perhaps you’ll have reason to do so today, too.
So, first, let’s refresh our memories. What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about Purgatory? Paragraphs 1030 and 1031 state, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.”
In other words, since Purgatory is for those who are imperfectly purified, then – to back up a moment – where are folks who are perfectly purified? They’re in Heaven, and we call them saints. So who all makes it to Heaven? For part of that answer, we need look no further than today’s selection from the Gospel of Luke, which reveals the Sermon on the Plain.
The Sermon on the Plain is closely related to the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew. (It’s an interesting experience to compare and contrast the two, since both Gospels were intended for different audiences.) Anyway, the Sermon begins with beatitudes that extols those who will enter Heaven: The poor will receive the Kingdom of God, the hungry will be satisfied, those who weep shall laugh, and those who are hated and persecuted will be blessed.
Indeed, we have many stories of saints who were persecuted, who lived dedicated to poverty, whose corporeal lives were not filled with material joys. And we know they’re in Heaven, continuing to fulfill their roles in God’s plan as part of the communion of saints. But, as we noted earlier, there are other folks who aren’t doomed to be denied eternal salvation, but who fall short of sainthood; they need to be purified to achieve the holiness necessary to enter Heaven.
Most of us think of “purification” as part and parcel of Purgatory . . . and it is. However, the most important thing to realize is that those of us who are not living the lives of saints, purification – ideally – takes place on Earth.
All of this brings us to today’s reading from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. This isn’t your general “gee, folks, we’re Christians now, so try to be better.” It’s a literal call to destroy the bits of us that would divide us from God and would keep us out of Heaven.
In short, Paul is calling on us to purify ourselves now, while we’re on Earth. Sure, we could take a chance, hope that we have our house enough in order, wait ’til we’re in Purgatory, and rely on God’s ever-loving plan to purify our souls sufficiently to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Or we can seek to do God’s will now and purify ourselves while we’re alive.
A priest I knew said, “Jesus didn’t die for your sins so you could get to Purgatory.” That’s not part of God’s plan. We’re supposed to do what we can to get into Heaven.
Perhaps most importantly, purifying ourselves now is where it will do the most good. See what else Paul exhorts: But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language . . . Stop lying to one another . . . Okay; you make it to Purgatory, but you still have some angry bits, or slanderous bits, or immoral bits, and Purgatory manages to strip you of those elements so that you get into Heaven. In the meantime, you’ve left behind folks on Earth who’ve suffered from your anger, your slander, your immorality. It’s quite likely that your imperfections have made others impure, stoking in them their own angers, immoralities, and passions.
No, it is much better to purify ourselves now. The process is more assured, the outcomes more desirable for yourself and for those around you. Purifying yourself here helps to make you the best person you can be, the better do God’s work here on Earth.
If you’re holding onto the hope of Purgatory to make you the person you need to be to get to Heaven, please re-read Paul’s message from today with an open heart. Looking to Purgatory is like continuing to smoke cigarettes because you think chemotherapy can kill the corrupt bits of you if you get cancer; sure, it might work, but it’s a pretty lousy plan. A new life in Christ demands we do what we can to kill the old bits that would keep us from Heaven. We’re all imperfect, and God has a plan if we fall a bit short, but it’s much better to purify ourselves now, to the best of our ability and with the help of God’s grace.
