Why I'm grateful for Purgatory

Among all the doctrines of the Catholic Church, I can't think of one that we Catholics seem to neglect more than the doctrine of Purgatory. For those who've at least heard of the doctrine, it is often understood as the need to appease an angry God for the sins we've committed in this life. And since most of us know that God is loving and merciful, the doctrine of Purgatory is often written off by Catholics. Some of us are also convinced that the doctrine of Purgatory is not even mentioned in scripture (even though it's in Maccabees) and therefore it's probably some man-made teaching which the Catholic Church uses to encourage people to work on keeping their souls clean. Some just don't understand the doctrine enough to appreciate it fully. 

It's no secret that the topic of Purgatory is something that most Catholics would avoid as much as possible. It's hardly mentioned at funerals, and I only know of two priests who are bold enough to preach about the subject on All Soul's Day. Most of us assume that our deceased loved ones, who have lived relatively good and holy lives are already in heaven, and we ask them to pray for us. Perhaps it's because our understanding of Purgatory is rather flawed, and of course that's no fault of our own. The state of Catechises among the laity needs to be improved. But if we understand this doctrine well, we'd know that it's a loving and merciful teaching. 

Many Catholics understand that Purgatory does denote some form of suffering. Understandably, we prefer not to think about it, especially for our deceased loved ones who have suffered much before they passed from life on earth. And while it's true that the fire of purification does denote suffering, what we fail to understand, as it's stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is that the fire of purification is not the same as the punishment of the condemned. 

The souls in Purgatory are not condemned, and they are not punished. They are part of the Church Suffering, the people chosen by God to enter his eternal dwelling place, and they are saved. The only thing is that they are not quite ready yet, due to minor faults, weak consciences, and hearts that are not fully pure. And thus, they are given the opportunity to clean themselves up. The souls in purgatory are not there because God wants them to make good for their wrongdoings. Rather, they are there to purify their hearts, to make themselves ready to love God with all their hearts, with all their souls, with all their minds, and with all their strength. And if we're completely honest with ourselves, not many of us here on earth love God as fully and purely as we ought to. We all are still affected by the effect of our sins, which make it harder for us to love God fully. 

I'd like to look at it this way. Imagine a soldier who goes out to battle. Naturally, the soldier will get himself dirty. It can't be helped that the soldier would sweat, be covered in mud, and be in need of a good bath by the time he gets home. Now, if the soldier came home to find a magnificent feast prepared for him by his family, would he want to eat that feast while he's still sweaty and covered in mud? Or would he prefer to have a good shower, to freshen himself up, so that he can fully enjoy the feast, and spending some much needed time with his loved ones? Personally, if that were me, I'd rather clean and freshen myself up first. 

Using the analogy that I just gave, I think that this is how we should view purgatory. If the fire of purification is not the same as the punishment for the condemned, I think it's safe to say that Purgatory is not a torture chamber. Rather, it is a dressing room to prepare us for heaven. It's where we clean ourselves up, and freshen up, to prepare for the great feast. A soul in purgatory is saved, unlike a soul which is condemned to hell. 

I for one am grateful for the doctrine of purgatory. It is a grace given to us by God, not because we deserve it, but because he is so loving and merciful that he gives us a chance to be purified even after death. So rather than avoiding the topic of Purgatory, let us pray for the souls there, especially during the month of November where the Church commemorates the faithful departed. Let us pray for their purification, so that they will be ready to embrace what's in store for them next; the great banquet. And hopefully, when it's our turn to go through the fire of purification, with Catholics who understand this merciful teaching, we'll have people praying for us as well, so that one day, we can be ready to enter the new and eternal Jerusalem. This is a promise to all of us who embrace the Gospel of Christ.