Catholic Apologetics
Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory
Get them thinking
1) What is your vision of Heaven?
2) What is your vision of Hell?
3) What questions do you have about Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory?
4) What has shaped your ideas of what each is?
Heaven
Heaven is eternal joy – our natural selves as they were intended by God. If we die, our wills are turned toward God and we have the grace of God in our souls, then we are unified with Him for all eternity. Our heart’s deepest longing is satisfied in God. We are joined with the saints and angels and see God “face to face,” according to St. Paul.
We do not become angels in heaven because we are not angels. We are human beings. God, as the perfect good, the perfect knowledge, and the perfect love, gives us our fill of each.
Read 1 Cor. 2:9
“However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"
“We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end" and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved." She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven:
Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end. (St. Teresa of Avila)
(CCC 1821)
God wants everyone to be in Heaven. He wants it so much that He died on the Cross in order that we may be with Him. The only thing keeping us from Heaven would be us.
(Also CCC 1023-1029)
Hell
As much has Heaven is the fulfillment of all goodness, knowledge, and love, Hell is the opposite. When we die, are wills are set. We have freely chosen in this life whether we want to be with God for all eternity. God, in His love, will not refuse our request.
Try to think of life void of love, beauty, and goodness…what would that be like?…maybe this is a glimpse of eternal separation from love, beauty, and goodness.
“We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." (CCC 1033)
“The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.” (CCC 1035)
“God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (CCC 1037)
Purgatory
Many non-Catholics have questions about purgatory because they feel like it has no basis in Scripture. However, there are several Scriptures that support the doctrine of purgatory.
The verb purge comes from the Latin term meaning “to purify”. Literally, purgatory is a state of cleansing where our souls are purified from sin through intense measures.
Read Revelation 21:27, Matthew 12:32, 1 Peter 4:6, 2 Maccabees 12: 44-46
The question should be “Why the need for purgatory?”
God is perfect holiness. We are called to be perfectly holy. Without perfect holiness we cannot see God in Heaven. Purgatory is not meant for our pain, but for our cleansing and sanctification. All discipline and affliction leads us closer to God, if we let it.
Yes, Christ did accomplish all of our salvation by dying on the Cross, but the Scriptures teach and remind us that it is through sanctification that we are made holy over time, and through other ways that can involve and include suffering. Purgatory is just the final stage of sanctification for any of us in need of purification prior to entering the perfect and eternal banquet of Heaven.
“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.” (CCC 1030)
“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:
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.” (CCC 1031)
“This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead” (CCC 1032)
Final Thoughts
Are you simply shooting for purgatory by the way you live?
Do you not realize that we all have the freedom in Christ to be saints instead?
3 comments:
Chuck, old friend, hows it going?
It seems you and i have gone opposite directions since our days with Ken. You the devout catholic and I the devout southern baptist.
I do have to take issue concerning purgatory. The concept of some sort of additional purification opens the door to some troubling issues. If purgatory supplies additional purification, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross at all? I think we can agree that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. But if purgatory is needed, then that sacrifice was not perfect and whole, but partial.
What is the point of following any sort moral restrictions here on earth if sanctification can be achieved through an indefinite amount of time in purgatory?(thats exactly the kind of thinking you want me exposing a youth group too, eh?) It also implies that a righteous life can be lived here on earth. If you can become righteous; through works/sacrafice/etc., then the death of Jesus Christ was a complete waste.
Romans 3:21-26
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
This speaks of exactly what is salvation and how it is received, not earned.
Finally, when Jesus died, the curtain that seperating us from the Holy of Holies ripped, granting us personal access to God through Christ.
And not to be overly picky, but the verses you reference make absolutely no mention of purgatory. In fact the Revelations verse you mention speaks only of a salvation of faith alone. Being born gets your name in the Book of Life, becoming a believer gets your name in the Book of the Lamb, hence no further process, sacrafice, atonement is needed.
I know its been a long time since we've talked and starting an argument isn't the best way to say hi, but your post on facebook caught my attention and this post piqued my interest. Anyway, take care and I hope to run into you sometime when I'm up your way.
Chuck, old friend, hows it going?
It seems you and i have gone opposite directions since our days with Ken. You the devout catholic and I the devout southern baptist.
I do have to take issue concerning purgatory. The concept of some sort of additional purification opens the door to some troubling issues. If purgatory supplies additional purification, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross at all? I think we can agree that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. But if purgatory is needed, then that sacrifice was not perfect and whole, but partial.
What is the point of following any sort moral restrictions here on earth if sanctification can be achieved through an indefinite amount of time in purgatory?(thats exactly the kind of thinking you want me exposing a youth group too, eh?) It also implies that a righteous life can be lived here on earth. If you can become righteous; through works/sacrafice/etc., then the death of Jesus Christ was a complete waste.
Romans 3:21-26
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus....continued on next post
continued....
This speaks of exactly what is salvation and how it is received, not earned.
Finally, when Jesus died, the curtain that seperating us from the Holy of Holies ripped, granting us personal access to God through Christ.
And not to be overly picky, but the verses you reference make absolutely no mention of purgatory. In fact the Revelations verse you mention speaks only of a salvation of faith alone. Being born gets your name in the Book of Life, becoming a believer gets your name in the Book of the Lamb, hence no further process, sacrafice, atonement is needed.
I know its been a long time since we've talked and starting an argument isn't the best way to say hi, but your post on facebook caught my attention and this post piqued my interest. Anyway, take care and I hope to run into you sometime when I'm up your way.
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