Purgatory (Part 1)

Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they? Would in not break the heart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first.' 'It may hurt, you know' - 'Even so, sir.' C.S. Lewis, Letter to Malcolm, pgs. 108-109

One of the major differences between Catholics and most Protestants is the belief in Purgatory. Catholics believe that if you have unfinished business, or things weighing you down that were not taken care of during this life, that there is a waiting period before Paradise to shed, or purge, those things that are on your conscience and are weighing you down. Protestants, for the most part, believe it’s either a straight up or down after you die. Yet, the best argument I have heard in favor of Purgatory is from C.S. Lewis, a Protestant himself (whose, thinking, I might add, is in many ways very “Catholic”).

I guess the best way I could explain his example would be like getting ready for the prom. I guess you could show up in a dirty t-shirt and smelly underwear, and if your girlfriend really loves you, she wouldn’t mind. But, wouldn’t you want to first take a shower, and clean up, and dress real nice for the big date? Well, Heaven is our big date with God. God loves us the way we are, but wouldn’t we want to clear our consciences first? And, if we don’t have to time to do it before we die, wouldn’t we want to before we enter Paradise? Besides, personally, I would argue that we all need to experience Purgatory, and we all will, whether in this life or the next. We all need to go through suffering to truly appreciate the happy times. I would go further and say that if you haven’t experience suffering, then you cannot truly love…(to be continued in a later blog)