"Purgatory" a place other than hell and heaven

Catholic Doctrine on Purgatory

Purgatory, which means in latin “purgae” is to purify or to make something clean. In accordance with the Roman Catholic doctrine and teaching, purgatory is not a place but a condition of ephemeral punishment for those who were not entirely free from venial sin before departing this life, or those who haven’t fully paid the satisfaction due to their trespasses.

What is temporal punishment? Temporal punishment is as a result of man’s sin, even after God already pardoned man for it. This is evident and can be seen clearly in the teachings of the scripture. We are made to see in Wisdom 10:2 that despite the fact that God bestowed upon man the power to govern all things, still made him “to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow” due to his first disobedience. God forgave Moses’ doubt when he was asked to strike the wall just once, but in punishment restricted him from reaching “the promised land” (Numbers 20:12). Also, God forgave David for his sin, but the life of his child was taken away.

This, and many more Bible passages, shows that God requires satisfaction and will punish any form of sin. This doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner, failing to go through the penance in life, may be punished in another world in a state of condition so as not to be taken away from God — because Jesus said “nothing unclean would inherit the kingdom of God.

Mortal and venial sin:
According to the Catholic church, there are two basic types of sins. Mortal sins are sins that imperil and damage your soul while venial sins are sins considered less serious breaches of God's law. The church believes that when you commit a mortal sin, your chance of heaven is forfeited, but when a venial sin is committed before the soul's departure, there is still consideration. The person is then placed in an isolated condition or state called "purgatory" to suffer for his/her sins for the cleansing of the soul before allowed into heaven.

Though a lot of people argue that sins are equal before God, I tell you all sins are not equal before God, It will be considered unjust for anybody to assert that daily sins of human should be punished with the same severity.

Prayer for the dead in purgatory:
Though a lot of people believe that prayer to the dead is to no avail, but refer to [ Revelations:27 which states that "nothing unclean will enter it." Unfortunately, when people die, they may not have lived a perfect life and thereby die in a state of imperfection. They may have truly asked for the forgiveness of their sins or showed regret for it, which might have been forgiven, but their love for God might not have been deep and perfect as it should and supposed to be.

The teaching of the doctrine of the Catholic church states that: "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 souls these dead individuals have not yet undergone perfect purification and so not deemed fit for the kingdom of God. They must then undergo some form of purification after death to make their souls clean. This act shows and demonstrates to us that God's mercy doesn't stop at the point of death, but that divine mercy and love continues even after the point of death.

The Catholic church is of the belief and teaches that prayers are of great assistance to the dead. The Catholic church then prays for these souls to obtain God's mercy. Apart from prayers, the other ways a soul can be helped out of purgatory is by offering of mass, giving of alms to the poor, and also indulging in pastoral works for the sake of the deceased.

Biblical props:
The Catholic doctrine teaches that some die with venial sin while some with mortal sin. The fact that the penalty for the venial sin was not fully paid in life, this belief is evident and can be proven both with the scriptures and with the Catholic traditions.

Scriptural proof:
(2 Maccabees 12:43-46) "making a gathering . . . sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead). And because he considered that they who who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead , that they may be loosed from sins."

Traditional proof:
Prayers done for the sake of the dead were found in liturgies, and priests also confirmed that the practices were passed down from apostles.

What does the punishment in purgatory looks like? The punishment in purgatory comes in two forms: (1) punishment for the pains of loss, and (2) punishment for the pains of sense.

Punishment for the pains of loss:
This is the punishment of being excluded from the beatific vision. The souls in purgatory are conscious of the fact that they are children of God and also have a close relationship with him, thus their separation from God is known as the pain of loss.

Pain of sense:
This involves the pain of purification. The type of purification has been assumed to be a literal fire and involves some kind of pain. However, the Catechism teaches that the fires of hell and purgatory are not “a kind of vengeance inflicted by God."

God, in His infinite mercy, sees to all things in a righteous manner.