Purgatory, Fa'amagalo, Taunuuga

… or, What the Heck is Purgatory?

Taunuuga? There Are Always Consequences!

Purgatory is not an alternative to heaven or hell. It is a temporary state through which some souls must pass to receive a final purification before entering heaven (Vaai i le Tusi o Faaaliga 21:27). As the Second Vatican Council taught, purgatory exists becauseeven when the guilt of sin has been taken away, punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be expiated or cleansed” (Indulgentiarum Doctrina 3).

E faapena foi, o le Catechism of the Catholic Church setete, “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” (1030, i. 268). “In purgatory,” writes apologist Karl Keating, “all remaining love of self is transformed into love of God” (Catholicism, i. 190).

The Church takes seriously Jesuscommand in Mataio 5:48 to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” and holds fast to The Letter to the Hebrews’12:14 that teaches, “Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

E lē gata i lea, the Church accepts the biblical truth that spiritual perfection is required for admittance into heaven, for per our above reference to the Book the Revelation (21:27), “nothing unclean shall enter it.”

Ae o le mea moni, God’s refusal to allow Moses to cross into the Promised Land as punishment for his infidelity is consistent with this belief (vaai Teuteronome 32:48).

E faapena foi, one of the more stinging stories in scripture well illustrates this notion forgiveness and consequences. It is the story of Kind David and the prophet Nathan as they discuss David’s misdeed with Bathsheba in the Tusi e Lua a Samuelu, 12:1-14:

2 Samuelu 12

12:1 Ona auina atu lea e Ieova o Natano ia Tavita. Ma ina ua ia sau ia te ia, sa ia fai atu ia te ia: “E toʻalua tagata i le aai e tasi: tasi le mauoa, a o isi e matitiva.
12:2 E matuā tele lava mamoe ma povi a le tagata mauʻoa.
12:3 Ae sa leai lava se mea a le tagata mativa, vagana ai le mamoe itiiti e tasi, lea na ia fa‘atau ma fafaga. Ma sa tupu aʻe o ia i ona luma, faatasi ma lana fanau, 'ai i lana areto, ma inu i lana ipu, ma moe i lona fatafata. Ma sa pei o ia o se afafine ia te ia.
12:4 Ae ina ua alu atu se tagata malaga i le tagata mauoa, ‘ua fa‘alēaogāina ‘ona ‘aveina mai o ana lava mamoe ma povi, ‘ina ‘ia fai ai e ia se tausamiga mo lea tagata malaga, o e na o mai ia te ia, na ia ave mamoe a le tagata mativa, ona saunia lea e ia o se meaʻai mo le tagata na alu atu iā te ia.”
12:5 Ona matuā ita tele ai lea o Tavita i lenā tagata, ona fai atu lea o ia ia Natano: “O loo soifua le Alii, o le tagata na faia lenei mea o le atalii o le oti.
12:6 Na te toe faafo'i mai mamoe e fa, auā na ia faia lea upu, ma sa le alofa o ia.”
12:7 A ua fai atu Natano ia Tavita: “O oe lena tagata. Ua faapea ona fetalai mai o le Alii, le Atua o Isaraelu: ‘Ua ou faauuina oe e fai ma tupu o Isaraelu, na ‘ou lavea‘iina fo‘i ‘outou a‘i le lima o Saulo.
12:8 Ma na ou tuuina atu le fale o lou alii ia te oe, ma avā a lou alii i lou fatafata. Ma sa ou tuuina atu le aiga o Isaraelu ma Iuta ia te oe. Ma e pei o nei mea laiti, ‘Ou te fa‘aopoopoina atu fo‘i ‘iā te ‘outou mea e tele.
12:9 O lea la, se a le mea ua e inoino ai i le afioga a le Alii?, ‘ona ‘outou faia lea o le leaga i o‘u luma? Ua e fasia Uria le sa Hetī i le pelu. Ma ua e ave lana avā e fai ma au avā. Ma ua outou fasiotia o ia i le pelu a le fanauga a Amoni.
12:10 Mo lenei mafuaaga, e le alu ese le pelu i lou fale, e oo lava i le faavavau, auā ‘ua ‘outou ‘ino‘ino mai ‘iā te a‘u, ‘ua e fai avā fo‘i i le avā a Uria le sa Hetī, ina ia fai o ia ma au avā.’
12:11 Ma o lea, ua faapea ona fetalai mai o le Alii: ‘Faauta, ‘Ou te fa‘atūina fo‘i ‘iā te oe se leaga mai lou lava ‘āiga. Ma ou te ave a outou avā i luma o outou mata, ou te avatu foi i lou tuaoi. Ma o le a momoe o ia ma au avā i le vaaiga o lenei la.
12:12 Auā na e faia faalilolilo. Ae ou te faia lenei upu i luma o Isaraelu uma, ma i luma o le la.’”
12:13 Ona fai atu lea o Tavita ia Natano, “Ua ou agasala iā Ieova.” Ona fai atu lea o Natano ia Tavita: “Ua aveesea foi e Ieova lau agasala. E te le oti.
12:14 Ae moni lava, auā ‘ua ‘outou tu‘uina atu le avanoa i ē ita mai i le ALI‘I e ‘upu leaga ai, ona o lenei upu, le tama na fanau mai ia te oe: a oti o ia e oti ai.”

Forgiveness and Consequences

The story of Bathsheba and David and Nathan tells us a great deal about the nature of sin and the mercy of God. Tavita, who is the Lord’s beloved king and could seemingly do no wrong, committed a horrible sin. God was eager and willing to forgive and restore, but there had to be consequences.

Consequences for sin and the effects of sin are often debated among Christians. We may wonder, what exactly are the effects and consequences if, ae o le mea moni, all sin was atoned on the cross? Every sin that has ever been committed by humans was atoned by the sacrifice of Christ himself, but that doesn’t mean that the effects of sin are negatedcertainly not in this life. Think of any number of sins (and crimes) like murder, arson and assault. They all have very long-lasting earthly implications. O lea, forgiveness then, does not necessarily mean that the consequences are removed.

Fa'amagalo, yet Punishment

To understand how punishment could remain even after one’s sins have been forgiven, it is necessary to distinguish between eternal ma temporal punishment.

O le eternal punishment for sin is hell. One is saved from this punishment by God when hethe sinnerrepents and confesses those sins. Yet even after a person is forgiven, temporal punishment may remain which also must be expiated.

Mafaufau, faataitaiga, the husband who is unfaithful to his wife. Feeling remorse, he resolves to change his ways and confess what he has done. His wife, in her goodness, forgives him, peita'i, it may be a long time before she will trust him again. He will need to regain her trust, to heal the wound he has caused in their relationship. When we sin we hurt our relationship with God and others.

These wounds must be healed before one enters into heaven. Ae a, this healing occurs by the grace of God through the merits of Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. Purgatory, e ui lava, as well as the penances we do on earth, are God’s ways of allowing us to participate in the healing process as we take responsibility for the wrong we have done.

To be clear, Purgatory has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sin because the sins of the souls in purgatory have already been forgiven. O lea, it is false to claim the Church’s teaching on purgatory involves earning God’s forgiveness. Toe foi, these souls are saved, but their entry into heaven is delayed. As Saint Paul noted in his Muamua Tusi i Korinito, “When we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” “For the Lord disciplines him who he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (vaai i le Tusi i Eperu 12:5-6 ma 5:8-9).

Carl Adam perhaps gave the most succient description of purgatory as follows;

The poor soul, having failed to make use of the easier and happier penance of this world, must now endure all the bitterness and all the dire penalties which are necessarily attached by the inviolable law of God’s justice to even the least sin, until she has tasted the wretchedness of sin to its dregs and has lost even the smallest attachment to it, until the perfection of the love of Christ. It is a long and painful process, “so as by fire.” Is it real fire? We cannot tell; it’s true nature will certainly always remain hidden from us in this world. But we know this: that no penalty presses so hard upon the “poor souls” as the consciousness that they are by their own fault long debarred from the blessed Vision of God. The more they are disengaged gradually in the whole compass of their being from their narrow selves, and the more freely and completely their hearts are open to God, so much the more is the bitterness of their separation spiritualized and transfigured. It is homesickness for their Father; and the further their purification proceeds, the more painfully are their souls scourged with its rods of fire…

Purification and Cleansing

While every Christian considers himself a sinner, at the same time he believes he will be free of sin (and even the inclination to sin) in Heaven. O lea la, a purification process must exist after death, by which the soul prone to sin is transformed into a soul impervious to it.

There are many Scripture passages that allude to a form of expiation of sin after death.

The Notion of Purgatory in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament there is the account of Judas Maccabeus whomade atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (vaai i le Second Book of Maccabees 12:46).

O le Book of Sirach, 7:33, setete, “Give graciously to all the living, and withhold not kindness from the dead.Both the Second Book of Maccabees ma Siraka are included among the seven deuterocanonical books, which many non-Catholics reject. Yet even if one does not believe these books to be inspired by God, he should at least consider the historical witness they provide. They affirm the ancient Israelitespractice of praying for the souls of the deceased. This is substantiated by Tusi e Lua a Samuelu 1:12, which tells us David and his menmourned and wept and fasted until evening for (the soldiers of the Lord) because they had fallen by the sword.

I le Feagaiga Fou

Paul utters a prayer for the dead in his Tusi Lona Lua ia Timoteo, saying of his deceased friend Onesiphorus, “May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord that Day” (1:18).

The most explicit Scriptural reference to purgatory also comes from Paul’s Muamua Tusi i Korinito:

3:11 Auā e lē mafaia e se tasi ‘ona tu‘u se isi fa‘avae, e suitulaga i le mea ua uma ona faataatia, o Keriso Iesu lea.
3:12 Ae afai e atiina ae se tasi i luga o lenei faavae, pe auro, siliva, maa taua, fafie, vaomago, po o tagutugutu o saito,
3:13 e fa‘aalia galuega a tagata ta‘ito‘atasi. Aua o le aso o le Alii e faailoa mai ai, auā e fa‘aalia i le afi. Ma o lenei afi o le a tofotofoina ai galuega a tagata taitoatasi, pe o le a le ituaiga.
3:14 Afai e galue se tasi, na ia fausia i luga, tumau, ona maua lea e ia o le taui.
3:15 Afai ua mu le galuega a se tasi, e mafatia o ia i lona maumau, a o ia lava e faaolaina pea, a e pei lava o le afi.

Verse 13 refers to Judgment Day, when our works will be made known. The gold, siliva, and precious stones in verse 12 represent meritorious works; the wood, vaomago, and stubble, imperfect works.

Both cases involve a Christian building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. In the first case, the work the Christian has carried out in life survives judgment and he goes directly to his heavenly reward, i.e., verse 14. In the latter case, the Christian’s work does not survive and hesuffer(s) loss,” e ui lava, by God’s mercy, is not himself lost but savedas through firein verse 15.

I totonu Mataio 12:32 Jesus seems to imply there is reparation for sin beyond death: “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come(faaopoopo le faamamafa). See Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues 4:40 and Saint Augustine, Le Aai a le Atua 21:24 for related material.

Elsewhere, Jesus implies that some of the deceased shall undergo varying degrees of temporal punishment (vaai Luka 12:47-48).

Early Christian References to Purgatory

Inscriptions found at ancient gravesites such as the Epitaph of Abercius Marcellus (ca. 190), faataitaiga, beg the faithful to pray for the deceased.

Awaiting martyrdom in a dungeon in Carthage in the year 203, Vibia Perpetua prayed daily for her deceased brother, Dinocrates, having received a vision of him in a state of suffering.

Shortly before her death, it was revealed to her that he had entered into paradise. “I knew,” she remarked, “that he had been released from punishment” (The Martyrdom of Perpetual and Felicitas 2:4).

Most profoundly, we see the early Christian practice of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice on behalf of the dead. Tetullian (o. ca. 240), o lesi foi mea, revealed how the devout widow prays for the repose of her husband’s soul, ma pe faapefea “tausaga taitasi, on the anniversary of his death, she offers the sacrifice” (Monogamy 10:4).

I lana Sacramentary, dating to the mid-fourth century, Serapion, the Bishop of Thmuis, beseeched God, “on behalf of all the departed,” ia “sanctify all who have fallen asleep in the Lord (Apoc. 14:13) and count them all among the ranks of Your saints and given them a place and abode (Ioane 14:2) in Your kingdom” (The Sacramentary, Anaphora pe Prayer of the Eucharistic Sacrifice 13:5).

So Where Does that Leave Us?

Some might ask, “If one must be perfect to enter Heaven, who then can be saved?” When the Apostles posed the same question to Jesus, Sa ia tali mai, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (vaai Mataio 19:25-26).

As Catholics, we would argue that possibility exists through Purgatory.

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