Purgatory: Perfect Mercy and Perfect Justice

I have three questions about the afterlife for my Christian readers:

1. Do you believe that most of us, even if we're "good people," die as sinners, functionally speaking?
2. If so, do you believe that we will never again sin once our earthly life is over and our eternal life with God begins?
3. And if so, how do you explain our future definitive transition from sinner to saint?

We don't freqently ponder the third question. We just "know" that some way, somehow, we will be miraculously transformed to reflect God's holiness. We won't only be sinless in a mere legal sense, but in the truest practical sense.

While no one knows exactly how it will happen, the Catholic Church gives this mysterious "spiritual makeover" a name: purgatory.

No matter whether you've defined it for yourself, most likely you believe in a "purgatory" of sorts -- a purging of the last traces of sin on your soul. However it happens. Whatever you call it.

The Catholic Church does not offer a detailed list of dogmatic declarations concerning this state of transition. Instead, the doctrine of purgatory, which she faithfully transmits, emphasizes the perfect mercy and perfect justice of God.

Is it perfect mercy for a person with an Adolph-Hitler lifestyle to spend eternity in God's presence if he makes a sincere deathbed repentance? No doubt.

Is it perfect justice for the same person to have it "just as easy" as the person whose worst sin in life was to receive ten cents' too much change from a Wal-Mart cashier and not return it? No way. Jesus says that the day of judgment will be "more bearable" for some than for others (Matthew 10:15).

These two attributes of God -- mercy and justice -- are perfectly showcased in purgatory.

Here is a simple explanation of purgatory, as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.

The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new man." (paragraphs 1472-1473, emphasis mine)

The book of Revelation tells us what we already know -- that when the "New Jerusalem" arrives, "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful" (21:27). Unless we die without the stains of sin on our soul, we'll have to achieve purity somehow.

The idea of purgatory is that God, in His mercy, will clean us up (spiritually speaking) before we can enter the glorified Kingdom. Even if we haven't turned our backs on God and gone the other direction, His holiness demands that we be cleansed of all sins -- even so-called "little sins." It's not enough for God to "cover" our sins, or pretend they're not there; His ultimate goal is to convert us from our sins, so that they suffer literal extinction.

The underlying principle of purgatory is explained in Hebrews 12:10-11:

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

This kind of "discipline" happens here on earth, but can also apply -- no, must apply -- to purgatorial cleansing.

A child's buttocks may sting after a spanking, but it's a sting of love (cf. Prov. 23:13-14). Cleaning out a wound can be painful, but it is necessary if it is to heal. We can understand these everyday truths, but they should help us understand God's spiritual remedies for our disease of sin.

If Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb. 5:8), then surely we who sin must suffer in some way to achieve eternal righteousness.

Consider God's marvelous mercy! Purgatory is not a third destination for departed souls; it is the entry way to heaven. Without exception, all who enter purgatory will one day find themselves in heaven -- that is, face-to-face with God in eternity. They may temporarily have to endure the pain of waiting for that day, but be assured, it won't hurt like hell.

To avoid these purgatorial sufferings, we should strive for a more perfect bond with God in this lifetime. But just in case we don't reach a sinless state now, we can find comfort knowing that our infinitely merciful God will burn away the chaff of our sin with the fire of His love (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11-15), leaving behind the new man God created in us .