All of us were born to share in God’s love. We share in God’s love fully when we make it to Heaven, a destination we reach by following Jesus. The road to Heaven isn’t an easy one that we can just coast down, but it requires constant and deliberate course correction when we inevitably stray off course. Even as we stay on this path to Heaven, sin may leave our souls dirty and dusty.
This week we celebrated All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. On All Saints’ Day, we recognize and celebrate those who have made it to Heaven. We celebrate not only those officially proclaimed saints by the Church, but anyone who is in Heaven. We can learn a lot by looking at the lives of the saints. They inspire us by showing us that it’s possible for fallen people to turn their lives around. On All Souls’ Day, we pray for those in purgatory. Most of us will need some form of purification when we die, as none of us are perfect. However, the souls in purgatory can no longer pray for themselves; instead, they rely on the prayers of others to help them speed the process of passing into Heaven.
While we don’t know exactly what purgatory is like, we understand it as a purifying experience. Although we may die in God’s grace, we might still have an attachment to sin. Sin wounds us, and even if we are forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the damage that it causes can take time to heal. For example, a person who has battled pornography might still have issues looking at women as objects. A person with a history of being violent might have decided to change his ways, but the anger inside of him may take time to subside. Purgatory essentially transforms us from imperfection to perfection. Just as iron is heated in a furnace to remove impurities and create steel, we are purified by being in the presence of God. When we stand before God, our imperfections are illuminated, and we become aware how we have hurt ourselves, others, and God. This purification process can be painful, but we will be stronger afterwards.
The duration and severity of the process are also unknown, but we can assume those with dirtier souls will require a longer or more intense cleansing. The suffering we endure in this life can reduce our time in purgatory. Therefore, it’s good to welcome the suffering we endure and think of suffering as something purifying, instead of something bad.
Purgatory is a profound gift from God. We all strive to perfect ourselves, and this life is a journey of continuous growth. It’s a relief to know that we don’t have to be perfect to get to Heaven. God will transform every imperfect person who dies in the state of grace into perfection. While this process might be painful, the pain will diminish over time and, ultimately give way to perfect joy.
