Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with
Catholic teaching is a
place or
condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in
God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.
The
faith of the
Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the
Council of Florence (
Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the
decree of the
Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV)
defined:
Further than this the definitions of the
Church do not go, but the
tradition of the
Fathers and the
Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the teachings of the councils, and to make clear the
belief and the practices of the
faithful.
Temporal punishment
That temporal punishment is due to
sin, even after the
sin itself has been
pardoned by
God, is clearly the teaching of
Scripture.
God indeed brought
man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (
Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust.
God forgave the incredulity of
Moses and
Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (
Numbers 20:12). The
Lord took away the
sin of
David, but the
life of the child was forfeited because
David had made
God's enemies
blaspheme His
Holy Name (
2 Samuel 12:13-14). In the
New Testament as well as in the
Old,
almsgiving and
fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (
Matthew 3:8;
Luke 17:3;
3:3). The whole
penitential system of the
Church testifies that the
voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of
true repentance and the
Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the
faithful that
God does not always remit the whole punishment due to
sin together with the guilt.
God requires satisfaction, and will punish
sin, and this
doctrine involves as its
necessary consequence a
belief that the
sinner failing to do penance in this
life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off
eternally from
God.
Venial sins
All
sins are not equal before
God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is meted out to serious violation of
God's law. On the other hand whosoever comes into
God's presence must be perfectly pure for in the strictest sense His "eyes are too pure, to behold
evil" (
Habakkuk 1:13). For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal punishment due to
sin at
time of death, the
Church has always taught the
doctrine of purgatory.
So deep was this
belief ingrained in our common
humanity that it was accepted by the
Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the
pagans, long before the coming of
Christianity. ("Aeneid," VI, 735 sq.; Sophocles, "Antigone," 450 sq.).
Errors
Epiphanius (Haer., lxxv, P.G., XLII, col. 513) complains that
Aërius (fourth century) taught that
prayers for the dead were of no avail. In the
Middle Ages, the
doctrine of purgatory was rejected by the
Albigenses,
Waldenses, and
Hussites.
St. Bernard (Serm. lxvi in Cantic., P.L. CLXXXIII, col. 1098) states that the so-called
"Apostolici" denied purgatory and the utility of
prayers for the departed. Much discussion has arisen over the position of the Greeks on the question of purgatory. It would seem that the great difference of opinion was not concerning the
existence of purgatory but concerning the
nature of purgatorial fire; still
St. Thomas proves the
existence of purgatory in his dissertation against the
errors of the Greeks, and the
Council of Florence also thought
necessary to affirm the
belief of the
Church on the subject (
Bellarmine, "De Purgatorio," lib. I, cap. i). The modern
Orthodox Church denies purgatory, but is rather inconsistent in its way of putting forth its
belief.
At the beginning of the
Reformation there was some hesitation especially on
Luther's part (Leipzig Disputation) as to whether the
doctrine should be retained, but as the breach widened, the denial of purgatory by the
Reformers became universal, and
Calvin termed the
Catholic position "exitiale commentum quod crucem Christi evacuat . . . quod fidem nostram labefacit et evertit" (Institutiones, lib. III, cap. v, 6). Modern
Protestants, while they avoid the name
purgatory, frequently teach the
doctrine of "the middle state," and Martensen ("Christian Dogmatics," Edinburgh, 1890, p. 457) writes: "As no
soul leaves this present
existence in a fully complete and prepared state, we must suppose that there is an intermediate state, a realm of progressive development, (?) in which
souls are prepared for the
final judgment" (Farrar, "Mercy and Judgment," London, 1881, cap. iii).
Proofs
The
Catholic doctrine of purgatory supposes the fact that some die with smaller faults for which there was no
true repentance, and also the fact that the temporal penalty due to
sin is it times not wholly paid in this life. The
proofs for the
Catholic position, both in
Scripture and in
Tradition, are bound up also with the practice of
praying for the dead. For why
pray for the dead, if there be no
belief in the power of
prayer to afford solace to those who as yet are excluded from the
sight of God? So
true is this position that
prayers for the dead and the
existence of a place of purgation are mentioned in conjunction in the oldest passages of the
Fathers, who allege reasons for succouring departed
souls. Those who have opposed the
doctrine of purgatory have confessed that
prayers for the dead would be an unanswerable argument if the modern
doctrine of a
"particular judgment" had been received in the early ages. But one has only to read the testimonies hereinafter alleged to feel sure that the
Fathers speak, in the same breath, of
oblations for the dead and a place of purgation; and one has only to consult the evidence found in the
catacombs to feel equally sure that the
Christian faith there expressed embraced clearly a
belief in
judgment immediately after death. Wilpert ("Roma Sotteranea," I, 441) thus concludes chapter 21, "Che tale esaudimento", etc.:
Some stress too has been laid upon the objection that the ancient
Christians had no clear conception of purgatory, and that they thought that the
souls departed remained in uncertainty of
salvation to the
last day; and consequently they
prayed that those who had gone before might in the
final judgment escape even the everlasting torments of
hell. The earliest
Christian traditions are clear as to the
particular judgment, and clearer still concerning a sharp distinction between purgatory and
hell. The passages alledged as referring to relief from
hell cannot offset the evidence given below (
Bellarmine, "De Purgatorio," lib. II, cap. v). Concerning the famous case of
Trajan, which vexed the Doctors of the
Middle Ages, see
Bellarmine, loc. cit., cap. Viii.
Old Testament
The tradition of the
Jews is put forth with precision and clearness in
2 Maccabees.
Judas, the commander of the forces of
Israel,
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 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. (
2 Maccabees 12:43-46)
At the
time of the Maccabees the leaders of the people of
God had no hesitation in asserting the efficacy of
prayers offered for the dead, in order that those who had departed this life might find pardon for their
sins and the
hope of
eternal resurrection.
New Testament
There are several passages in the
New Testament that point to a process of purification after death. Thus,
Jesus Christ declares (
Matthew 12:32): "And whosoever shall speak a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." According to
St. Isidore of Seville (Deord. creatur., c. xiv, n. 6) these words
prove that in the next life "some
sins will be forgiven and purged away by a certain purifying fire."
St. Augustine also argues "that some
sinners are not forgiven either in this world or in the next would not be truly said unless there were other [
sinners] who, though not forgiven in this world, are forgiven in the world to come" (
City of God XXI.24). The same interpretation is given by
Gregory the Great (Dial., IV, xxxix);
St. Bede (commentary on this text);
St. Bernard (Sermo lxvi in Cantic., n. 11) and other eminent
theological writers.
A further argument is supplied by
St. Paul in
1 Corinthians 3:11-15:
"For other foundation no
man can lay, but that which is laid; which is
Christ Jesus. Now if any
man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every
man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work, of what sort it is. If any
man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any
man's work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as by fire."
While this passage presents considerable difficulty, it is regarded by many of the
Fathers and
theologians as evidence for the
existence of an intermediate state in which the dross of lighter
transgressions will be burnt away, and the
soul thus purified will be
saved. This, according to
Bellarmine (De Purg., I, 5), is the interpretation commonly given by the
Fathers and
theologians; and he cites to this effect:
See also
St. Thomas, "Contra Gentes,", IV, 91. For a discussion of the
exegetical problem, see Atzberger, "Die christliche Eschatologie", p. 275.
Tradition
This
doctrine that many who have died are still in a place of purification and that
prayers avail to help the dead is part of the very earliest
Christian tradition.
Tertullian "De corona militis" mentions
prayers for the dead as an
Apostolic ordinance, and in
"De Monogamia" (chapter 10) he advises a
widow "to
pray for the soul of her husband, begging repose for him and participation in the first resurrection"; he commands her also "to make oblations for him on the anniversary of his demise," and charges her with infidelity if she neglect to succour his
soul. This settled
custom of the
Church is clear from
St. Cyprian, who (P.L. IV, col. 399) forbade the customary
prayers for one who had violated the ecclesiastical law. "Our predecessors prudently advised that no brother, departing this life, should nominate any
churchman as his executor; and should he do it, that no oblation should be made for him, nor sacrifice offered for his repose." Long before
Cyprian,
Clement of Alexandria had puzzled over the question of the state or
condition of the
man who, reconciled to
God on his death-bed, had no
time for the fulfilment of penance due his transgression. His answer is: "the believer through
discipline divests himself of his
passions and passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, passes to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance for the faults he may have committed after
baptism. He is tortured then still more, not yet attaining what he sees others have acquired. The greatest torments are assigned to the believer, for
God's righteousness is
good, and His
goodness righteous, and though these punishments cease in the course of the expiation and purification of each one, "yet" etc. (P.G. IX, col. 332).
In
Origen the
doctrine of purgatory is very clear. If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the
soul for the
kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. "For if on the foundation of
Christ you have built not only gold and silver and precious stones (
1 Corinthians 3); but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the
soul shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into
heaven with your wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the
kingdom of God; or on account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this
just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn the light materials; for our
God to those who can comprehend
heavenly things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood and hay and stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works." (P.G., XIII, col. 445, 448).
The
Apostolic practice of
praying for the dead which passed into the
liturgy of the
Church, is as clear in the fourth century as it is in the twentieth.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (
Mystagogical Catechesis V.9) describing the
liturgy, writes: "Then we
pray for the Holy Fathers and
Bishops that are dead; and in short for all those who have departed this life in our communion;
believing that the
souls of those for whom
prayers are offered receive very great relief, while this
holy and tremendous victim lies upon the
altar."
St. Gregory of Nyssa (P.G., XLVI, col. 524, 525) states that
man's weaknesses are purged in this life by
prayer and wisdom, or are expiated in the next by a cleansing fire. "When he has quitted his body and the difference between
virtue and
vice is
known he cannot approach
God till the purging fire shall have cleansed the stains with which his
soul was infested. That same fire in others will cancel the corruption of matter, and the propensity to
evil." About the same
time the
Apostolic Constitution gives us the formularies used in
succouring the dead. "Let us
pray for our brethren who sleep in
Christ, that
God who in his
love for
men has received the
soul of the departed one, may forgive him every fault, and in mercy and clemency receive him into the
bosom of Abraham, with those who in this life have pleased
God" (P.G. I, col. 1144). Nor can we pass over the use of the
diptychs where the names of the dead were inscribed; and this remembrance by name in the
Sacred Mysteries--(a practice that was from the
Apostles) was considered by
Chrysostom as the best way of relieving the dead (
Homily 41 on First Corinthians, no. 8).
The teaching of the
Fathers, and the formularies used in the
Liturgy of the
Church, found expression in the early
Christian monuments, particularly those contained in the
catacombs. On the
tombs of the
faithful were inscribed words of
hope, words of petition for peace and for rest; and as the anniversaries came round the
faithful gathered at the graves of the departed to make
intercession for those who had gone before. At the bottom this is nothing else than the
faith expressed by the
Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio"), and to this
faith the
inscriptions in the
catacombs are surely witnesses.
In the fourth century in the
West,
Ambrose insists in his
commentary on
St. Paul (
1 Corinthians 3) on the
existence of purgatory, and in his masterly funeral oration (De obitu Theodosii), thus
prays for the
soul of the
departed emperor: "Give, O
Lord, rest to Thy servant
Theodosius, that rest Thou hast prepared for Thy
saints. . . . I
loved him, therefore will I follow him to the
land of the living; I will not leave him till by my
prayers and lamentations he shall be admitted unto the
holy mount of the Lord, to which his deserts call him" (P.L., XVI, col. 1397).
St. Augustine is clearer even than his master. He describes two
conditions of
men; "some there are who have departed this life, not so bad as to be deemed unworthy of mercy, nor so
good as to be entitled to immediate
happiness" etc., and in the
resurrection he says there will be some who "have gone through these pains, to which the
spirits of the dead are liable" (
City of God XXI.24). Thus at the close of the fourth century:
So clear is this
patristic Tradition that those who do not
believe in purgatory have been unable to bring any serious difficulties from the writings of the
Fathers. The passages cited to the contrary either do not touch the question at all, or are so lacking in clearness that they cannot offset the perfectly open expression of the
doctrine as found in the very
Fathers who are quoted as holding contrary opinions (
Bellarmine "De Purg.", lib. I, cap. xiii).
Duration and nature
Duration
The very reasons assigned for the
existence of purgatory make for its passing character. We
pray, we offer sacrifice for
souls therein detained that "
God in mercy may forgive every fault and receive them into the
bosom of Abraham" (
Apostolic Constitutions); and Augustine (
City of God XXI.13, 16) declares that the punishment of purgatory is temporary and will cease, at least with the
Last Judgment. "But temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment."
Nature of punishment
It is clear from the
Liturgies and the
Fathers above cited that the
souls for whose peace sacrifice was offered were shut out for the time being from the
sight of God. They were "not so
good as to be entitled to
eternal happiness". Still, for them "death is the termination not of
nature but of
sin" (
Ambrose, "De obitu Theodos."); and this inability to
sin makes them secure of
final happiness. This is the
Catholic position proclaimed by
Leo X in the
Bull "Exurge Domine" which condemned the
errors of
Luther.
Are the
souls detained in purgatory
conscious that their
happiness is but deferred for a time, or may they still be in
doubt concerning their ultimate
salvation? The ancient
Liturgies and the
inscriptions of the
catacombs speak of a "sleep of peace", which would be impossible if there was any
doubt of ultimate
salvation. Some of the Doctors of the
Middle Ages thought uncertainty of
salvation one of the severe punishments of purgatory. (
Bellarmine, "De Purgat." lib. II, cap. iv); but this opinion finds no general credit among the
theologians of the
medieval period, nor is it possible in the light of the
belief in the
particular judgment.
St. Bonaventure gives as the reason for this elimination of fear and of uncertainty the intimate conviction that they can no longer
sin (lib. IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1 q. iv): "Est evacuatio timoris propter confirniationem liberi arbitrii, qua deinceps scit se peccare non posse" (Fear is cast out because of the strengthening of the will by which the
soul knows it can no longer
sin), and
St. Thomas (dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) says: "nisi scirent se esse liberandas suffragia non peterent" (unless they
knew that they are to be delivered, they would not ask for
prayers).
Merit
In the
Bull "Exurge Domine"
Leo X condemns the proposition (n. 38) "Nec probatum est ullis aut rationibus aut scripturis ipsas esse extra statum merendi aut augendae caritatis" (There is no
proof from
reason or
Scripture that they [the
souls in purgatory] cannot
merit or increase in charity). For them "the night has come in which no man can labour", and
Christian tradition has always considered that only in this life can
man work unto the profit of his own
soul. The Doctors of the
Middle Ages while agreeing that this life is the
time for
merit and increase of grace, still some with
St. Thomas seemed to question whether or not there might be some non-essential reward which the
souls in purgatory might
merit (IV, dist. xxi, q. i, a. 3).
Bellarmine believes that in this matter
St. Thomas changed his opinion and refers to a statement of
St. Thomas ("De Malo", q. vii, a. 11). Whatever may be the
mind of the
Angelic Doctor,
theologians agree that no
merit is possible in purgatory, and if objection be urged that the
souls there
merit by their
prayers,
Bellarmine says that such
prayers avail with
God because of
merit already acquired "Solum impetrant ex meritis praeteritis quomodo nunc sancti orando) pro nobis impetrant licet non merendo" (They avail only in virtue of past
merits as those who are now
saints intercede for us not by
merit but by
prayer). (loc. cit. II, cap. iii).
Purgatorial fire
At the
Council of Florence,
Bessarion argued against the
existence of real purgatorial fire, and the Greeks were assured that the
Roman Church had never issued any
dogmatic decree on this subject. In the
West the
belief in the
existence of real fire is common. Augustine (
Enarration on Psalm 37, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life, "gravior erit ignis quam quidquid potest homo pati in hac vita" (P.L., col. 397).
Gregory the Great speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and he adds "that the pain be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life" (Ps. 3 poenit., n. 1). Following in the footsteps of
Gregory,
St. Thomas teaches (IV, dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) that besides the separation of the
soul from the
sight of God, there is the other punishment from fire. "Una poena damni, in quantum scilicet retardantur a divina visione; alia sensus secundum quod ab igne punientur", and
St. Bonaventure not only agrees with
St. Thomas but adds (IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1, q. ii) that this punishment by fire is more severe than any punishment which comes to
men in this life; "Gravior est omni temporali poena. quam modo sustinet anima carni conjuncta". How this fire affects the
souls of the departed the Doctors do not
know, and in such matters it is well to heed the warning of the
Council of Trent when it commands the
bishops "to exclude from their preaching difficult and subtle questions which tend not to edification', and from the discussion of which there is no increase either in
piety or
devotion" (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio").
Succouring the dead
Scripture and the
Fathers command
prayers and
oblations for the departed, and the
Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio") in virtue of this
tradition not only asserts the
existence of purgatory, but adds "that the
souls therein detained are aided by the suffrages of the
faithful and principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar." That those on earth are still in
communion with the
souls in purgatory is the earliest
Christian teaching, and that the living aid the dead by their
prayers and works of satisfaction is clear from the
tradition above alleged. That the
Holy Sacrifice was offered for the departed was received
Catholic Tradition even in the days of
Tertullian and
Cyprian, and that the
souls of the dead, were aided particularly "while the
sacred victim lay upon the
altar" is the expression of
Cyril of Jerusalem quoted above. Augustine (Serm. clxii, n. 2) says that the "
prayers and
alms of the
faithful, the
Holy Sacrifice of the altar aid the
faithful departed and move the
Lord to deal with them in mercy and kindness, and," he adds, "this is the practice of the universal
Church handed down by the
Fathers." Whether our works of satisfaction performed on behalf of the dead avail purely out of
God's benevolence and mercy, or whether
God obliges himself in
justice to accept our vicarious
atonement, is not a settled question.
Francisco Suárez thinks that the acceptance is one of
justice, and alleges the common practice of the
Church which joins together the living and the dead without any discrimination (De poenit., disp. xlviii, 6, n. 4).
Indulgences
The
Council of Trent (Sess. XXV) defined that
indulgences are "most salutary for
Christian people" and that their "use is to be retained in the
Church". It is the common teaching of
Catholic theologians that
- indulgences may be applied to the souls detained in purgatory; and
- that indulgences are available for them "by way of suffrage" (per modum suffragii).
(1) Augustine (
City of God XX.9) declares that the
souls of the
faithful departed are not separated from the
Church, which is the
kingdom of Christ, and for this reason the
prayers and works of the living are helpful to the dead. "If therefore", argues
Bellarmine (De indulgentiis, xiv) "we can offer our
prayers and our satisfactions in behalf of those detained in purgatory, because we are members of the great body of
Christ, why may not the
Vicar of Christ apply to the same
souls the superabundant satisfaction of
Christ and his
saints--of which he is the dispenser?" This is the
doctrine of
St. Thomas (IV, Sent., dist. xlv, q. ii, a. 3, q. 2) who asserts that
indulgences avail principally for the
person who performs the work for which the
indulgence is given, if they but secondarily may avail even for the dead, if the form in which the
indulgence is granted be so worded as to be capable of such interpretation, and he adds "nor is there any reason why the
Church may not dispose of its treasure of
merits in favour of the dead, as it surely dispenses it in favour of the living".
(2)
St. Bonaventure (IV, Sent., dist. xx, p. 2, q. v) agrees with
St. Thomas, but adds that such "relaxation cannot be after the manner of
absolution as in the case of the living but only as suffrage (Haec non tenet modum judicii, sed potius suffragii). This opinion of
St. Bonaventure, that the
Church through its
Supreme Pastor does not
absolve juridically the
souls in purgatory from the punishment due their
sins, is the teaching of the Doctors. They point out (Gratian, 24 q. ii, 2, can.1) that in case of those who have departed this life, judgment is reserved to
God; they allege the authority of
Gelasius (Ep. ad Fausturn; Ep. ad. Episcopos Dardaniae) in support of their contention (Gratian ibid.), and they also insist that the
Roman Pontiffs, when they grant
indulgences that are applicable to the dead, add the restriction "per modum suffragii et deprecationis". This phrase is found in the
Bull of
Sixtus IV "Romani Pontificis provida diligentia", 27 Nov. 1447.
The phrase "per modum suffragi et deprecationis" has been variously interpreted by
theologians (
Bellarmine, "De indulgentiis", p.137).
Bellarmine himself says: "The
true opinion is that
indulgences avail as suffrage, because they avail not after the fashion of a juridical
absolution 'quia non prosunt per modum juridicae absolutionis'." But according to the same author the suffrages of the
faithful avail at times "per modum meriti congrui" (by way of
merit), at times "per modum impetrationis" (by way of supplication) at times "per modum satisfactionis" (by way of satisfaction); but when there is question of applying an
indulgence to one in purgatory it is only "per modum suffragii satisfactorii" and for this reason "the
pope does not
absolve the
soul in purgatory from the punishment due his
sin, but offers to
God from the treasure of the
Church whatever may be
necessary for the cancelling of this punishment".
If the question be further asked whether such satisfaction is accepted by
God out of mercy and benevolence, or "ex justitia",
theologians are not in accord — some holding one opinion, others the other.
Bellarmine after canvassing both sides (pp. 137, 138) does not dare to set aside "either opinion, but is inclined to think that the former is more reasonable while he pronounces the latter in harmony with piety ("admodum pia").
Condition
That an
indulgence may avail for those in purgatory several
conditions are required:
- The indulgence must be granted by the pope.
- There must be a sufficient reason for granting the indulgence, and this reason must be something pertaining to the glory of God and the utility of the Church, not merely the utility accruing to the souls in purgatory.
- The pious work enjoined must be as in the case of indulgences for the living.
If the state of grace be not among the required works, in all probability the
person performing the work may gain the
indulgence for the dead, even though he himself be not in friendship with
God (
Bellarmine, loc. cit., p. 139).
Francisco Suárez (De Poenit., disp. Iiii, s. 4, n. 5 and 6) puts this categorically when he says: "Status gratiae solum requiritur ad tollendum obicem indulgentiae" (the state of grace is required only to remove some hindrance to the
indulgence), and in the case of the
holy souls there can be no hindrance. This teaching is bound up with the
doctrine of the
Communion of Saints, and the monuments of the
catacombs represent the
saints and
martyrs as
interceding with
God for the dead. The
prayers too of the early
liturgies speak of
Mary and of the
saints interceding for those who have passed from this life. Augustine
believes that
burial in a
basilica dedicated to a
holy martyr is of value to the dead, for those who recall the
memory of him who has suffered will recommend to the
martyr's prayers the
soul of him who has departed this life (
Bellarmine, lib. II, xv). In the same place
Bellarmine accuses
Dominicus A Soto of rashness, because he denied this
doctrine.
Invocation of souls
Do the
souls in purgatory
pray for us? May we call upon them in our needs? There is no decision of the
Church on this subject, nor have the
theologians pronounced with definiteness concerning the invocation of the
souls in purgatory and their
intercession for the living. In the ancient
liturgies there are no
prayers of the
Church directed to those who are still in purgatory. On the
tombs of the early
Christians nothing is more common than a
prayer or a supplication asking the departed to
intercede with
God for surviving friends, but these
inscriptions seem always to suppose that the departed one is already with
God.
St. Thomas (
II-II.83.11) denies that the
souls in purgatory
pray for the living, and states they are not in a position to
pray for us, rather we must make
intercession for them. Despite the authority of
St. Thomas, many renowned
theologians hold that the
souls in purgatory really
pray for us, and that we may invoke their aid.
Bellarmine (De Purgatorio, lib. II, xv,) says the reason alleged by
St. Thomas is not at all convincing, and holds that in virtue of their greater
love of
God and their union with Him their
prayers may have great
intercessory power, for they are really superior to us in
love of
God, and in intimacy of union with Him.
Francisco Suárez (De poenit., disp. xlvii, s. 2, n. 9) goes farther and asserts "that the
souls in purgatory are
holy, are dear to
God,
love us with a
true love and are mindful of our wants; that they
know in a general way our necessities and our dangers, and how great is our need of divine help and divine grace".
When there is question of invoking the
prayers of those in purgatory,
Bellarmine (loc. cit.) says it is superfluous, ordinarily speaking, for they are
ignorant of our circumstances and
condition. This is at variance with the opinion of
Francisco Suárez, who admits
knowledge at least in a general way, also with the opinions of many modern
theologians who point to the practice now common with almost all the
faithful of addressing their
prayers and petitions for help to those who are still in a place of purgation. Scavini (Theol. Moral., XI, n. 174) sees no reason why the
souls detained in purgatory may not
pray for us, even as we
pray for one another. He asserts that this practice has become common at
Rome, and that it has the great name of
St. Alphonsus in its favour.
St. Alphonsus in his work the "Great Means of Salvation", chap. I, III, 2, after quoting
Sylvius,
Gotti,
Lessius, and Medina as favourable to his opinion, concludes: "so the
souls in purgatory, being beloved by
God and confirmed in grace, have absolutely no impediment to prevent them from
praying for us. Still the
Church does not invoke them or implore their
intercession, because ordinarily they have no cognizance of our
prayers. But we may piously
believe that
God makes our
prayers known to them". He alleges also the authority of
St. Catharine of Bologna who "whenever she desired any favour had recourse to the
souls in purgatory, and was immediately heard".
Utility of prayer for the departed
It is the
traditional faith of
Catholics that the
souls in purgatory are not separated from the
Church, and that the
love which is the bond of union between the
Church's members should embrace those who have departed this life in
God's grace. Hence, since our
prayers and our
sacrifices can help those who are still waiting in purgatory, the
saints have not hesitated to warn us that we have a real
duty toward those who are still in purgatorial expiation.
Holy Church through the Congregation of Indulgences, 18 December 1885, has bestowed a special
blessing on the so-called
"heroic act" in virtue of which "a member of the
Church militant offers to
God for the
souls in purgatory all the satisfactory works which he will perform during his lifetime, and also all the suffrages which may accrue to him after his death" (Heroic Act, vol. VII, 292). The practice of devotion to the dead is also consoling to
humanity and eminently worthy of a religion which seconds all the purest feelings of the human heart. "Sweet", says
Cardinal Wiseman (lecture XI), "is the consolation of the dying man, who,
conscious of imperfection,
believes that there are others to make
intercession for him, when his own
time for
merit has expired; soothing to the afflicted survivors the thought that they possess powerful means of relieving their friend. In the first moments of grief, this sentiment will often overpower religious prejudice, cast down the unbeliever on his knees beside the remains of his friend and snatch from him an unconscious
prayer for rest; it is an impulse of nature which for the moment, aided by the
analogies of
revealed truth, seizes at once upon this consoling
belief. But it is only a flitting and melancholy light, while the
Catholic feeling, cheering though with solemn dimness, resembles the unfailing lamp, which the piety of the ancients is said to have hung before the sepulchres of their dead."
Why do Roman Catholics believe in Purgatory?
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Originally Posted by Monarchist
more little boys" isn't a perfectly valid explanation. 
