Some
recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire [of Purgatory] which both
burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Savior. The encounter with him
is the decisive act of judgment. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This
encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to
become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere
straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when
the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies
salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably
painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which
the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become
totally ourselves and thus totally of God. In this way the inter-relation
between justice and grace also becomes clear: the way we live our lives is not
immaterial, but our defilement does not stain us for ever if we have at least
continued to reach out towards Christ, towards truth and towards love.
Spe Salvi 47
Reflection – Purgatory is one of the Church teachings which
has suffered a bit of neglect in recent decades. When it has been discussed, it
has either been in the mode of apologetics with Protestants or in a negative
sense. Purgatory for some is at best a heavy, dark doctrine of the Church,
perhaps even a hangover from a more legalistic juridical approach to salvation,
typical of the middle ages or something. Like ‘you do the crime, you do the
time’ applied to God and us. What does that kind of crime and punishment mentality
have to do with Jesus and mercy and salvation?
Here we see a richer
presentation of the teaching. It is encounter with Christ that purifies and
burns away the dross and defilement of our lives, not some artificial fire that
comes from God-knows-where.
The point of Purgatory,
if I can put it that way is this: we matter. We are real. Our lives are not
play-acting or a silly game without consequence or import. Our choices are real
choices and fashion us in real ways to become really this or really that. Every
moment of my waking life, I am choosing to do something that is making me more
merciful, less selfish, kinder, generous, truer… or I choosing something else, something
unreal, unkind, hard, cold, bitter, false.
Every moment! While in
the abstract we can say there are human actions that are morally neutral (e.g.
driving a car) in the concrete there is no morally neutral act. Either it is
good (you are driving the car in a responsible fashion, and with some good intent
in mind) or it is evil (driving recklessly or to achieve some further bad goal).
No neutral ground in concrete actual human action.
And our human actions
make us who we are. This is that co-creator thing I wrote
about just a few days ago. Whether we like it or not, every action we make
is making us into… something. And if that something is something false or
unloving or unclean… well, that’s going to have to be fixed, isn’t it?
And it is the encounter
with Christ that ‘fixes’ us, that heals and purifies, transforms and redeems. All
of us who have faith and a living relationship with Christ know this quite well
and have experienced it already. The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory simply says
that this process continues after death in a heightened way. When the human
being has lost their capacity for further human actions, but is fundamentally
oriented to and open to the grace of Christ, then the encounter with Him works
its final and intense purification, so that we can enter heaven in fullness of
life and love.
Father Denis,
ReplyDeleteLooks like you found a way to announce your link in color. Cool!
I was thinking of Wendel Berry when I read your post:
"If you could do it, I suppose, it would be a good idea to live your live in a staright line-starting, say, in the Dark Wood of Error, and proceeding by logical steps thru Hell and Purgatory and into Heaven. Or you could take the King's Highway past the appropriately named dangers, toils, and snares and finally cross the River of Death and enter the celestial city.
But that is not the way I have done it so far.
I am a pilgrim, but my pilgrimage has been wandering and unmarked. Often what looked like a straight line to me has been a circling or a doubling back. I have been in the Dark Wood of Error any number of times. I have known something of Hell, Purgatory and heaven, but not always in that order.
The names of the many snares and dangers have been made known to me, but I have seen them only looking back. Often I have not known where I am going until I am already there.
I have had my share of desires and goals, but my life has come to me, or I have gone to it mainly by way of mistakes and surprises. Often I have received better than I deserved.
Often my fairest hopes have rested on bad mistakes. I am an ignorant pilgrim, crossing a dark valley. And yet for a long time, looking back, I have been unable to shake off the feeling that I have been led- make of that what you will".
Wendell Berry (Jayber Crow)
Amen! (And yes, I finally cracked the tough 'change the color of your links, idiot!' code - for someone who is supposed to be smart, I have vast areas of dumbness!).
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