What is this mysterious place between Earth and Heaven, whose “inhabitants” urgently plead for our help and can also benefit us?
Newsroom (11/01/2025 09:25, Gaudium Press) “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Mt 5:25-26)
Jesus was speaking to the Apostles about the punishments that await sinners after death. Previously, He had referred to the fire of Gehenna — Hell — an eternal prison. But here He speaks of a prison from which one can depart, once the debt is paid — down to the last penny.
This temporary prison, a state of purification for those who die in God’s grace but not yet perfected, is Purgatory — a mysterious place, yet where hope reigns, and the groans of pain are mixed with songs of love for God.
Dear reader, this is a topic rarely spoken of, but knowing about it is vital — both for ourselves and our departed loved ones.
I invite you to explore several aspects of this important topic with me.
The Feast of All Souls
On November 2, the sacred liturgy remembers the faithful departed in a special way. After celebrating — the day before — the triumph of the saints in Heaven, the Church turns her maternal gaze to those suffering in Purgatory, who cry out with the psalmist:
“Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name. The righteous shall gather around me, because of your goodness to me.” (Ps 142:7)
The origin of this celebration lies in the famous Cluny Abbey, where its fifth abbot, St. Odilo, instituted the “Feast of the Dead” in the Cluniac liturgical calendar, giving his monks a special opportunity to intercede for the deceased.
From Cluny, this commemoration spread to the wider Church and became a regular devotion throughout the Catholic world.
Perhaps, like many faithful, you visit a cemetery that day to remember deceased family and friends, and pray for them. But many people ignore their hearts’ impulses to help their loved ones — perhaps due to religious ignorance, or lack of guidance. Some do not see the need to pray for the dead, or even reject belief in Purgatory.
Whatever the case, whether out of love for the souls awaiting liberation, to grow in charity, or for our own spiritual benefit, let us consider the why and what-for of Purgatory’s existence.
Purification Before Entering Heaven
We profess in the Creed that the Catholic Church is one — yet its members are not all on Earth. As Vatican II teaches:
“Some still journey on earth, some having passed from this life are being purified, and some are in glory.” (Lumen Gentium, 49)
Between Earth and Heaven, the faithful soul often passes through an intermediate stage: purification. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified… undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030)
This purification is not at all like the punishment of the damned. Souls in Purgatory are sure of Heaven, even if their entrance is delayed due to remnants of sin.
St. Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians:
“If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it… If anyone’s work endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Cor 3:12–15)
“He will be saved,” the Apostle says, excluding Hell, and implying a purifying fire — Purgatory.
As St. Gregory the Great explains in the Dialogues:
“Regarding certain light faults, we must believe in a purifying fire before the Judgment… as Truth says: if one blasphemes the Holy Spirit, he will not be forgiven, neither in this age nor the next (Mt 12:31).”
From this, we understand some sins are forgiven in the next life — i.e., in Purgatory.
Why Does Purgatory Exist?
Is God really so strict that He cannot tolerate even the smallest imperfection?
We must remember: after death, we are judged not by our own criteria, but by God’s perfect holiness.
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)
And in His kingdom, “nothing unclean shall enter.” (Rev 21:27)
In His pure light, the soul sees even the smallest fault and feels unworthy to stand before His majesty.
St. Catherine of Genoa, a great 15th-century mystic, explains:
“Heaven has no gates — anyone may enter. But God’s essence is so pure that the soul, seeing even the smallest stain in itself, would prefer to plunge into a thousand hells rather than appear soiled before the Divine Majesty.”
So what are these stains?
They are attachments to created things, venial sins, or the temporal debt of forgiven mortal sins — all of which diminish the soul’s love for God.
Due to such disordered attachments, the soul is not yet fully conformed to the greatest commandment: to love God above all.
Therefore, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches,
“God’s justice demands a proportional punishment to restore the order disrupted.” (ST Suppl. q. 71, a.1)
The soul joyfully accepts this purification, seeking only to be cleansed so it may fully unite with Christ.
As St. Francis de Sales says:
“They purify themselves voluntarily, lovingly, because God wills it — and because they are certain of their salvation.”
The Pain of Purgatory
The sufferings of Purgatory are so intense that “the smallest pain in Purgatory exceeds the greatest on Earth.” (ST Suppl. q. 71, a. 2)
Yet, as St. Francis de Sales also affirms,
“Purgatory is a happy state, more to be desired than feared, for its flames are flames of love.”
What does that mean?
The greatest suffering of Purgatory — the “pain of loss” — is caused by love. The soul longs for God, its Supreme Good, but sees itself unworthy.
Like a thirsty deer running to the stream, the soul sees the Divine Light and yearns to unite, but must wait.
St. Catherine of Genoa offers a vivid metaphor:
“Imagine one bread exists to feed all creatures. Merely looking at it satisfies. If a man were starving but could not reach it, the hunger would grow unbearable. The farther he is, the more painful it becomes.”
But unlike Hell, souls in Purgatory have hope — they know they will reach that Bread of Life, Christ.
The Souls’ Disposition
Thus, even in pain, souls in Purgatory experience peace.
As St. John Paul II explained in a July 3, 1991 address:
“Even if the soul must undergo purification, it is already full of light, certainty, and joy, knowing it belongs forever to its God.”
St. Catherine of Genoa likewise says:
“There is no peace greater than that of the souls in Purgatory, except in Heaven.”
This is because, at death, the soul’s final disposition — for or against God — becomes fixed.
Having died in God’s friendship, the soul accepts His will with perfect docility, finding peace amid suffering.
Mary, Mother of Mercy
Our Lady intercedes for the souls awaiting release. She is Our Lady of Purgatory.
St. Francis de Sales says:
“Between the last breath and eternity, there is an abyss of mercy.”
St. Teresa of Jesus encourages us:
“Do penance now, and death will be sweet, and you will avoid Purgatory.”
Her disciple, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, adds:
“If I go to Purgatory, I will rejoice. Like the three Hebrews in the furnace, I will walk amid the flames singing love’s song.”
Both saints harmonize: strive for holiness, and trust in God’s mercy.
Let Us Help the Holy Souls
Let us not think only of ourselves. The souls in Purgatory cannot help themselves — they depend entirely on us.
Praying for them is a beautiful act of mercy. No one is more in need than they are.
The practice of praying for the dead comes from the Old Testament, and many Church Fathers (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine) supported it.
The Council of Lyon (13th century) taught:
“Souls are helped by the prayers and suffrages of the faithful — especially the sacrifice of the Mass, prayers, alms, and other pious works.”
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory is pleasing to God and deeply beneficial to us — reminding us of Heaven, eternity, and our connection with the Church beyond this life.
In return, these souls will pray for us — now and in Heaven.
So I leave you with a proposal:
Pray for these needy souls, offer them Masses, alms, sacrifices, and encourage others to become devoted to the holy souls in Purgatory.
And do you know who will benefit most from this?
You will.
By Fr. Carlos Javier Werner Benjumea, EP.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
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