The Fiery Imagery of Purgatory

Recently, a listener to our C.S. Lewis podcast reached out to us. She had just begun RCIA with her family and they were quite taken aback when the priest described Purgatory in the following way:

“Purgatory is a place of fire and burning. However, there will be hope there because you will know you’re getting out someday.”

RCIA Class

It seemed to her that this would make the work of Christ incomplete. After the class, her daughter exclaimed:

“How do they expect anyone to convert if you’re still going to Hell? Because that’s exactly what Purgatory sounds like!”

When they got home, they did some googling and found several other sources that said Purgatory would be the same fire of hell, but with the hope of one day escaping.

Since my co-host and I had spoken about Purgatory on the podcast, she sent us a message expressing her consternation. I too once balked at the fire imagery I saw in some artistic depictions of Purgatory (such as in the altarpiece above), so I thought it would be a good idea to turn my answer into a blog post…

What does the Catechism say?

Whenever people have questions about the faith, I almost always point them to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, since this explains clearly what we are to believe as Catholics.

While the Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite a thick book, it only contains three paragraphs on the subject of Purgatory, Paragraphs 1030-1032. Let’s look at each of these paragraphs in turn, with a little bit of help from some Popes, Saints and, of course, C.S. Lewis…

Paragraph 1030: The Essential Logic of Purgatory

All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1030

Here the Catechism expresses the essential logic of Purgatory:

1. We must be completely holy to enter Heaven (Revelation 21:27).
2. Therefore, those who die in friendship with God will be completely purified, either in this life or the next.

Now let’s look at the next paragraph…

Paragraph 1031: The label and the basis for the doctrine

The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire [1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7].

“As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come” [Gregory the Great]

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1031 (Part 1)

The next paragraphic tells us that “Purgatory” is the label which the Catholic Church has traditionally given to this process of final purification. As an aside, since the word “Purgatory” carries with it quite a bit of baggage, when I’m speaking with Protestants, I’ll instead talk about “post-mortem sanctification”, which is the same idea, just expressed in terms more familiar to a Protestant.

Carrying on, this section of the Catechism answers the objection raised by my friend’s daughter. It says in no uncertain terms that this post-mortem purification “is entirely different from the punishment of the damned“. So, however we might describe either Purgatory or Hell (and the Catholic Church’s Magisterium has said comparatively little on the subject), the one thing we can say for certain is that the two are entirely different.

The paragraph goes on to explain the basis of the doctrine of Purgatory. Although we find the teaching of Purgatory throughout Church history, the doctrines achieved their most official formulation at the Ecumenical Councils of Florence (1449) and Trent (1563), which drew upon the Scriptural description of a “cleansing fire”. Here, the Catechism gives a footnote containing two Scriptural passages. The first passage comes from St. Paul:

“Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble— each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day [of Judgement] will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Paul is saying here that when someone faces judgement (“the Day”), the things he has done will be tested (“it will be revealed with fire… what sort of work each one has done”). While those who are saved will still ultimately enter Heaven (“he himself will be saved”), the worthless things of this life will be cleaned away (“he will suffer loss…[his work will be] burned up”).

The image which St. Paul presents here is of a man running out of a burning building, losing some possessions but escaping with his life. The fire’s purpose here is not so much to punish, but to purify, and this concept of a purifying fire can be found throughout the Scriptures…

Scripture’s Purifying Fire

In the Wisdom Literature, we find:

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.

Proverbs 17:3

We find this idea repeated in the prophets in relation to suffering:

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 

Isaiah 48:10

We see that people are purified in order to enter into a closer covenantal relationship with God:

… I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” 

Zechariah 13:9

We also find that purification is connected with worship of God in the Jerusalem Temple, which was a mimicry of the Heavenly Temple:

[God] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.

Malachi 3:3

This kind of imagery is also found in the New Testament, particularly in epistles of St. Peter. For example, the second Scripture passage referenced by the Catechism earlier came from Peter’s first letter:

…so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:7

The Catechism concludes Paragraph 1031 by quoting the 6th Century Pope, St. Gregory the Great, where he alludes to the doctrine of Purgatory by arguing that the Gospel of Matthew implies that some sins will be forgiven in the age to come:

“And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Matthew 12:32

Let’s now look at the final paragraph…

Paragraph 1032: Purgatory’s connection to prayers for the dead

This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

‘Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them’

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph #1032 (Part 1)

This paragraph argues that belief in Purgatory is a necessary corollary to praying for the dead. After all, what good can prayers do for someone in either Heaven or Hell?

The Catechism gives a Biblical example of praying for the dead by quoting the deuterocanonical book of 2 Maccabees 12:46 which was written a couple of hundred years before the arrival of Christ in Bethlehem.

The Catechism then points out that the early Christian Church continued this Jewish practice of praying for the dead, particularly by offering Masses for those who had died.

The paragraph concludes by quoting a homily from St. John Chrysostom (4th Century) where he urges his congregation to care for the dead in the same way Job cared for the souls of his children on earth:

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Job 1:5

A very British Purgatory

My friend who sent me the message about Purgatory had previously come to a tentative acceptance of Purgatory through the writings of C.S. Lewis, so after breaking down the Catechism, I pointed out that Lewis also thinks that our post-mortem sanctification might not be entirely pleasant… He communicated this by describing it in terms of something he deeply dreaded, the dentist’s chair!

“My favorite image on this matter comes from the dentist’s chair. I hope that when the tooth of life is drawn and I am ‘coming round’, a voice will say, ‘Rinse your mouth out with this.’This will be Purgatory. The rinsing may take longer than I can now imagine. The taste of this may be more fiery and astringent than my present sensibility could endure. But . . . it will [not] be disgusting and unhallowed.”

C.S. Lewis, Letters To Malcolm (Letter #20)

Notice that even Lewis inadvertently uses the Biblical imagery of fire, by describing the mouthwash as “firery”! However, what is most significant in this passage is that Lewis explains why the Catechism says that Purgatory is “entirely different from the punishment of the damned”. The difference is that the purification in Purgatory will not be “disgusting and unhallowed”. If there is anything like fire in Purgatory, it will be a beautiful and holy fire, which leads me to the final point…

A work of God’s love

Earlier I quoted the St. Peter’s first epistle where he spoke about the testing of faith. Later on, Peter connects fiery trials to a participation in the cross of Christ:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13

It is easy to understand why we may prefer the idea of a Purgatory without anything approximating suffering, but if suffering can purify us and move us toward perfection in this life, why might it not also do the same in death (Hebrews 12:22-23)?

It is easy to think of Purgatory as something separate from the cross of Christ, but if we can participate in Jesus’ cross in this life, why not also in death?

This connection to the cross of Christ is important. Whenever we speak about post-mortem purification we must absolutely, positively never allow our language to imply that it is something separate from the work of Christ on the cross, His continued intercessory action (Hebrews 7:25), and the work of the Holy Spirit.

In his Papal Encyclical, Spe Salve, Pope Benedict wrote the following:

“Some recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself: His gaze, the touch of His heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation ‘as through fire’..”

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salve (Paragraph 47)

Theologians can say that the fire is Christ Himself because Scripture says that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). Mystics have said the same thing as the theologians. For example, St. Catherine of Genoa, a 15th-century mystic, described the “fire” of Purgatory in just these terms:

“When God sees the Soul pure as it was in its origins, He tugs at it with a glance, draws it and binds it to Himself with a fiery love… He continues to draw it up into His fiery love until He restores it to that pure state from which it first issued. These rays purify and then annihilate. The soul becomes like gold that becomes purer as it is fired, all dross being cast out. Having come to the point of twenty-four carats, gold cannot be purified any further; and this is what happens to the soul in the fire of God’s love.”

St. Catherine of Genoa, found in Hungry Souls: Supernatural Visits, Messages, and Warnings from Purgatory

This fulfils the promise of Christ which C.S. Lewis unpacks in Mere Christianity:

“Make no mistake,” [Christ] says, “if you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that…. understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect — until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book IV, Chapter 9)

It is for this reason that St. Catherine of Genoa says that souls will actually desire purgation, to complete the sanctification which began on earth:

“…the soul seeks to cast off any and all impediments so it can be lifted up to God.”

St. Catherine of Genoa, found in Hungry Souls: Supernatural Visits, Messages, and Warnings from Purgatory

And this, I think, brings us full circle, all the way back to C.S. Lewis, who also wrote the following:

Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us:

 ‘It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy’?

Should we not reply, ‘With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.’

‘It may hurt, you know’   

‘Even so, sir.’

C.S. Lewis, Letters To Malcolm (Letter #20)

I don’t know about you, but when I read these quotations from Saint Genoa and C.S. Lewis, it makes me long for holiness. However, this holiness is only possible through God’s grace. So please join with me in saying “Come Holy Spirit, Refiner’s Fire, fall upon me and enkindle in me the fire of your love!”