The Possibility of Purgatory

Amanda Lawrence shares her New Year’s Resolution.

I once owned a beautiful, comfortable, light-colored dress that suited me perfectly. Whenever I wore it, I couldn’t help but smile. But one day, the unthinkable happened while sipping coffee in that beloved garment: I accidentally spilled my beverage down the front.

The horror of wasted caffeine paled in comparison to the stain on my favorite dress. I knew I had to act fast, so I blotted the blemish with a paper towel, rinsed it with cold water, and washed it. I held my breath as I pulled the dress out of the machine, anticipating its redemption, but the stain remained. The tannins in the espresso brew seeped deep into the fabric’s pores, leaving a small mark the size of a ping-pong ball that persisted no matter what I did.

Feeling disappointed, I stopped wearing the dress in public. Whenever I wore it privately, I couldn’t help but notice that pesky stain. This minor annoyance made me think about the state of my soul. I try to keep it pure, but I’m more unsuccessful than I’d like to admit. Like the small stain lingering down my dress, our sinful tendencies persist after death.

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Whenever I’m distracted by life’s problems or still upset about something that happened at work several days ago, I imagine another stain on my soul. Knowing time is of the essence, I try to pre-treat it with confession and penance. But often, the faint outline of the stain remains when I ruminate about similar frustrating situations weeks later.

I don’t want to do these things again. Unfortunately, we humans are bent toward sin.

God forgives me every time, but that lousy attitude clings to me like soap scum.

The blood of Jesus cleanses my sins repeatedly, leaving me barely aware of the faint, ghostlike stain those transgressions leave on my brain. Nevertheless, each one requires repair before I can enter heaven. Whatever I don’t let go of now lingers on my soul like a stain waiting to be removed by God’s grace.

Although I constantly give my struggles to God, the awareness of my sinful tendencies reminds me that purgatory is a possibility. When I find myself in unhealthy thought cycles or dwelling on stuff I can’t change, I notice another stain that reminds me I’m attached to things I shouldn’t be attached to. Those blemishes are a temporal consequence of my actions and will be addressed in this life or the next.

Another way to think of it is if I accidentally break my neighbor’s vase, I can apologize, and my neighbor can forgive me, but there is still a debt to be paid. I must replace the vase to make everything right. That’s purgatory.

Purgatory exists for those still in need of purification after death. And much like on Earth, the purification process is uncomfortable and possibly painful. Fortunately, our earthly prayers can assist those struggling through that route, so we should pray for those souls!

But isn’t it best to avoid that route altogether?

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As cliché as they may be, New Year’s Resolutions offer opportunities to shed the old habits, pain, stress, or struggles we might have faced. #CatholicMom

As cliché as they may be, New Year’s Resolutions offer opportunities to shed the old habits, pain, stress, or struggles we might have faced. Doing so allows us to better focus our minds on improving ourselves along our journey to heaven. God sees when we work on ourselves and loves us for it, however imperfect we may remain. But we have to put forth that effort.

Once we alter our thought processes, our actions follow, and those stains stop forming. That’s the first step to growing in virtue and possibly skipping purgatory entirely. Life is short, so we have to act fast. That’s why I am resolving to stop ruminating this year and start working toward avoiding purgatory. I appreciate your prayers for my continued success.

Happy New Year, future saints.

May 2024 be merry and bright!

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