A Primer on Purgatory with
Archbishop Cordileone
Catholic Action
Insight™ Episode
Dear Friend,
The month of November begins with
the Solemnity of All Saints Day followed by All Souls Day, and is a
good time to revisit a fundamental doctrine of the Church on
Purgatory.
When I was growing up, my mother
often asked my siblings and me to “pray for the poor souls in
Purgatory,” something I took at face value as a Catholic but didn’t
really understand. It was actually a common reminder reiterated by
Catholics in general. As I grew older I began to grasp the concept
more fully as I learned more about the Truths of the Church and as I
came to realize that it is a point of contention between Catholics and
Protestants and one of the most misunderstood teachings of our
Church.
There are even many Catholics who
do not understand why Purgatory exists or the reason why we must pray
for the souls who are there.
Thankfully, in the current episode
of Catholic Action
Insight™, Archbishop
Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco breaks down the teaching on
Purgatory in remarkably clear summaries of what the Church really
believes.
In less time than it takes to drink
a cup of coffee, you’ll learn from one of the preeminent shepherds of
the Church the key issues related to this doctrine:
- The
primary purpose of Purgatory (and it’s probably not what you
think!);
- The
biblical core of our doctrine;
- Why fire
is an adequate analogy for what takes place in Purgatory;
- The
three dimensions of the Catholic Church that exist in a “communion of
saints” and assist one another in the work of getting to
heaven;
- What
part the virtue of Hope has to play in the process; and
- What
each one of us can do to assist the poor souls in Purgatory on a
regular basis.
Perhaps the most poignant point of
the whole episode was when His Excellency spoke of attending a funeral
once in a non-Catholic church and how it caused him to appreciate the
Catholic approach to death and the afterlife much more. He was
surprised that the event was more a “celebration of (earthly) life”
with very little reference to prayers for the deceased loved one’s
soul after death or even to
the sacrifice of Christ on
the Cross for our salvation.
In other words, the Catholic
doctrine of Purgatory is a true blessing that gives us abundant
consolation in our grief and hope for salvation for our loved ones—and
for ourselves!
On this final day of the
Octave of All Saints, I invite you to join us for this short
insight into our faith!
Yours in Christ and Our Lady,
Thomas J. McKenna
Founder and President
Catholic Action For Faith And Family
https://www.catholicaction.org/
P.S If you would like to help offset the
studio production costs as well as to enhance our ability to defend
and promote the great treasures of the Church in order to hand them on
to the next generation, please consider making
a donation.
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