| Purgatory, like Heaven and Hell, is
one of
those concepts that is conceived of, in this age, in a largely silly
way.
The problem seems to stem from the face that we see things in a highly
literal way, while the thought of previous ages, and particularly the
middle
ages, was more symbolic and allegorical. Images of people swimming in
lakes
of fire with Our Lady pouring water on their heads were no doubt
edifying
in their time, but they tend, in this age, to reduce the notion of
purgatory
to something that seems absurd, irrational, and easily dismissed.
I find the most convincing image of
purgatory
is of a simple process by which we are purged of our Earthly
detachments
by having them denied us – like those programs that rehabilitate drug
addicts
by cutting off their access to drugs.
In death we expect to be judged – to
be forced
to see ourselves as we really are, without being able to rely on the
excuses
and puffed up notions that keep our pride alive. Consider how you react
when some fault of yours is criticized here on Earth. Then imagine the
same phenomenon extended to all of your most secret and shameful sins,
in an environment where all of your excuses will be unmasked for the
petty
shams that they are, and you should have a pretty good idea of what it
will be like – and a pretty solid motive for attacking the vice of
pride
with every ounce of your strength.
If it is wrath that plagues you,
beware: for
all wrath is ultimately rooted in anger with oneself. Like pride, it
will
be unmasked in death, and we will be forced to bear the brunt of all
the
violent hatred which we now direct outwards. The envious should not
expect
to fare better – if you whither and writhe at the sight of those more
gifted
here on Earth, imagine how you will feel when confronted with a God who
is infinitely superior to you in every possible respect.
As for the sins of the flesh, we tend
to have
this silly idea that once we are free of our bodies (as though that in
itself won't grieve us mightily) we will find it easy to let go of
lust,
gluttony, sloth, and greed. A vice that exists only as an
excessive
bodily appetite is not really a vice at all – it becomes one when it
takes
up residence in the soul, when we not only shovel food into our heads,
but crave and yearn for the pleasures of eating though we are not
physically
hungry. If you find it taxing now to fast, to tithe, to perform your
duties,
and to live chastely, you will find it much more so when you are denied
all bodily pleasures, reduced to abject poverty, and faced with
absolute
responsibility by the fact of death.
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