How long does purgatory last?

A Spanish theologian from the late Middle Ages once argued that the average Christian spends 1000 to 2000 years in purgatory (according to Stephen Greenblatt's Hamlet in Purgatory). But there's no official take on the average sentence.


What is the punishment for purgatory?

The only punishment mentioned was fire. One important part of the standard view of Purgatory in Dante's day was that, after death, it was no longer possible to have freedom of choice. This meant that the souls in Purgatory were not expected to become morally better: it was too late for that.

What is the process of purgatory?

purgatory, the condition, process, or place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven.


Is purgatory a place between life and death?

This is called Purgatory . Catholics believe that most people are not so evil that God would condemn them forever to Hell, but also that most people are not pure and good enough to go to Heaven straight away. For them, Purgatory is the state of waiting where a person can make up for their sins after death.

Can the souls in purgatory see us?

Visitations from Purgatory

When, according to God's will, spiritual beings such as angels appear, they must take on an appearance that is perceivable to our sense of sight. In a similar way, the souls of the deceased have been permitted to appear to mankind.


How Long the Souls Remain in Purgatory?



Do we see each other in Heaven?

The reunion of believing loved ones

When Paul writes to believers who grieve the loss of a loved one, he offers them this comfort: “We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, emphasis mine).

How many souls are released from purgatory?

Gertrude received, from our Lord, the promise that, if this prayer is said, 1,000 souls are released from Purgatory.

Who is the gatekeeper of purgatory?

At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil meet Cato, a pagan who was placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain (his symbolic significance has been much debated).


Do unbaptised babies go to heaven?

The fate of unbaptized babies has confounded Catholic scholars for centuries. According to church catechisms, or teachings, babies that haven't been splashed with holy water bear the original sin, which makes them ineligible for joining God in heaven.

Does the Bible talk about purgatory?

Roman Catholic Christians who believe in purgatory interpret passages such as 2 Maccabees 12:41–46, 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11–3:15 and Hebrews 12:29 as support for prayer for purgatorial souls who are believed to be within an active interim state for the dead undergoing purifying ...

What are the 9 levels of purgatory?

A Visitor's Guide to Dante's Nine Circles of Hell
  • First Circle: Limbo. The first circle is home to the unbaptized and virtuous pagans. ...
  • Second Circle: Lust. ...
  • Third Circle: Gluttony. ...
  • Fourth Circle: Greed. ...
  • Fifth Circle: Anger. ...
  • Sixth Circle: Heresy. ...
  • Seventh Circle: Violence. ...
  • Eighth Circle: Fraud.


What are the three levels of purgatory?

Divided into three sections, Antepurgatory, Purgatory proper, and the Earthly Paradise, the lower slopes are reserved for souls whose penance was delayed.

What is the first stage of purgatory?

Pride. The first official terrace of Purgatory is home to the prideful souls. Dante and Virgil encounter both the exemplars of the virtue opposed to pride, such as the life of Mary, and watch as souls are purged of their pride through trials.

Is it good to pray for souls in Purgatory?

We should be praying for their souls out of love for them. But even if we have no dead relatives that we know of, the souls in purgatory are still our spiritual brothers and sisters. We are related by baptism into Christ, and this familial relationship should spur us to act on their behalf.


Who started the rosary?

In fact, it was Dominic of Prussia and Alanus de Rupe who were the actual pioneers of the rosary prayer. This happened in the fifteenth century. Dominic the Carthusian (St. Alban, near Treves, about 1410) promoted a rosary of fifty Hail Marys and 50 Vita Christi clauses.

Are all babies born with sin?

The guilt of sin cannot be inherited or passed from one person to another. The son is not guilty of the sin of his father nor the father guilty of the sin of his son. Each one is guilty of sin when he or she commits sin which every accountable person has done (Romans 3:23).

Where do unbaptized souls go?

Limbo is the nether region where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, unbaptized babies go after death.


Who is the Queen of Purgatory?

Various saints have commented on Mary's role in purgatory. St. Vincent Ferrer made a theological deduction from Mary's spiritual maternity: “Mary is the mother of good things existing in purgatory because by her they have the results of her intercession.”10 St.

What creatures are in Purgatory?

Purgatory is a supernatural dimension created by God to contain his first and most dangerous beasts, the Leviathans. Over time, it became the destination of the souls of monsters.

What angel guards Purgatory?

Dante describes Cato as having a long grizzled beard and graying hair falling down over his chest in two tresses; his face is illuminated by starlight (as if he were facing the sun). As the warden or guardian of the mountain of Purgatory, Cato performs a role somewhat similar to that of Charon in Hell.


What is the most powerful prayer for the souls in purgatory?

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen."

Is purgatory one of the four last things?

Even though Purgatory is not one of the Four Last Things (because after the universal judgment, Purgatory will no longer exist), I'd like to say a few things about this state, since the Catechism dedicates a section to it (#1030-32):

Does purgatory have mercy on the souls?

O LORD God almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that soul amongst them all which is most destitute of spiritual aid; and vouchsafe to bring it to Thy glory, there to praise and bless Thee forever. Amen.