Question: At one point (I think it's during the Justification section) Akin is asked if Maccabees is his major substantiation for purgatory. He say's, “no my major substantiation for purgatory is the principle that all people are sinful at death and yet sinless in Heaven so there needs to be a purification that takes place between death and heaven." My question is, my understanding of Catholic theology is that not everyone goes to purgatory (i.e. some Saints etc)? That some people reach a sufficient level of purification before death so that they do not need to receive further purification in purgatory. If some people, though still sinful at death, do not need to pass through purgatory in order to be sinless in heaven, then how can Akin's principle serve as substantiation for purgatory?
Answer:
Okay, a couple things: Firstly, you are correct that some Christians go "straight to Heaven" without having to experience a state of purgation" after death. And we, of course, call these people "Saints," because they have been fully sanctified in this present life –-having allowed God to "purge" them of sin through their Christian walk in the here and now, which is what all Christians are, of course, supposed to do. So, in that sense, James Akin arguably misspoke when he said that "ALL people are sinful at death." Rather, in truth, we should say that most Christians are somehow still sinful at the time of death," yet Christ, in His mercy, still saves them from hell via the means of what we call Purgatory.
However, with that said, what Akin MAY be validly referring to is the idea that even saints have to be "tried by fire" (the "fires of Purgatory") at the time of death, per St. Paul's analogy in 1 Corinth 3:12-15. Here, Paul speaks of how the quality of each Christian's works (that is, their "yes" to Jesus' call to follow and imitate Him) will, on "the Day", be "revealed with fire, and fire itself will test the quality of each one's works. If the work stands, that person will receive a wage" (v. 13-14). So, while we commonly speak of earthly Saints going "straight to Heaven", Scripture actually reveals to us that they also pass through this "fire" so as to be tested; and, having obviously passed the test, they are given their place in Heaven. In this context, we could validly argue (with Akin) that the Saints, while holy, are freed from any small faults or imperfections, they may have in their personalities (i.e., the "pushiness" of St. Paul; the "crotchetiness" of St. Jerome, etc.) and so, in a sense, they too experience a sense of "purgation," albeit a very minor one. This may be what Akin is referring to.
Also, another analogy which may help your friend to deal with what we mean by Purgatory is the realization that the "fire" of Purgatory is actually the Love of God. Indeed, properly understood, the "fire" of Purgatory, the "fire" of Hell, and the "fire" of Heaven (for the OT speaks of Heaven as a "fiery" place quite often) is all, in truth, the SAME fire, which is the burning and unquenchable Love of Almighty God. And, depending on the disposition of a soul at the time of death, when everything else except God is stripped away from them, the soul will either be tormented by this "Fire" (i.e., Hell because the soul wants nothing to do with God), or he will be purged of lingering sin by this "Fire" (Purgatory), or he will be able to unite with the "Fire" itself (Heaven), since both the soul and the Fire share a common Nature (2 Peter 1:4)--that is, the soul has already been transformed into an image of Christ (a saint) prior to death. So, all depends on the soul's disposition.
Or, look at it this way: If someone is asleep in a dark room, and someone suddenly throws open the curtains to reveal a bright, sunny day, and if the person has had a good night's sleep, and is ready to wake up, he will be able to open his eyes and greet the morning sun with no problem (i.e., Heaven). However, if the person is suffering from a horrible hang-over and has had little or no sleep at all, he will hide his face under the blankets and want nothing to do with the sun (i.e., Hell). However, if he is only a little hung-over, or still a little sleepy, he will be able to open his eyes somewhat—to tentatively look at the sunlight, as he struggles to acclimate to the morning sun (i.e., Purgatory). In essence, this is all Catholicism is saying about the Afterlife, when a Christian finally sees the ultimate Reality, which is God. If they think about it, a Protestant doesn't believe differently at all.
Mark Bonocore
The Catholic Legate
August 20, 2004