"For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us, and all thy works are true, and thy ways right, and all thy judgments true." (Daniel 3:27)
Although there is evidence in the second book of Maccabees for the existence of Purgatory (see below), many non-Catholics do not acknowledge this book as part of their bibles.
"And the day following Judas came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers. And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain. Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden. And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them." (2 Maccabees 12: 39-45)
Even so, proof enough can be evidenced from the Scripture below as Father Francis Hunolt explains. Hopefully, this will give those unwilling to admit of a known truth reason to pause and reconsider their belief...
"And his lord being angry delivered him to the torturers, until he paid all the debt." (Matthew 18: 34)
"What a hard sentence for that servant! Yet it was a merciful punishment for that merciless, ungrateful man, who deserved to be treated with far greater severity, for though he was to be punished, yet it was only until he should pay the whole debt. Hence this punishment was not to last always, but till he should have paid all he owed his lord. Thus he had the hope of being one day freed from prison and torture. Here we have a vivid picture of the prison which we Catholics call Purgatory, in which the souls of those who have not sufficiently satisfied the justice of God for their sins are confined, that they may be tortured, not forever, but only for a time and until they have completely paid all they owe the divine justice.
...even in this life God has sometimes punished most severely small sins committed by his faithful servants. Thus, for instance, the half deliberate doubt on the part of Moses, who hesitated about striking the rock with his rod, was the cause of his being excluded from the promised land; an act of curiosity on the part of Lot’s wife, who looked round to see the burning city of Sodom, was enough to cause her to be turned into a pillar of salt. The carelessness of Oza in putting forth his hand to support the ark of the covenant drew down on him the punishment of a sudden death. The silly vanity of David, who wished to know the number of his people, brought the plague amongst them, which in three days carried off seventy thousand men. Now, I say, if God, who is otherwise so merciful, inflicts such severe punishments on even his faithful servants for small faults, alas! how strict will he be in the next life, where his justice alone, untempered by mercy, shall wield the rod?
...In truth if we go through the whole day, from morning till night, we shall hardly find a quarter of an hour that is quite free from some fault or another. Curiosity of eyes and ears, sensuality of taste and touch, want of restraint over the tongue, idle, flattering, lying, fault-finding, quarrelsome, sarcastic, contradictory talk; proud, ambitious, suspicious, impure thoughts, that are fully or half deliberate; intemperance in eating, drinking, and sleep; discontent and impatience in adversity; a wrong intention in outward actions; vanity in dress, manners, and demeanor; want of restraint and consideration in company; human respect, that drives us to do or omit what we should not do or omit; useless squandering of precious time, culpable ignorance, neglecting the duties of our state although in small things; not fulfilling the obligations of Christian charity; leading others into sin; giving scandal through carelessness, rejecting the divine inspirations, etc. And how many sins do we not commit that escape our notice, that we do not acknowledge and are not aware of, although they are all clearly recognized by the all-seeing eye of God and written down in the great account-book in their minutest details. Even our good works will be found to be mixed with faults and imperfections. Prayer said with fully or half deliberate distractions; devotions performed with coldness and tepidity..."
Because it is likely that we, too, will be delivered to the torturers until we pay our own last debt, let us be mindful of the warning:
"He appointed also porters in the gates of the house of the Lord, that none who was unclean in any thing should enter in." (2 Chronicles 23:19)
CALL TO ACTION: Show compassion by praying for the poor souls who are currently paying their last debts!
Source: Quote above taken from Father Francis Hunolt's sermon, "Purgatory after Death," from his book, "A Christian's Last End."
Photo by Michal Dziekonski