How long do you think you'll spend in purgatory

[toledo_jesus]

several million years, at the rate I'm going...

Unless...

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!!!! BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Balthazor]

Man, I will be in line behind that velvet rope to get into purgatory for years.....If I get there at all.

I just hope the day I die I wear good shoes as I will be standing in line for a long time to get in.

[avemaria40]

I hope to go straight to Heaven to be with my Lord but I know I have a lot of work to do before that happens. I know I'm not perfect

Edited April 9, 2006 by avemaria40

[Resurrexi]

wow, me and you actually agree on something, AveMaria.

[dspen2005]

i refuse to speculate...

[Balthazor]

You know somehow I don't think Purgatory really lasts that long.

I always have thought of it like a holy drive-through car-wash. Or a quarantine tank or something....

Edited July 20, 2008 by Balthazor

[CatherineM]

I'll probably be on the clean up crew.

[MissyP89]

My first instinct when I saw this was "Pffft...probably forever."

I dunno. Hopefully by the time I get really old I won't sin as much. I'll be really surprised if I make it to Heaven straight away, try as I might.

Heck, purgatory might surprise me, too.

[jmjtina]

honestly, there should be another option......

I deserve Hell, but I'm aiming for heaven.

I don't want purgatory time either.

[Selah]

I hope I make it to Purgatory someday.

I'm not sure. I'll be surprised though, no matter what. I'm just glad I won't be alone there

Edited July 20, 2008 by Selah

[LouisvilleFan]

Ironically, the only lonely place is Hell.

Of course, some people probably love being alone... maybe if they go, their Hell is a big party.

I can't tell if this thread is a joke or not. Why are so many Catholics who are otherwise knowledgeable about their faith stuck on this idea that there is time in purgatory? It's never been taught that way by anyone... ever.

Edited July 21, 2008 by LouisvilleFan

[Winchester]

I've already put money down on a timeshare.

[Galloglasses]

I won't even Make it to purgetory.

Even then, I refuse to spectulate, I'll probably lose track of pretty much every thought in my head long before the time runs out. But a million or so years is nothing to an immortal soul, isn't it? Actually, no, thats quite a staggeringly long time even if you're immortal =/

[LouisvilleFan]

I have no idea what anybody here is talking about. Are you guys Catholics? Don't you all know that through Christ we have [b]hope[/b] in eternal salvation? You all talk like you're expecting to be in Hell, or will actually be surprised if you "make it" to Heaven. I know we should be humble, but this sounds like false humilty, focusing on your own sins so much that you're cheapening or doubting God's ability to redeem us.

As for me, I expect to experience purgatory, which I personally believe 99.99% of all who die in grace (canonized saints included ) experience to at least a small degree. As long as you still need Confession, you still have attachment to sin, which means your soul will need to be purged of that attachment in order to be in Heaven. Whether it's the equivalent of digging a little dirt from your fingernails or an extensive showering, washing, and shaving... only God knows. But I think (and I might be wrong) that it's very rare -- if not impossible -- for anyone to be such a perfect follower of Christ that their soul has no need of purging after death.

Besides, purgatory is a completely and wholly grace-filled and Christ-centered experience. It has absolutely nothing to do with us, which is why it will hurt.

Now, cue that "Love Hurts" track...

Edited July 21, 2008 by LouisvilleFan

[Mercy me]

I don't really care. If I make it to purgatory then everything just gets better than I can imagine. I will be the happiest person in purgatory.

[CatherineM]

I figure all my friends and family will be in purgatory, so I'm not afraid to hang out for awhile.

Edited July 21, 2008 by CatherineM

[friendofJPII]

God is so pure and so holy that we wouldn't [i]want[/i] to go to heaven without being purified first. We would be very uncomfortable if God's light directly encountered the darkness that remains in our souls. Since we were discussing wedding dresses in a prior thread, I like to use this analogy. Heaven is like an elegantly decorated ballroom where everyone is adorned with their most beautiful attire....the most elegant dresses and tuxedos. And then you or I show up dressed in dirty jeans and an old T-shirt. Would we feel comfortable there? No. We would want to go and get dressed up too, even if the process of "getting ready" (going to purgatory) would be a little uncomfortable.

Edited July 21, 2008 by friendofJPII

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

I, too, have to ask why is there all this "woe is me" mentality here? Yes, we are all sinners, none of us deserve to go to heaven, but that is what God wants. He does not want us to be separated from Him forever in Hell. I mean no offense when I say this, but when I first read all of these things it seemed to me that everyone is judging themselves, and I admit that I, too, judge myself a lot of the time and am very hard on myself, but isn't God the only Judge? He knows us better than we know ourselves, so why do we ask whether or not we will get to Heaven? It is not for us to decide: all we can do is live our lives as best we can with the help of God. The rest is up to God. It just seemed to me as though this thread was very gloomy and not balancing God's Mercy with His Justice. Yes, Purgatory is a means of God's Justice, but it is not all of Who God is. I think we need to be careful to balance the two ends of this pole of tension. Just my two cents.

[jmjtina]

Honestly, false humility is in the eyes of the beholder and frankly, I am praying to become detached from worldly praise or false accusation. So what difference does it make what anyone thinks of my statement? I claim neither humility nor any falsehood. It's just a fact.

I would recommend reading more on the saints and scripture together to get a better understanding.

Don't get me wrong. I pray for mercy and have hope to one day reach heaven. But whether I reach it or not, (through purgatory or not) [b][u]does not diminish God's mercy and Love.[/u][/b] It's my sins, the offense I gave, which I stumble with daily which beaver dam me to Hell. The realization of this has caused me to make some serious changes in my life in the hopes of getting to heaven, through purgatory or directly to. Your statement itself is an extreme that dances with protestant thought. It seems your almost positive your going to purgatory. Well, I wish I was positive I was dying in grace, but I don't know the time or the hour, so I pray and hope for God's mercy.

Remember, I said I deserve Hell, not that I was sure I was going there. Again, my hope is in God's Mercy and grace; which is enough.

And yes, days and time exist. There are indulgences for days and years in Purgatory approved by the Church herself. Unless you can find a doc that says that those are invalid now, then time does exist.

As for canonized saints not being in heaven, to say they are in purgatory is not correct either. While it is my personal opinion that the canonized saints are in heaven (thus allowing miracles) I don't think the Church says yes or no, but actually allows the saint to be celebrated. This is a great question for another thread or for the q&a board.

[quote][url="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm"]"In honour of . . . we decree and define that Blessed N. is a Saint, and we inscribe his name in the catalogue of saints, and order that his memory by devoutly and piously celebrated yearly on the . . . day of . . . his feast."[/url]

(Ad honorem . . . beatum N. Sanctum esse decernimus et definimus ac sanctorum catalogo adscribimus statuentes ab ecclesiâ universali illius memoriam quolibet anno, die ejus natali . . . piâ devotione recoli debere.)[/quote]

[lilac_angel]

[quote name='jmjtina' post='1604929' date='Jul 21 2008, 10:02 PM']And yes, days and time exist. There are indulgences for days and years in Purgatory approved by the Church herself. Unless you can find a doc that says that those are invalid now, then time does exist.[/quote]

I thought that myself not long ago at all, but a couple of people on Phatmass said that was a misunderstanding... it's actually time off of earthly/temporal penances, not Purgatory. Earthly penances used to be a lot stricter back then. The Church also no longer states years or days (just partial or plenary), due to the common misunderstanding of the teaching. That's what people have told me here, anyway.