medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Catholic doctrine on purgatory is that it is a place of suffering. Even in this life, suffering is involved in overcoming the temporal effects (hence it is the temporal punishment of these tempeoral effects) of sin. Ascetic (training) mortification both overcomes the effects of past sins and arms against future temptation.
Lest anyone think this is an odd way to look at it, ask any coach of any athletic team whether he or she ever uses the phrase, "no pain, no gain."
Suffering in purgatory is not understood as the same as suffering in hell, of course., because of the expectation, confident assurance, of gaining heaven. But purgatory is a place of medicinal suffering (the surgeon's knife inflicts pain but in order to cure illness, was a favorite medieval metaphor--it doesn't work so well today given anaesthetics, but try to imagine what the surgeon's knife meant to pre-anaesthesia era people!).
Dennis Martin
>>> [log in to unmask] 02/14/03 07:15AM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I'm not sure the answer to your question, but have another for you - where
did you hear it "suffering"? I've always heard it "expectant". That is
more in keeping with Catholic teaching that Purgatory is just that - a
place where "purging" happens. It does not involve pain, just not quite
totally "with God" yet. But it also mearns that one's pilgrimage is
continuing on the way, and is not going to be turned back, therefore it is
expectant. I too have wondered where the concept of the three started.
Stephen M. Collins
Charleston, SC
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