The Relief of Purgatory

There are two distinct views of Purgatory that have been circulating for centuries within the Church: one view places the state of being close to the punishment that exists in Hell, while the other emphasizes the purification necessary to enter the bliss of Heaven. There is a plethora of written material from private revelation that reveal the gruesome details of the torture that the “poor souls” undergo until they “pay every last penny” for their sins. The other view entails the kind of pain and suffering associated with major surgery, and the relief that follows. While we are not obliged to give our assent to private revelation, we are obliged to adhere to the truth that Sacred Scripture and The Catechism of the Catholic Church intend to convey. The following paragraph explains:
 
1031    The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:607 (954, 1472)”
 
Purgatory, then, follows a trajectory toward Heaven for those who comprise the elect, while those who are damned suffer from the effects of definitive self-exclusion from the Kingdom of God known as Hell. The determination of our eternal destination is decided at the moment of death in what is termed “Particular Judgement”. The Catechism explains:
 
“1022    Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification594 or immediately,595—or immediate and everlasting damnation.596 (393, 1470)
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.597
 
Those who have gone before us “marked with the sign of faith” deserve our prayers as they undergo the pain of growth associated with purgation. The process is mysterious, but we are assured that our intercessory prayers will be heard and be a source of genuine relief. The following words strengthen our hope and increase our faith in God’s eternal plan of salvation:
 
“1030    All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.