When some of you see the title for this one, you may have thought, What! Since I am a Quaker, as I have proclaimed so many times, what do I know about purgatory? At one level, I would say I know absolutely nothing. I doubt that I ever heard it when I was growing up as a Quaker. In fact, I would be fascinated if somehow I could remember the first time I ever heard the word. I assume we can’t use a word we never hear, unless of course, we make up words, which kids do routinely. But a kid can’t create the word, purgatory. It already exists!
When I talk about “escaping” purgatory, I suspect that is not a very good verb. What I do know about purgatory, as I learn from my Catholic friends, is not that folks escape from there. It is not like jail where someone can break out. As I understand it, we don’t volunteer to go to purgatory, nor do we escape. God is the one who sends us there and, doubtlessly, releases us. If someone opens the door, it hardly can be called an escape!
The idea for this piece came from a bit I saw in the Boston Globe. I used to read that paper faithfully when I lived in the Boston area doing graduate studies. It is a great paper and I would gladly read it every day. I am not quite sure what the context was for the piece I was reading. But there was a phrase that caught my attention. The article was talking about being stuck for a period of time in a place that is not good. It could be something like a pandemic or simply trouble of our own making.
The author used the image of purgatory. Purgatory is a place to which some folks go right after death. It is a better deal than hell---that’s the good news. The word purgatory carries the notion that we can be purged---cleansed and made whole. It is like a spiritual dry-cleaning store. You take the dirty soul in and later it is ready for the good times. If we see it that way, I can imagine I am going to spend some time there. It can be seen as not good news. But I suspect it actually had very good intentions and, ultimately, works in our favor. Maybe another image is to see it a junior varsity. Many of us are not ready for the varsity---the saints of our time. We need some practice and growing to do. I played jv ball; I am ok with that as a training ground. I did not really “escape” to the varsity. I became good enough to play at the next level.
The article talked about a “glide path out of purgatory.” The moment I saw that phrase, I knew I wanted to reflect on it. When we emerge from purgatory---our own period of purging and cleaning---I am delighted with the use of the verb, “glide.” That makes much more sense than escape. When we glide, we move without effort. I think about sail boats gliding along the top of the water. The sails are full of the wind and the boat moves effortlessly. So will our souls when they come through the purging period.
As I think about gliding, theologically I am confident it has to do with grace. Were it not for purgatory, then likely many of us would have a hell of an experience. Instead we are sent to reform school or finishing school to be prepared for participating in the Presence of the One who wants us there. I certainly can’t do it on my own. I do depend on God’s grace---gift and favor---to be who I want to be and learn to do better than I do. Grace is always a gift---that is what it means. And of course, we can learn to offer grace to others.
Grace is the wind on our soul’s sails. It prepares us to move and head toward our destination. To go back to the quotation, grace puts us on the path---the path out of purgatory. This tells me it likely is not an instantaneous thing. To be purged and cleaned takes some time. Americans tend to be too impatient. We want it now. Gliding is not quick enough. But it is more than simply our issue. It is a process. When we go to the dry cleaners, we don’t get our dirty clothes back in five minutes!
There is a predictable path out of purgatory. I would not be surprised to find there are steps in the process. I can imagine being told to start here. When that first step is finished, then you will be ready for step two. I can imagine the first step of purgatory is to spend enough time in reflection---real, honest reflection---so we actually become aware of what we really are dealing with. Awareness is how we step on the path out of purgatory.
I can guess what other steps might be, but that is for another time. Right now, I simply want to stay with the idea that ultimately, we will glide on our own path out of purgatory. If we are headed in the right direction, who cares how long it takes. It is easy for me to think it might take a little longer for me than for others.
I have thought more about purgatory now than ever before. I don’t know that it will become part of my own theology or explanation of how we come to be present in the Presence of the Spirit. But I do think there is some sort of processing of us to be fully present with God. I do think it necessitates some grace and some time. I was born, but it took some time to grow up. I can imagine purgatory means we will be present, but it will take some cleaning and growing.
At the end, it may well feel like we just escaped!
When I talk about “escaping” purgatory, I suspect that is not a very good verb. What I do know about purgatory, as I learn from my Catholic friends, is not that folks escape from there. It is not like jail where someone can break out. As I understand it, we don’t volunteer to go to purgatory, nor do we escape. God is the one who sends us there and, doubtlessly, releases us. If someone opens the door, it hardly can be called an escape!
The idea for this piece came from a bit I saw in the Boston Globe. I used to read that paper faithfully when I lived in the Boston area doing graduate studies. It is a great paper and I would gladly read it every day. I am not quite sure what the context was for the piece I was reading. But there was a phrase that caught my attention. The article was talking about being stuck for a period of time in a place that is not good. It could be something like a pandemic or simply trouble of our own making.
The author used the image of purgatory. Purgatory is a place to which some folks go right after death. It is a better deal than hell---that’s the good news. The word purgatory carries the notion that we can be purged---cleansed and made whole. It is like a spiritual dry-cleaning store. You take the dirty soul in and later it is ready for the good times. If we see it that way, I can imagine I am going to spend some time there. It can be seen as not good news. But I suspect it actually had very good intentions and, ultimately, works in our favor. Maybe another image is to see it a junior varsity. Many of us are not ready for the varsity---the saints of our time. We need some practice and growing to do. I played jv ball; I am ok with that as a training ground. I did not really “escape” to the varsity. I became good enough to play at the next level.
The article talked about a “glide path out of purgatory.” The moment I saw that phrase, I knew I wanted to reflect on it. When we emerge from purgatory---our own period of purging and cleaning---I am delighted with the use of the verb, “glide.” That makes much more sense than escape. When we glide, we move without effort. I think about sail boats gliding along the top of the water. The sails are full of the wind and the boat moves effortlessly. So will our souls when they come through the purging period.
As I think about gliding, theologically I am confident it has to do with grace. Were it not for purgatory, then likely many of us would have a hell of an experience. Instead we are sent to reform school or finishing school to be prepared for participating in the Presence of the One who wants us there. I certainly can’t do it on my own. I do depend on God’s grace---gift and favor---to be who I want to be and learn to do better than I do. Grace is always a gift---that is what it means. And of course, we can learn to offer grace to others.
Grace is the wind on our soul’s sails. It prepares us to move and head toward our destination. To go back to the quotation, grace puts us on the path---the path out of purgatory. This tells me it likely is not an instantaneous thing. To be purged and cleaned takes some time. Americans tend to be too impatient. We want it now. Gliding is not quick enough. But it is more than simply our issue. It is a process. When we go to the dry cleaners, we don’t get our dirty clothes back in five minutes!
There is a predictable path out of purgatory. I would not be surprised to find there are steps in the process. I can imagine being told to start here. When that first step is finished, then you will be ready for step two. I can imagine the first step of purgatory is to spend enough time in reflection---real, honest reflection---so we actually become aware of what we really are dealing with. Awareness is how we step on the path out of purgatory.
I can guess what other steps might be, but that is for another time. Right now, I simply want to stay with the idea that ultimately, we will glide on our own path out of purgatory. If we are headed in the right direction, who cares how long it takes. It is easy for me to think it might take a little longer for me than for others.
I have thought more about purgatory now than ever before. I don’t know that it will become part of my own theology or explanation of how we come to be present in the Presence of the Spirit. But I do think there is some sort of processing of us to be fully present with God. I do think it necessitates some grace and some time. I was born, but it took some time to grow up. I can imagine purgatory means we will be present, but it will take some cleaning and growing.
At the end, it may well feel like we just escaped!
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