22 March 2019
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
“The fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Savior. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, Encyclical letter, Nov 30, 2007,§ 47)
The Pope emeritus discusses the notion of purgatory in his brilliant encyclical letter quoted above. Is there a biblical basis for purgatory? Yes! Belief in purgatory originated from the ancient practice of praying for the dead, asking God to forgive the sins of those who have died. While I am not a biblical scholar, I think that the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis is evidence for us today that there is a necessary process of purification which purgatory offers. Jacob’s sons initially tried to kill their own brother Joseph. However, Reuben and Judah made two different plans to save their brother. Reuben tried to put Joseph into a pit but returned later to pull him out. Judah, however, proposed to sell Joseph to Arab traders. Judah’s plan prevails as they sell Joseph into Egyptian slavery. God later transforms the brother’s wicked act into the means of family salvation. They have to acknowledge the fact that they treated Joseph cruelly. In the end, Joseph forgives his brothers. Nevertheless, the brothers have to undergo the process of purification. Joseph tests his brothers by watching whether they are willing to abandon their brother Benjamin or not. Since his brothers refuse to abandon Benjamin into slavery, Joseph realizes that his brothers have changed.
We too can begin the process of purification by asking God to purify us with His grace. God will help us to grow in love, fight against our selfishness, and confess our sins. In this Lenten season, begin the process of purification.