Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings led me into a reflection on purgatory. I know, there’s no verses from Maccabees today nor any language that speaks of purgation or a “refining fire.” But let me try to explain. Teaching high school theology, I’m often convinced that if the school offered a theological course on purgatory, exorcism, or discussing whether or not your pets will go to heaven, it would be the most popular course in the catalog. As such, the subject of purgatory is one that tends to arouse their inquisitive minds. How long will it last? Is it a real, material, physical fire? I heard that it’s more painful than hell… is that true? Navigating through the questions, clarifying the misconceptions of temporal punishment and poor “waiting room” analogies, while relying on Scripture and the teachings of the Church, is a thoroughly enjoyable (and equally challenging) task for me.
In my apology of purgatory, I often find myself needing to explain the difference between theological opinion and dogma, pointing out that there are actually only a few propositions that the Church has dogmatically defined concerning purgatory. Also, I often find myself describing the possibly analogous language of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 as meaning the “fire of Christ’s love.” Acknowledging that the purification involves some kind of pain, I might ask the students to imagine the intense pain of longing to be with someone who they are in love with, but being inhibited for some reason. If have time, I might even provide a few uplifting lines from Pope Benedict’s Spe Salvi on purgatory in relation with Christian hope. However, after my defense, I sometimes find myself left with a classroom of students that is now so excited for purgatory, perhaps even looking forward to it. And that’s a problem! Let’s be honest: who wants to take the back door into heaven? And for this reason, I always try to conclude my thoughts with a reminder of the seriousness of the Gospel message- and its cost, such that purgatory itself doesn’t become a matter of “cheap grace.”
A balanced understanding, while still being true to the authenticity of the Gospel, demands of us a mature Christianity. Jesus Himself seems to take this same approach in today’s Gospel from Luke. While clarifying the misconceptions of the day, that magnitude of suffering was in direct proportion with magnitude of sin, Jesus twice concludes His statements with a clear call to repentance: “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” In Jesus we find balanced understanding, clear teaching, and an acknowledgement of the Galileans who had died and those killed at the tower of Siloam as human persons- a truly pastoral approach. At the same time, we hear the call- to repent, to reject stagnancy and indifference in our striving towards holiness, and to resist the temptation to compare our holiness or sinfulness (as the case may be) to that of our neighbor. Indeed, this demands a mature Christianity.
So what does this “mature Christianity” look like? How do we characterize it? How do we live it? Today’s first reading from Ephesians seems to shed some light on this call to “mature manhood to the extent of the full stature of Christ.” In contrast to being infants, “tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery,” St. Paul encourages us to live the truth in love! How specifically? By being the Body of Christ in the Body of Christ! He writes, “grow in every way into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.” As a sign of our mature Christianity, are we growing in Christ? Are we building up the Body? Are we committed to the truth, living it in love, even when it is unpopular and inconvenient? Or, still in our infancy, do we remain closed off, individualistic, selfish, or shallow?
Lord, by your grace, transform us into mature Christians and mature disciples. May we “all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God,” supporting one another, challenging one another, and loving one another in your perfect love. Amen.
Ryan J. Mahle