not looking good for purgatory. Stephen is so screwed now.
Role in relation to sin Edit
In addition to accepting the states of heaven and hell, Catholicism envisages a third state before being admitted to heaven. According to Catholic doctrine, some souls are not sufficiently free from the temporal effects of sin and its consequences to enter the state of heaven immediately, nor are they so sinful and hateful of Christ as to be destined for hell either.[29] Such souls, ultimately destined to be united with God in heaven, must first be cleansed through purgatory – a state of purification.[30] Through purgatory, souls “achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”[31] The Church makes a distinction between mortal sin, which incurs both temporal punishment and eternal punishment, and venial sin, which incurs only temporal punishment.[32] Mortal sin is a “sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”[32] “If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back.”[32]
In contrast, venial sin (meaning “forgivable” sin) “does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God”[33] and, although still “constituting a moral disorder,”[34] does not deprive the sinner of friendship with God or the eternal happiness of heaven.[33] However, since venial sin weakens charity, manifests a disordered affection for created goods, and impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good, it merits temporal punishment.[33]
The Church notes that purification from our sinful tendencies can occur during life. The situation has been compared to that of someone who needs to be cleansed of any addiction. As from any addiction, rehabilitation from the “disordered affection for created goods” will be a gradual and probably painful process. It can be advanced during life by voluntary self-mortification and penance and by deeds of generosity that show love of God rather than of creatures. After death, a cleansing process can be recognized as a still necessary preparation for entering the divine presence.[35]
