Nov
2
I Hate Overtime!!
November 2, 2007 |
I’ve got a big problem today.
I’m a good, devout, faithful, life-long Catholic.
But I’ve never been able to get my head around the concept of Purgatory.
I think of Purgatory as kind of like being in a ballgame and not knowing the score until the very end (heck, for that matter, not even knowing when the game is going to be over). At the end, you are told whether you have won, lost or tied.
I can deal with the “lost” aspect of this game. I haven’t seen too many folks who I would think are in danger of bunking with Hitler and Nero for eternity.
And I can deal with the “won” aspect of the game. Mother Teresa - in. JPII - in. My blessed Grandma - in.
It’s the “tied” aspect that gives me fits. And maybe, we are conditioned as American men to hate “ties”. Baseball goes into extra innings; football and basketball into overtime; American soccer into a shootout; golf into extra holes. In politics, someone will always get one more vote than someone else. In business, a company will always have one more percentage point of marketshare than its competitors. There just aren’t many ties in American culture.
And I think of Purgatory as a tie - good news, you weren’t bad enough to check your ticket for eternity in Hell; bad news, you weren’t good enough to get through the Pearly Gates either. Sorry, you are going to be on the outside looking in.
Or, is Purgatory kinda like overtime? Yes, we may be tied after regulation, but now we get a second chance to take the win. And more importantly - now we know the score, we are told how to win, and we are given heavenly and temporal teammates to help us get there through their prayers and intercessions.
With this said, I’m just not sure I believe in Purgatory. I understand it - but it’s the one area of Catholic doctrine that I have trouble accepting, even if I submit purely based upon faith.
Who knows, it could be as simple as my fear that, if there is a Purgatory, I’m not living my life well enough to get an immediate pass into heaven. I want the either/or of heaven v. hell because I can guarantee you I’m not going to hell. But, put another option into the equation and I fear I’m headed straight for that middle ground - and I can’t bear the thought of being told by Christ that I was close but just wasn’t good enough.
But, the more I think about it, I figure that if I live my life like there is a Purgatory, I cover my bases. I’ll live a good life that is worthy of heaven and won’t have to worry about the tie, in the likely case that I am mistaken about Purgatory’s existence.
And, yes I will pray today for the poor souls in Purgatory and will do acts of penance - in case Purgatory exists. And if these poor souls are instead in heaven, then I guess I can pray that they return the favor and pray for my soul to ensure I live the life I need to live to get the “win” and join them in our heavenly reward.
In any case, I hate ties and I’ve learned that the best way to avoid a tie is to play to win. You don’t have to worry about overtime if you take care of business in regulation.
So, if I live my life right, I don’t need to be worried about whether I’m off-base on Purgatory. And it is always good to keep our dearly departed in our prayers and our hearts, wherever they may be.
Just let us all commit to the win and avoid the possibility of overtime or the tie altogether.
Painting: Dante and His Poem - Domenico di Michelino (1417-1491) (Note: painting is a fresco in the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence).
