In this edition, we'll conclude our discussion on the Existence of Purgatory. The Bible remains our source of reference.

Paul prayed to God to have mercy on the soul of his dead friend – Onesiphorus:

“May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the
Lord on that Day.” (2 Tim 1:18)

Of course, Paul knew that his prayer would be useless if Onesiphorus was in heaven or hell, yet he prayed for the soul of his dead friend. That means he believed that he could be in a place other than heaven or hell.

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul indicated the existence of purgatory as he listed the inhabitants of heaven:

“You have come to Mount Zion (the dwelling place
of God – heaven) and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels
(who were faithful during the angelic trials) in festal
gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who
are enrolled in heaven (that is, those who entered heaven
directly, e.g. the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the
apostles, the martyrs, etc), and to a judge of all (probably
referring to Jesus Who is both Judge and God), and to the
spirits of just men made perfect (most probably, souls of
righteous people who had an attachment to venial sin not
properly confessed or atoned for before they died but were
purified in purgatory).” (Heb 12:22-23)

The dying Tobit said to his son:

“Place your bread on the grave of the righteous,
but give nothing to sinners.” (Tobit 4:17)

The curious question is: For what reason was this done? This was because he believed that any act of charity done for the poor had a purifying effect, which benefited departed souls.

The whole story about the existence of purgatory is told in 2 Maccabees 12:38-45. The story concludes, with unmistakable reference to purgatory in these words:

“For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen
(died) would rise again, it would have been superfluous
and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking
to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall
asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
Therefore, he made atonement for the dead, that they
might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Macc 12:44-45)

Though the books of Maccabees and Tobit were rejected by the Protestant reformers and therefore are not in Protestant Bibles, one cannot ignore the historical reality of this event and the reality of the words that were said.