The best explanation that I've heard is that Purgatory is like a big, long room. At one end is where all the souls of the dead enter. At the other end is Christ saying "Come to me. Come and be in Heaven. Come be with God's love." But, when you try to go to Him, you're held down by the baggage you carry, weather it be sins, or whatever. Pergatory is the process of letting go of that baggage to join Christ in Heaven.
The "Classical" (i.e. Dante) view of Pergatory is a bit different - it was a place where one attoned for one's sins until one was pure. Now, attonement could come in many forms - including things that we would consider Hellish (i.e. fire, torture or whatever). |
