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We Already May Be in Purgatory
The Peterson Postulate
“What if this life is just a test so we can become better people?”
—The White Lotus HBO TV series
What if God has sent us all to Purgatory?
It’s our second chance in His Reformatory.
Here, we toil and strive while He is watching us.
Normal life in fact is a test ingenious.
We all face temptations that we must reject,
Only then becoming one of His elect.
Being good and faithful that’s how He’ll surely tell,
Whether we’re meant for Heaven or for flames in Hell.
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LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 6,200 poems in 88 of his 112 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.
Yes Roy, every day is a test. I appreciate the reminder of that. Thanks for the read.
It surely seems that way!
Religion Question
Christians and Muslims all agree,
There will be a judgement day.
If I could ever question God,
Here is one thing I may just say:
“In case we do not pass your test,
In the course of the human race;
If we could fail and burn in hell,
Why create us in the first place?”
Interesting perspective.
When I was an undergraduate, a Jesuit Theology professor told the class that some modern Catholic theologians had made the suggestion that Purgatory need not be a place of hellish torments, but rather a chance to “re-experience” the situations and occasions of your past sins, and live through them again and make better decisions as to how you should act. He said that this was just a speculation, and not a doctrinal challenge to the ordinary Catholic teaching on this subject.
As early as the Patristic period, there was some debate as to whether Hell was a place or a condition. Instead of thinking of the afterlife in terms of physical locations (far up in the sky for Heaven, or deep below the surface of the earth for Hell), one might very plausibly assume that these “places” were states of the soul. A condition of utter separation from God, with no chance of happiness, could just as well be an inescapable “hellish” state, while the condition of being perpetually in the presence of God and enjoying the Beatific Vision did not necessarily demand a specific “location.”
Dante’s Commedia tries to finesse the point, by making hell an actual place (a deep funnel of descending “circles” going down into the bowels of the earth), and also a condition, because the souls suffering in these circles receive “condign punishment” that matches and befits the nature of their terrible sins. The funnel says that hell is a place, while the variations in punishments say that the torments inflicted there are calibrated to the “conditions” of the souls.
Thank you so much, Dr. Salemi, for sharing your thoughts on theology. I thought of what you and James Sale might say regarding Purgatory while I was writing this poem. The background provided by Dante was also influential. The last sentence of your second paragraph regarding conditions for heaven and hell is a position I have long espoused about absence from God being a “hellish” state and being with God is a supernal state that could exist anywhere.
A terrific poem, Roy, on a most evocative subject. I’ve sometimes heard it said that this is hell, but I much prefer your idea of this time on a challenging Earth to be Purgatory. Like you, I believe that God watches us all to see what choices we make and what our actions are. May we all choose wisely.
Brian, I much appreciate your perspective and caution at the end whether or not we are in Purgatory.
What a huge idea packed into punchy lines – I like it. I think Jesus was sent to exactly the same place we’re in (and still are) with exactly the same problem He had… speaking the Truth to those who prove a threat to Truth tellers because Truth threatens all things naughty. Roy, thank you!
Susan, thank you for your precious observations about where we are and the uplifting of truth, which is a value we both share.
I’m late to the White Lotus party – I’m starting with Season 3. I hadn’t viewed it as a source of philosophical enlightenment but I need to watch it with fresh eyes going forward. The series shows many temptations that very few people seem able to reject which does make it a very good analog for the real world we dwell in. Great poem!
Excellent thoughts about a tv series for which I was also late to the party. I heard the quote in an ad on television for the series and was intrigued.
Good ideas, Roy. The very best comes from classic Catholic doctrine on Purgatory. If you make it there, you have no more to worry about. You’re already judged worthy of Heaven, BUT your sins made you someone not quite ready for God’s presence, without some polishing by fire to refine away the remaining spots. No more tests and trials, though, but also no more opportunity for improvement.
My Catholic friends tend to call the present time on earth a punishment for our past lack of saintly zeal. But that’s really good as well. because punishments are much easier on earth. You can accept them willingly and merit greater graces. Not so in Purgatory, where all you can do is suffer, and nothing helps you get through it except prayers and sacrifices of those still on earth.
The punishment idea comes from the Bible, especially the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s job as a prophet was to tell people it was too late to avoid punishment. God was furious at their sins, and even though they should stop committing sin, they were on the way to exile in Babylon. No more fighting the Babylonians because God had decided the outcome, and fighting would just mean useless suffering. Indeed, resistance to the Babylonians was disobedience to God. You can imagine this was not a favored view, but too many people took it. They were punished when they could have deserved better.
So I prefer your view that normal life on earth is meant to be a place of testing and temptations. We need to be good and faithful to deserve Heaven, and never forget that Hell is possible if we are lax and careless. There is still Purgatory, because God asked a lot when Jesus said, “Be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect” (last verse of Matthew, chapter 5).
My choirmaster’s comment is always to aim for the high notes of Heaven. If we decide that Purgatory is good enough because we’ll get to Heaven after a while, and don’t care if our notes are flat, the music is bad. Don’t aim for Purgatory and fall into Hell, but always aim for Heaven to make good music and live lives as nearly perfect as possible. Be the white lotus rising out of the mud but untouched by it!
Margaret, you gave a beautiful biblical theological discourse worthy of a full sermon. As you may no doubt have surmised, I have read the entire Bible and believe in its tenets. I followed your thoughts carefully and with admiration for your precious presentation. I hope others take the time to read what you wrote, as well.
Roy, you’ve got me pondering. Purgatory and praying for the dead show up in 2 Maccabees, written in Greek by Jason of Cyrene. He was big on Greek ideas-souls living forever, needing a cleanse after death. Those concepts slipped into Hebrew thought and later spiced up Christianity.
The Hebrew Bible doesn’t show Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob praying for the dead. They focused on the living-asking God for safety or blessings. Death meant mourning, not prayers. When David’s son Absalom died, he cried hard but didn’t pray for his soul.
Jesus didn’t pray for the dead either. He raised them, proved death isn’t final, and talked about judgment and resurrection-not helping souls afterward. Judas Maccabeus prayed for his dead soldiers, Greek-style, but Jesus stuck to God’s power and living right.
Still, I see how Purgatory could prop up a priestly group to boss folks around-something Jesus tore down. Maybe it’ll fade out like limbo someday.
Mike, that is a great lesson which you shared so well. I appreciate your perspective and thoughts on the subject. Thank you for the biblical references and considerate presentation that have added to my own thought process.