How is 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 evidence for Purgatory?
I asked a friend about this; here is her response:A brief response to your question would be: The Church can grant a plenary indulgence to anyone who seeks it, but she cannot retroactively apply it to someone who is dead. It requires the active cooperation of the one who seeks it, not a passive acceptance. In other words, the Church has a storehouse of spiritual treasures, based most heavily on Christ’s sacrifice, which also contains other people’s sacrifices, almsgiving, and so forth, their corporeal and spiritual acts of mercy. She can apply it to those seeking to amend their lives and who cooperate with God’s Will. If the Church just flat-out granted them to anyone she sees fit or anyone who says he wants one but doesn’t want to do what’s required to gain one, she is denying the role of free will in our salvation. She would then in essence become like a overindulgent parent, letting children get something for nothing. That is the Lutheresque model; sit back, stay sinful, and let God
Related Questions
- Chanukah, Celebrated instead of Sukkot: What can you tell me about the Feast of Dedication being celebrated in place of Sukkot by the Maccabees when they rededicated the Temple?
- Why do Catholics believe in a place between Heaven and Hell called Purgatory? Where is Purgatory mentioned in the Bible?
- Does the Catholic church still believe in Limbo and purgatory?
