Roman Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory, part 5—Purgatory is not a Second Chance and, What is Grace?
Roman Catholicism does not teach that Purgatory is a second chance at salvation. Purgatory is a place where those who are saved go to suffer temporarily. Those in Purgatory died in the state of grace, but may have some unrepented venial sins or may have to make satisfaction for forgiven mortal sins. There they suffer until admitted into heaven (see Catholic Catechism #1030). In that case we must ask, what is grace? Can you die in a state of grace and still have to suffer for your own sins? Can you make satisfaction or payment for your own sin? Hermano Sandoval taught that we cannot know who is going to heaven and who is not because we have not been judged yet, that is, judgment before God after our death.1 However, John wrote, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1st John 5:13) John did not write so that you may wonder, or worry, or think, or hope. Neither does he write you might have, or may gain, or
