By Olivia Obijiaku
An Ecumenist at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Peter Bauna Tanko has explained why the Catholic Church prays for the Suffering Souls in Purgatory. The priest who celebrated the Mass of All Souls at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, ABU, Saturday, November 2, 2024 gave the origin of the feast, explaining that the teaching on purgatory are scriptural though the word ‘Purgatory’ is not found in the Bible.
He also referenced the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on, ‘Let us pray and commemorate the dead. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. (1032); Job 1.’
“Purgatory is a place where final little sins are purged.” The priest catechized. “We must be purified because heaven knows no sin, otherwise, we can never enter into heaven. When it comes to celebrating and offering Mass for the dead, the Church says it is asking for their final purification or the purging of their own sins. Every little sin that is there must be flushed out before you can enter heaven because nobody enters heaven with a small blot of sin. We have sins of omission and sins of commission. There are sins we commit and we do not know we have committed them but they are there.”
“The punishment of those in purgatory is entirely different from the punishment of the damned – those who have already been sent to hell. So, the Church teaches that all who die in God’s grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified are indeed assured of their eternal salvation. But after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. We have to be purged. Our sins have to be purged out.”
“When we gather as a Church, we know what we are doing. We are following the scriptures. The tradition of the Church in her teaching on purgatory refers to certain texts in the Bible- texts in the scripture which talks about a cleansing fire. For example, 1 Cor. 3:15 and 1Pet. 1:7 talk about a cleansing fire. This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead already mentioned in 2 Mac. 12:24-46. It says, ‘Therefore Judas Maccabeus made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sins.”
“Some of the Protestant Bibles do not have the Book of Maccabees, so they do not know that this teaching is in the Bible. No wonder they ask that question, ‘Is it in the Bible?’ Yes, it is there. It is not in their Bible because their Bible is not complete. So, they do not know these things.”
“There are many cultures, many traditions that pray for their dead even if they have no Christian foundation. Before Christianity. People prayed for their people who have died. That was taking place in preparation for the arrival of Christ to confirm what was been done. In African Traditional Religion, before the arrival of Christianity, people prayed for their dead. People would go to the tombs and pray. So, it is like God sending a message. It is like a natural instinct.”
“So, the Council of Trent, the Council of Florence formulated this doctrine on purgatory. Councils are the gathering of the experts in Church teachings; experts in the scripture. They gather all over the world and they discern what the Bible teaches about this, about that. So, we have had several councils in the Catholic Church where after praying, after studying the Bible, they say, ‘This is what the Bible says’ it is not about, ‘This is what I say.’”
“The experts went deep to find out the meaning of the cleansing fire. It is not the fire we know but a spiritual fire – a way of cleansing spiritually that is not even seen by the eyes. The Fathers of the Church spoke about purgatory. It talks of a period when someone who has died has whatever stain of sin on him cleansed. That is where we call today purgatory. This is the teaching of the Church.”
“You not need a priest, you do not need a preacher to tell you what the Church says about Purgatory. It is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which comes in different sizes and colours. The book has everything you need to know about the teachings of the Catholic Church. So, I encourage you, educate yourself on what the Catholic Church teaches. After reading them, if you do not understand, then you can ask the priest for more explanations.”
Fr. Tanko charged them to continue to pray for the dead, not only on the Feast of All Souls but also at other times. He prayed that the Lord may enlighten them; help them to remain faithful to the Church and to struggle towards being saints; and forgive their sins at the end of time.”
