Episode 3060: St Thomas Aquinas - Difference of Orthodox and Catholics by Sharon - Part 3

Purgatory
• Aquinas: Purgatory is a necessary purification after death for those who die in grace but are not yet fully purified.
• The East: Prays for the dead, but often avoids defining purgatory clearly.
• Aquinas reasons:
“If the dead can be helped by prayers, they must still be in a state of purification.” (Supplement, q. 71)
Overview of the Disagreement
The doctrine of Purgatory touches upon one of the most pastoral and theological concerns of the Church:
What happens to the soul after death if it dies in God’s grace, but still imperfect?
Both the Latin West and the Eastern Orthodox Church:
• Believe that prayers for the dead are beneficial.
• Acknowledge that not all the faithful die fully purified.
However, St. Thomas Aquinas, representing the Latin tradition, gives a clear, defined explanation of the post-mortem purification process, which the Church would formally define as Purgatory.
The Eastern Orthodox, while accepting prayers for the dead and the reality of a state of purification, deliberately avoid defining this intermediate state with the same dogmatic clarity and metaphysical structure as the West.
Aquinas: Purgatory as a State of Necessary Purification
St. Thomas Aquinas, drawing upon Scripture, Tradition, and reason, firmly teaches that:
“If the dead can be helped by prayers, they must still be in a state of purification.”
— Supplement to the Summa Theologiae, q. 71, a. 1
This simple line reflects a profound theological truth:
If the soul is in Heaven, it does not need prayers.
If the soul is in Hell, prayers cannot help it.
Therefore, those we pray for after death must be in a third state neither condemned nor yet perfected.
Key Points from Aquinas on Purgatory:
1. Purgatory is only for the saved:
o Those who die in a state of grace, but with venial sins or temporal punishment still due, must be purified before entering Heaven.
o Heaven is the abode of the perfectly pure: “Nothing unclean shall enter it” (Revelation 21:27).
2. Purgatory is temporary:
o It is not a “middle” destination, but a process a necessary purging of all the soul’s remaining imperfections.
o Once the soul is purified, it enters eternal beatitude.
3. The suffering is real:
o Aquinas teaches that the pain of Purgatory is greater than any suffering on earth, because it involves the soul's longing for God while still undergoing purifying punishment.
o He writes:
“The least pain of Purgatory surpasses all the pains of this life.” (Sentences, IV, dist. 20, q. 1, a. 1)
4. The Church can help the souls in Purgatory:
o Through Masses, prayers, almsgiving, indulgences, and sacrifices offered on their behalf.
o The faithful on earth form part of the Communion of Saints, and their works can assist the suffering souls through spiritual merit and divine mercy.
The Eastern Orthodox View: Prayers Yes, Dogma No
The Eastern Orthodox Church shares a similar pastoral instinct:
They pray for the dead in the Divine Liturgy and believe that these prayers benefit the souls of the departed.
However, the Orthodox tend to:
• Speak of the “intermediate state” without the precise doctrine of Purgatory.
• Emphasize mystery over clarity regarding what happens after death.
• Reject the Western scholastic structure of temporal punishment, merit, and satisfaction as overly juridical.
What they accept:
• That the soul may undergo a process of purification or development after death.
• That the Church’s prayers have power before God on behalf of the deceased.
What they often reject or avoid:
• The term “Purgatory”, especially as defined by the Council of Florence (1439) and Trent (16th century).
• The Latin legal framework of “satisfaction” and “temporal punishment” due to sin.
Some Orthodox theologians use the language of “toll houses”, where the soul after death encounters demonic accusations for sins committed in life. These teachings vary widely in emphasis and are not universally accepted within Orthodoxy.
Aquinas’ Rational Defense of Purgatory
Aquinas makes a powerful logical argument for the existence of Purgatory:
1. Justice demands satisfaction:
o Even when guilt is forgiven in confession, the temporal punishment due to sin often remains.
o As a man must repay a debt even after being pardoned, so too must the soul “satisfy” divine justice.
2. Purity is necessary for vision of God:
o No soul can see God until it is fully cleansed of all attachments, imperfections, and debts.
3. Experience teaches us:
o Most Christians die not in mortal sin, but neither in perfect sanctity.
o If Heaven is for the perfect and Hell for the damned, a third state must exist for the imperfect just.
Scriptural Foundations (Aquinas’ Use)
Aquinas draws from several scriptural texts:
• 2 Maccabees 12:45–46 — “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”
• 1 Corinthians 3:13–15 — “The fire will test what sort of work each one has done… If any man's work is burned up… he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
• Matthew 5:26 — “You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
These and other texts, while not always admitted by the East (e.g., Maccabees is not in the Jewish canon), form part of the Catholic tradition supporting the doctrine of Purgatory.
Defined Doctrine vs. Reverent Ambiguity
Aquinas’ doctrine of Purgatory gives the faithful a clear, just, and hopeful vision:
• Justice is satisfied.
• Mercy is available.
• The soul, though imperfect, is not cast out but purified.
• The Church on earth can assist the dead through prayers, sacrifices, and especially the Holy Mass.
In contrast, the Eastern Orthodox position, while affirming many of the same spiritual practices, lacks the dogmatic precision found in Aquinas and the Latin Church. It prefers mystery and trust to metaphysical definition.
Ultimately, for Aquinas, Purgatory defends both God’s justice and His mercy, and offers the faithful hope not only for the next life but for helping others now through acts of love.