The Jewish roots of purgatory
Jul 16, 2024
•Thank you for the beautifully written article on purgatory by Mike Aquilina in the July 12 issue.
I am a Jewish convert to the Catholic faith who was raised with very little religious education, and I actually felt more Jewish after my conversion to Catholicism than I ever had before. The article’s discussion of the Jewish/Old Testament roots of the Catholic doctrine on purgatory was enlightening to me. In particular, I was really happy to learn about the prayer, El Malei Rachamim, and looked it up so my niece and I can pray it together at my brother’s (her Dad) gravesite.
We all struggle with resentments and attachments that can distance us from God. Mercifully, he provides the sacraments for the living and this final means of purgation, or purification, to enable us to receive his love fully in the life to come.
— Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Church, Redondo Beach