Both of these passages imply that some sins, not forgiven in this world, will be forgiven in the world to come. Is this "world to come" only heaven (the place of eternal joy) or is it possible that there is a place of purification (purgation) as well; a place where the uttermost farthing is paid? Again, let's look at a place in Holy Scripture where heaven is described:

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27, NIV)

Even if we have the smallest unrepented sin upon our soul, we are impure, defiled and cannot go straight to heaven. That is because this unrepented sin is a refection of our pride, a lack of total dedication to God. It may be the smallest of all sins, but it still constitutes a stain upon our soul. So how do we get rid of it once we have passed into the "world to come?"

"No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, NIV)

"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24, KJV)

These verses tell us that upon our judgement, a purification takes place and that God does the purification. That which is unsuitable for heaven is consumed so that only that which is pure remains. Since at the moment of our death we pass from "this world" into the "world to come," this purification must take place in a place other than heaven. We call this place "purgatory," the place of purification. How long does this purification take? No one knows since when we leave "this world" we enter into the world where time has no domain, the Eternal Now.

Recommended reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, paragraphs 1030-1032
Rumble, Rev. Dr. Leslie & Carty, Rev. Charles Mortimer, Radio Replies, First Volume, TAN Books & Publishers, Rockford, IL 61105, 1979, paragraphs 951-969

Q. Why do you pray for the dead?

Because we do not know how long the period of purification takes for any individual soul. The Bible which was used by all Christians until the 16th century says:

"He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." (2 Maccabees 12:43-45, RSV-CE)

God would not have inspired the Jews to pray for the dead; a prayer called the Kaddish, which is prayed daily in the Synagogue services; if such prayers were of no avail. The Kaddish has been prayed from before the time of Jesus until the present day. Jesus, the perfect Jew, nowhere condemns this practice although He does take other practices to task; such as searching the Scriptures for answers instead of looking to Him (John 5:39). We pray for our loved ones, and all those whose souls are in purgatory, so that they may sooner enter heaven and behold the full glory of God.

Recommended reading:
Rumble, Rev. Dr. Leslie & Carty, Rev. Charles Mortimer, Radio Replies, First Volume, TAN Books & Publishers, Rockford, IL 61105, 1979, paragraphs 970-992

Q. Explain indulgences.
Q. What does it mean when they say 500 days indulgence?

An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishments for sins, whether we sin against one another or against God directly. Once the sin has been forgiven, some restitution is necessary. If, for instance, I broke your window, knocked on your door and apologized and you forgave me, I would still be expected to pay for the repair of the window. If you told me that I did not have to pay for the window, or at least only for a part of it, you would have granted me an indulgence.

An indulgence is not a permission to commit sin; it is not even a forgiveness of past sins. An indulgence is concerned only with the debt of temporal punishment which we owe to God after our sins have been forgiven in the sacrament of penance (or by an act of perfect contrition).

The granting of indulgences is doctrine in the Catholic Church, a doctrine whose application was very badly abused in the sixteenth century. The doctrine can be definitively traced back to the third century at which point it appears to be well established and is based scripturally on the power of the keys and the ability to bind and loose (see chapter titled "THE PAPACY").

The Church has exercised this power by remitting temporal punishment from the very earliest days of Christian history. In those early times, when Christians had a much greater horror of sin than we have nowadays, repentant sinners had to perform great penances before they would be readmitted to fellowship with the Christian community. A sinner might have to do public penance for forty days, or three years, or seven years, or even for the rest of his life--depending on the seriousness of his sins and the amount of scandal given. Examples of such penances were the wearing of rough sackcloth with ashes sprinkled on the head, fasting, scourging one's body, retiring to a monastery, kneeling at the church door to beg prayers from those entering, or wandering as a beggar through the countryside. When we see that an indulgence of 500 days is granted, this refers to the amount of temporal punishment which would have been imposed in the early Church.

Indulgences can be gained only for oneself or for those in purgatory. Indulgences cannot be gained for living persons other than oneself or for sins which have yet to be committed.