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Purgatory can be considered as a gift of God. It is a gratuitous gift of God to those who might perish but are now being purified; those who might be lost but now being saved. Purgatory is a gift because God could have left only two possibilities- heaven or hell. But God offers purgatory as a gift of last resort, as a reprieve, as a cancellation of condemnation; as a sign of hope; as a pledge of salvation. So purgatory can be seen as a gift from merciful God.
Purgatory is an indubitable evidence of God’s infinite mercy and compassion. It is a proof of God’s unrelenting effort to save humanity. It is an assurance that God will stop at nothing to save us. The existence of purgatory is an incontrovertible sign of God’s desire for universal salvation- God who will leave no stone unturned, He will spare no effort to save us.
However, purgatory is a gift we may not desire, we may not require, we may not need- we should not need. Purgatory is the only gift of God that we may not need at all. Even God Himself will be delighted if we do not require this gift. “Be holy as I am Holy.” If we are holy as the Lord is holy, we may not need the gift of purgatory. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” If we are perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, we will not see the gate of purgatory. We pray for the grace never to make use of this gift!
