Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven…How Many Souls Inhabit Them?
Mark S. Roberti, Director of Stewardship
Heartland Parishes of Ellis County
“Strive to Enter by the Narrow Gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
What does Scripture teach? What did the early Church father and doctors believe? What do theologians today believe? What do you believe? None of us know the answer to this question. The Church, however, is much better qualified to speculate than you and I. In today’s article we will review the thoughts of great theologians, some of who are already canonized saints. We will then review some more current theological speculation.
Before we proceeds, let’s make one thing clear. The souls who are in purgatory are destined for heaven. There is no door to hell from purgatory. Purgatory, itself, is a tremendous grace. With all its terrible suffering, those souls would much rather be there than here on earth. They have seen God face-to-face. They realize that any suffering is worth the beatific vision of which they have already glimpsed. Those who belittle or condemn the doctrine of purgatory do not properly understand Scripture.
Purgatory is, as a Methodist minister I once met says, the divine shower room. It is the place (or state) where sins for which souls have forgiven, but for which they never had the chance to atone, are purged. In life, we atone for sins through prayers, good works, fasting, and almsgiving. In purgatory, it is as through fire. Whether that is truly through fire or through the pain of separation from God, theologians also spar.
This narrows us down to heaven and hell. Some of the great theologians of the early Church believed more people were in hell than heaven…some believed far more. Saints Irenaeus, Basil, and Cyril of Jerusalem felt that the majority of souls were in hell. St. John Chrysostom, called “Golden Mouthed” for his outstanding preaching said, “Among thousands of people there are not a hundred who will arrive at their salvation, and I am not even certain of that number, so much perversity is there among the young and so much negligence among the old.”
St. Augustine did not believe that all Catholics were saved, or even many of those Catholics who truly believed in Jesus Christ and did good works. Catholics needed to refrain from serious sin or repent of those sins and go to confessions. Likewise, St. Thomas Aquinas -- the theologian of theologians -- seemed to think only a relatively small number go to heaven.
Hum? So what makes great theologians like you and I think we are safe enough that we can be lax in our faith? Shouldn’t we be striving to enter through the narrow gate? Or do we simply believe as many of our Christian brothers and sisters do that all we need to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and we will be saved?
If we are thinking like that, I would like to strongly suggest re-thinking this matter. Our salvation and that of our loved ones is very serious business. We should take nothing in our lives more seriously. St. Paul tells us to “Work out our salvation in fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). And if anyone understood the grace of God, it is St. Paul.
Then should we fear for our salvation? In a healthy sense, I would say yes. In the early 1980’s a book was published by Cardinal Hans Urs Von Balthasar, titled “Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved.” He argued brilliantly the other side of the argument…that there is post-Resurrection scriptural warrant and teachings from other early father and doctors that allows such a hope. But his bottom line intimation was that although there is reason to hope and pray in that light, it’s not something on which to bet one’s eternal salvation.
Where we, as Catholics, have incredible hope for our salvation is in the Catholic Church -- the Church Christ established -- particularly the sacraments. They are “outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace.” They are “signs which effect what they signify.” The sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are, in particular, like incredible furnaces of continuously streaming grace which help us as individuals, flowing from the Church, that aid us. In fact, all the sacraments are like “power modules” that release stream of grace to us when we use them properly.
How many are in heaven, purgatory, and hell? On this side of heaven nobody knows. Your job, my job, is to take very seriously our spiritual life, that of our families, that of our parish, and that of the world. We need to go to Mass and Confession frequently. We need to be willing to suffer and offer those suffering up for our salvations, for the souls, and the world. We need to do good works. We need to get involved in our parishes and our community. We need to be leaven for the rest of the world. We need to be good stewards.
In conclusion, God does not seek to save us simply as individuals. He wants to save us as a faith community, a family of faith, His family. He wants that family to envelope the whole world. We can hope in and pray that through God’s grace and Jesus’ redeeming act all will be saved. But, when Scripture is examined as a whole, there is simply not enough there to warrant believing that being “born again” is sufficient or “once saved always saved” as some of our separated brothers and sisters teach and believe.
As Catholics, the message we are taught is be alert! Be vigilant. Be good stewards of the faith….time, talent, and treasure, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Strive to enter through the narrow gate.