P is for Purgatory

My theme for this year's A- Z Blogfest is DEATH (who I hope is like DEATH in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series): "...tall, thin (skeletal, as a matter of fact), and ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Generally shows up when you're dead, or just when he thinks you ought to be." Today we have P for Purgatory.

La Divina Commedia di Dante (Dante and the Divine Comedy), fresco by Domenico di Michelino, in the nave of the Duomo of Florence, Italy

Purgatory is another one of those places you might end up when your dead. According to Catholic Church Doctrine, Purgatory is sort of a holding area for those souls destined for Heaven who did not in life reach "a sufficient level of holiness." The term dates back to pre-biblical times when it was believed that prayers for the dead "contributed to their afterlife purification." Supposedly, no soul remains in Purgatory forever. But. Half of forever could still be a pretty long time...


Excerpt from Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

"OH, YES, said Death. ONCE THERE WERE FIVE OF US . FIVE HORSEMEN. BUT YOU KNOW HOW THINGS ARE. THERE'S ALWAYS A ROW. CREATIVE DISAGREEMENTS, ROOMS BEING TRASHED, THAT SORT OF THING. He sighed. AND THINGS SAID THAT PERHAPS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SAID."