Q&A: I have an old holy picture of Mary, entitled Our Lady of Purgatory. She is seated upon a throne with the Christ Child, people burning in fire at her feet and angels leading some persons out of the flames. Is there any foundation for this title and for this holy card?
Father J. Patrick Gaffney, SMM
Our Lady of Purgatory
First, a few words about purgatory.
Does not Jesus proclaim; “Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8)? Pure of heart means totally dedicated to the Lord; Jesus is telling us that only those who are completely turned to Him can see Him face to face. Our present life is a constant wrenching from our many inordinate attachments, (e.g. over-anxiety, wealth, prestige, pride, holding grudges, etc.). Jesus demands that we “leave all” to be with Him. Life in Christ is a daily purification, a turning from the things which are not the Lord’s, to a total, loving surrender to God.
Purgatory is the final wrenching or purification needed to enter the joys of heaven. Presuming that when we die in grace, we are not fully turned to the Lord, there is a final – and understandably painful – wrenching from ourself, freeing us from all sinful subjection to the world. For only the “pure of heart” see God.
Purgatory is not just a future fact; it is, in a certain sense, a present reality, as we daily die to ourselves and live more intensely in Christ Jesus. The maternal, effective influence of Mary is truly powerful in turning us ever more completely to the Lord. She is Our Lady who assists us “now and at the hour of our death” to undergo the necessary wrenching from ourselves, so that we may truly live for God Alone. This is probably what the picture and the title intend to portray.
Remember, concerning the graphics of the holy card you mention, the decisive teachings of the Church concerning purgatory do not impose any obligation concerning fire, a place of cleansing or the duration, kind and intrinsic nature of this necessary final purification.
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Our Lady of Purgatory: Italian Painter: Ludovico Carracci: 1610
This painting has an additional title: An Angel (Through Mary) Frees the Souls of Purgatory
