Salvation & Grace
Purgatory
Souls who die in God's friendship but still imperfectly purified undergo a final cleansing before entering the joy of heaven.
Catholic teaching
Purgatory is not a second chance for the damned nor a place of despair, but the completion of purification for those already destined for heaven, made possible by Christ's merits. The Church has always prayed and offered the Mass for the dead, presupposing that our prayers can aid souls being purified.
Biblical foundation
Judas Maccabeus made atonement offerings for fallen soldiers so they might be freed from sin, a practice Scripture calls 'holy and pious.' Paul describes a fire that will test each one's work, through which some are saved 'but only as through fire.'
Scripture references
Historical evidence
Second-century Christian funerary inscriptions in the Roman catacombs routinely ask the dead's friends to pray for their rest, and Tertullian around AD 211 mentions the annual custom of offering sacrifices for the dead on the anniversary of their death.
The Church Fathers
“We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthday anniversaries.”
“I beg you, by whatever power you have, to be mindful of my mother at the altar of the Lord.”