In the thirteen-hundred year history of the Catholic doctrine of purgatory very little has actually changed in regards to its written form within the theology of the Catholic religion. While not as elaborate and mystical in perception in the modern Catholic’s mind, the practices and understanding of purgatory remain intact. Throughout the development and growth of the Catholic Church and religion, purgatory has grown and evolved hand-in-hand with the sacrament of penance. Purgatory’s foundations lay in the idea of the blemished soul at death still requiring purification and repentance before entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. Penance is essentially the act of purification and repentance on earth, which, when unfulfilled, must be completed in purgatory.
Similarly, the later medieval practice of penance did not carry over into modern Catholicism. The form of practice of the sacrament of penance did, however, maintain its continuity and appears today much like it did during the medieval period. Modern penance consists of four stages, all of which with medieval foundations. The first stage is the confession of the sin to a priest. This confession is done in secret between the person and the priest. Following the confession the sinner expresses sorrow for the sin as well as a determination to try to avoid sin in the future. Next the priest absolves the person for the sin and subscribes some suggested act of piety for the penitent. Finally, the absolved penitent is satisfied, or purged, of the sin through some act of piety. In essence this process follows the pattern of contrition, confession, and satisfaction with only the contrition and confession being reversed in order.
The modern definition and conception of the sacrament of penance does differ some from the medieval idea. First, modern Catholic theologians define sin in two regards: original and personal. Original sin is the sin that all humans are born with that dates back to the creation of mankind and Adam’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Catholics are cleansed of this sin through the sacrament of baptism. Personal sin, however, are those acts committed by each individual after being baptized. These sins break the friendship with God formed through the baptism and thus require the sacrament of penance in order to restore the friendship with God. The conception of the broken friendship has medieval origins yet the linkage between the sacrament of baptism and penance seems to be a modern adaptation. Like the doctrine of purgatory, though, the sacrament of penance in the modern Church, too, has remained rather unchanged since its inception in the medieval Church. Whereas changing cultures, governments, and customs have made some impact on certain areas, the essential understanding and practice of the sacrament of penance still holds true to Aquinas’s writings.
Jesus Christ was endowed with all of God’s power according to the Bible, and according to the Catholic faith, Christ passed some of those powers, specifically the power of the keys to Heaven to his apostle, St. Peter. St. Peter, in the Catholic Church, was the first Pope and subsequently directly passes these powers to each new Pope. Thus, what each Pope writes and dictates is interpreted as God-inspired and infallible. Viewing Catholic doctrine from this perspective, it becomes clear why aspects of the faith have remained relatively unchanged in the eighteen-hundred year history of the Catholic Church. The doctrine of purgatory and the sacrament of penance well illustrate this point. In essence, the entire modern Catholic Church is a contribution of the medieval period. Its writings, doctrines, sacraments, and beliefs are traditions that have lasted through the centuries and still survive today. As architecture evolved, monarchies collapsed, technology exploded, and a new form of Christianity swept through most of Europe, the medieval Catholic Church endured and still continues to stand amidst an ever-changing world.
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