Martin Luther on Purgatory

As I indicated in the first part of this series, Martin Luther did not seriously dispute the practice of indulgences. What he did dispute, however, was how the money was spent. I neglected to mention another aspect of his criticism, which really relates to his overall view of forgiveness.

Martin Luther's theses revolve primarily around his view of repentance and forgiveness. As his first thesis states, "Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ ... willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance." A recurring theme is that, while he affirms a belief in purgatory (in theses 15-17, for example), he does not believe that prayer or indulgences can reduce the suffering of the souls in purgatory. As he writes in Thesis 84 (note that he again affirms a belief in purgatory):

Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"

I must stress, the Catholic Church does not teach that indulgences can buy salvation. Indulgences are penances that are meant to help perfect the soul of the sinner after he has accepted God's forgiveness. We can do our penance here on Earth, or later in Purgatory. What is at stake in Thesis 84 is whether or not we can affect the souls of others through prayer and sacrifice. Having agreed that we cannot buy their salvation, can we intercede for them by offering up our prayers and our own suffering for them?

The Catholic answer is unequivocally yes. Jesus, in John 15, invites us to participate in His Life. This means, at times, suffering for others. At all times, we should pray for others. By entering into the Body of Christ, we realize that we are not isolated from our brothers and sisters, but in communion with them. One man may go to Heaven, and his brother to Hell, but that does not mean that faith and repentance is a purely private matter. It is meant to be lived, to the extent possible, in community. We cannot love unless our love has an object. We are called to love God, but also our neighbor.

This is what God asks of us. So, when we offer up our suffering for others, can it work to perfect them? The answer is that God will perfect them, but He allows us to participate in that process. This applies even to those in Purgatory. Martin Luther's error is understanding that God is doing all of the work (Thesis 6), but underestimating our role in God's plan of forgiveness, redemption and salvation.