Daily Inspiration

“Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” -Matthew 5:25-26

I often speak with friends who do not believe purgatory exists, and they ask for proof of it in the Bible. This passage has been on my mind for days and is presented today as part of the daily readings. It is one of the many proofs throughout Scripture that Purgatory exists.

If the afterlife is solely divided into heaven and hell, as determined by the final judgment, what is Jesus referring to in this passage? The prison he speaks of is not a metaphor for either heaven or hell. In heaven, there is no desire for release, and in hell, there is no possibility of it. Purgatory, on the other hand, is a temporary state where release is possible after we have been cleansed of our sins.

Jesus isn’t offering sound legal advice. He warns us of the danger of holding onto anger. He urges us to truly love our neighbors as ourselves. Christ calls for us to make drastic changes in our being to avoid the potential suffering of purgatory, where we will not be released until we have paid the last penny.

Saint Anthony Of Padua, pray for us.

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Jesus, I trust in you!