So, once we have passed on, what happens to the stains of sin that we have placed on ourselves? "Nothing unclean can enter" God's presence, and Heaven is certainly God's presence. Time and again, the Scripture speaks of "purification by fire." This is what we call purgatory - the final purification before we enter Heaven.
Also, the Scripture teaches that the living can atone for the dead. (2 Macc 12:46). If the dead are in Heaven, what good does atonement do? Same question if they are already condemned.
There are also those who have gone on to heaven, with Christ.
The length of Purgatory depends on the sins of the departed. My assumption is that the time a 12 year old spends in purgatory is markedly shorter than someone who lived a life of pleasure and sincerely repented only on their deathbed - however, that is purely conjecture. The purification necessary is known to God alone.
Is Mary in heaven or purgatory?
There are some who have gone to Heaven without the need for purification. Elijah is probably the clearest example. Mary is another - the Church teaches that she was bodily assumed into Heaven. Assumption is not the same as ascension - the former is passive, the latter active. Only God can ascend to Heaven - it is an exercise of His Own power. Bringing others into Heaven is His assumption of them. You'll notice that, for all the importance we Catholics place on Saints and their stories and their relics (think St. Peter's Cathedral, built over St. Peter's tomb), we don't have any such place for Mary. Why? Because there is no history of her having been buried.
Are others you would “speak” to (as opposed to “pray” to) also in purgatory or must it only be to those in heaven?
This one is tricky, and I'm not quite sure. I imagine those souls in purgatory can hear us the same as those in Heaven - purgatory is a part of God's dominion just as much as Heaven and Earth. Saints who are canonized are "known" to be in Heaven. It is quite a process for a person to be declared a Saint. Private devotions (for example, to departed family members) are certainly allowed, but I imagine the process of purification makes one more righteous. Thus, the entire rationale for asking the assistance of Saints is nullified. Souls in purgatory are likely just as righteous as I am. As we know with God, it is quality, not quantity.
You've gotten me pondering a number of things. I look forward to continuing this discussion tomorrow. Pax Christi.
I’m out for a couple days. More thinking and then I’ll get back to you.
Okay, I’ve had a few days to mull your answer over. The great majority of what you have written here is based upon RCC tradition. That makes it nearly impossible to dispute, not because it is therefore automatically true, but because once your organization commits it to tradition, that puts it on par with the Scriptures and, in your world, irrefutable.
So, I purpose the following: While I am not persuaded that purgatory exists, nor that “speaking” to the dead is appropriate, I will continue to listen to the discussion. And I am still trying to connect how Mary could possibly “unite” Christians (which sounds like an active verb upon a passive object) without acting into history like God. This seems very troubling, if not nearly blasphemous.
Nevertheless, the ambition to have unity and asking God to bring that about, seems very appropriate. To that end, I will pray directly to God.
And as for the “Saint” explanation, I am still puzzled. Peter calls all of the folks he wrote to (the believing diaspora) “saints”. The Scripture notes that we are all saints, if we belong to Christ. This separate class, again seeming to arise only in RCC tradition, appears to be absent in Scriptures.