Purgatory

I promised to share my explanation of how Purgatory is like the Wizard of Oz on Monday; I just didn’t get to it. So, here it is today.

Do you remember on the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends got to the Emerald City? They went right up to the door and asked to be admitted. The guy in charge of the door inspected them and found them to be worthy to be allowed in the presence of the Great and Powerful Oz. They were worthy, but not ready.

They were still covered with the dirt and grime left behind from their trip along the yellow brick road and their excursions off of it. They were taken off to the side, to where people are made ready.

If you are still with me on this, do you remember what happened to them in the make-ready room? The Scarecrow and the Tin Man were taken completely apart, fixed and then put back together. The Scarecrow had some rotten straw in and among the good which needed to be removed and the Tin Man had rust and dents which had to be sanded off and banged out of him. The Lion had to be trimmed and brushed to remove all of his knots. Even little Toto had to be washed clean of the dust from the road and washed and fluffed before he was ready. It was only after the uncomfortable processes were over that they were clean and shiny and ready.

I imagine that it is similar to how purgatory will be for us. We will be judged worthy but not ready and the guy in charge of the gate will send us to the side to polish us until there are no more rotten or rusted spots. We will have to go through the awkward and sometimes painful experience of being made like new again, and only then will we be ready to stand in the presence of The Great and Powerful One.