Gospel of Luke, chapter 12:48

It has been said that success is to be measured not so much by the position we achieve in life as by the obstacles we have to overcome to achieve it.

In the parable of the Faithful or Unfaithful servants (Luke 12:41-48), Jesus imparts a lesson about faithfulness. He offers two different images of His followers during His absence. The wise follower remains steadfast, doing his duty even in the master’s absence. The foolish follower adopts a complacent lifestyle and abuses his responsibility. The day of reckoning comes with the master’s return. The faithful follower receives his reward, whereas the unfaithful followers are “punished with a heavy beating” or “with a light beating” depending on their level of irresponsibility and failure to do the master’s will (Luke 12:47-48).

We are all very familiar with the two groups of followers of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, who will be separated on judgment day – the sheep on the right and the goats on the left; the faithful and the unfaithful. But what is this extra group that Jesus now talks about in Luke 12:41-48 who will receive “a light beating?” Surely this is not the blessed group in heaven for they will receive no beating at all. And it is different to the group in Luke 12 and Matthew 25 who will receive a “heavy beating,” (Luke 12:47) and be condemned to “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25-26).

Today’s scripture from Luke chapter twelve leads us to the realization that besides heaven and hell, there is an in-between state of remedial punishment; the “light beating” Luke talks about. The Church’s tradition refers to this state as purgatory; a state of temporary, remedial punishment for believers who die in venial sin. They cannot be admitted to heaven directly because they have guilt and yet they cannot be consigned to “eternal punishment” in hell because their sin is not mortal (1 John 5:16-17). Many Christians have a problem with this doctrine of purgatory. One reason for this is that the Reformation Bible does not include the book of Maccabeus 2 which supports this doctrine. The doctrine of purgatory makes sense, especially in light of today’s Gospel which provides a third alternative to outright blessing and outright condemnation on the day of judgment.

Today’s scripture graces us with God’s mercy as well as God’s justice . This is good news to the struggling brothers and sisters who never quite seem to measure up to Christian standards. It is a great source of hope for all of us to know that even if we die in an imperfect state, we may receive “a light beating” before being admitted to eternal happiness.

Fr. Hugh Duffy