Purgatory means that people who are on the way to heaven

炼狱是指人们在进入天堂的途中
have to wait a while, and maybe,

需要等待一些时日接受考验
maybe just the good works that you and I might do will help them

也许人们生前所行的善事
get there sooner, rather than later.

会助其早些升入天堂
It's a medieval idea.

这是个中世纪的观念
The Catholic Church had to jettison the idea of Purgatory,

考虑到一战时伤亡惨重
which died in the First World War,

天主教会必须摒弃这种炼狱之说
because no one wanted to put up with the idea that an individual

因为没有人希望那些为国捐躯的烈士
who died for his country had to wait for 100 years in Purgatory

要在炼狱中煎熬一百年
in order to be able to get to heaven.

才能够进入天堂
Religious practices had to change

因此有些宗教习惯必须有所调整
to handle the unprecedented losses of war.

以便应对战争所来的前所未有的损失