When we die, we immediately go to purgatory, correct?

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A plenary indulgence when all the conditions are met wipes out all of your time in Purgatory.
 
You don’t want to do anything to go to hell for.
And you have between now and then to make sainthood, and go strait to heaven.
OTHERWIZE a bout of purgation seems the last option.
 
K9Buck said:
It’s difficult for me to imagine any human being, aside from Mary, as being pure enough to come face-to-face with God immediately upon death.
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We have indulgence practice, the Divine Mercy devotion, and the teachings of St. Therese and Fr. Paul O’Sullivan providing directions on how we can conceivably skip Purgatory and go directly to Heaven. Most people choose to ignore these “helps” and just assume that everybody goes to Purgatory. St. Therese said that people who assume they will need to go to Purgatory get what they expect.

The modern version of Purgatory as being this happy place where we get a pleasant spiritual cleansing before meeting the Almighty is directly at odds with St. Therese’s teaching that Purgatory is a back door last ditch entry to Heaven for people who weren’t going to get there otherwise, and that it actually hurts God for us to assume we go there. (Also at odds with the historical view of Purgatory as being a very unpleasant place similar to a mini-Hell.) But of course, we have had the discussion about the 1001 views of Purgatory that Catholics have on many other threads, and my posting here about it again is probably not going to change anyone’s mind.

I personally am going to follow St. Therese’s recommendation and NOT plan on going to Purgatory myself.

In case anybody else would also prefer not to go, here’s a self-help guide:

How to Avoid Purgatory, by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan
 
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You have been the only one who put it in these terms and I was curious about this as well. I hope my time will be short in purgatory but if not ok.
So if I understand you correctly we could possibly avoid purgatory due to how intense our own suffering is while we are on earth for some of us?
 
God wants everyone to go straight to Heaven when we die. St. Therese of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church taught this. He wants us to hope for this and is hurt when we don’t. Growing in trust in Divine Mercy and devotion to Mary are very important if we want to console Jesus by going straight to Heaven when we die.

This is discussed in the book 33 Days to Merciful Love by Fr. Michael Gaitley
 
If we allow that suffering to cleanse us from attachment to creations and sin. If we offer our personal suffering for the good of others - it is then that we are most Christ-like.

Even then, we rely 100% on God’s grace to fill the gap.
 
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As the end of life draws ever nearer, I seem to be granted a clearer understanding of that end. And from that understanding, God’s incomprehensible mercy and grace are placed in proper perspective.
 
In all honesty, I think we should accept with gratitude ( easier said than done)all the pain and sufferings that this life has to offer- especially sufferings that are totally out of our control and REALLY REALLY wish that it didnt come our way… still, even if some suffering is the result of our sin/mistakes, the sin of others, or just how our body and life is…I think God is STILL in control of those sufferings, as well…meaning God allowed the suffering and even preordained it…( yes this is kinda confusing but…basing it on my own experience at the moment)

…so basically, even if it will be at times incredible hard and you suffer heavily with losses in all parts ( physical, mental, social, spiritual) if you just TRY to be at peace with the suffering and offer it for the good of your own soul, the soul of others and for the kingdom, then it will be worth it,

I also learned that if you choose not to 'TRY to accept your sufferings, it will pretty much feel like a mini hell for you…,being angry at God, blaming and hating others, regrets…

This is getting long but…suffering heavily in all areas daily for nearly 2 years now with no prayer for relief and being going from a healthy 34 year old to now being diagnosed with heart failure due to extreme stress…i truly truly feel like my time is coming short and this suffering was give to me by God to purify my soul, to do some penance before entering purgatory and all the more…before taking me home…
 
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Jesuslover said:
Through suffering we conquer our own flesh and draw ourselves closer to Christ on the Cross. That is the purpose of fasting and asceticism. Those who die in a state of grace but still attached to material goods will need to be purified first, because there are no fleshly desires in heaven.
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Funny you say that, because I’ve had my share of suffering in this life, and it hasn’t drawn me closer to Christ; it’s driven me farther away.
 
Can anyone help me find biblical verses about purgatory for my essay
 
I remember holding my mothers hand not long before she passed and she said ‘I keep asking God to take away my aches and pains and just leave it in his hands but it’s hard ’. And I said ‘ I suppose we have to remember Jesus suffers with us’ and it just felt so inadequate and I wished I could make her better. I hated feeling like the stronger one and I was scared. I just hope that her suffering and my sadness has helped us have less time in purgatory. Just had a cry typing this . I pray for all the holy souls
 
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As to the thread title: We do not go 'to" purgatory as much as we go “through” purgatory. It is a process, not a place.
 
Looking at NDE like Howard storm or Howard Pittman. It seems that people believe what the have experience or what they are taught
 
Lost_Sheep said:
Funny you say that, because I’ve had my share of suffering in this life, and it hasn’t drawn me closer to Christ; it’s driven me farther away.
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It is not an automatic thing. Suffering can either embitter us, or it CAN be a means of our drawing closer to him. He understands suffering. If anyone deserved to live a suffering-free life it was him. If he suffered so terribly despite who he was and the good the did, then who am I to expect better treatment?

Here’s the thing. If we have any reasonable hope of heaven, that should put things in perspective. If heaven someday is a definite hope of mine, then I have a certainty that someday, all the bad in my life will disappear and all the good will become stronger and last forever. That thought helps me hang in there. Jesus’ death on the cross was redemptive. The cross in and of itself was horrific, humiliating, possibly the greatest act of suffering and evil ever committed. But God redeemed that suffering and through it flung open the doors of heaven for all who will believe and follow. So too with us, he can redeem our suffering and bring forth real good out of it. But it doesn’t make the suffering fun or easy. And it doesn’t mean I don’t try to avoid it. I do.

In order to access his redemptive power in my suffering, I ask him to come into my suffering and accompany me through it. It’s a comfort to me that he understands how hard it is.
 
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