Through the month of November, I would like to address some of the topics related to death and the faithful departed. I would like to begin with, what happens when we die. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for Catholics to be confused by the absorption of non-Catholic teaching and popular ideas regarding death and the afterlife. So, what does the Church teach us? At the moment of our death, we are confronted with, Judgement then Purgatory-Heaven or Hell. Each of us will encounter Jesus and He will make a judgement concerning our eternity. We will then go in one of two possible directions. The dammed will go immediately to Hell. The redeemed will go in the direction of Heaven. A few will go directly to Heaven if their sanctification is complete, or stated another way, they are spiritually perfected. The rest of us pass through Purgatory, eventually arriving at Heaven. Purgatory is not a second chance at salvation. Our eternal destiny is determined at the Judgement after death. The souls in Purgatory are destined for Heaven. The doctrine of Purgatory, when properly understood, is a hope filled and wonderful comfort. Let me explain. Our salvation is offered to us as a free gift by the death of Jesus on the Cross. He has paid the price of our sin against the Father. His “offering” is the “atonement.” Our guilt is cleansed away. However, our soul is damaged by our sin. We need healing and restoration. The broken window analogy works good to help understand. A child breaks a window in the house by tossing a ball where he has been told not to. The child realizes his wrongdoing. He goes to his father and confesses and expresses his sincere sorrow. The father forgives the child. But the window is still broken. Although the child is forgiven, two things still need to be addressed, repair of the window and perfection of the child for being disposed to disobey the explicit command of the parent not to toss the ball near the window. Although the father may not require the child to pay the cost of the window, a good father will not simply say, “That’s okay. No problem.” He will provide a way for the child to understand the cost of his disobedience. The child will hopefully be “perfected.” Our God is a loving Father. He will lovingly nurture us if we listen, in this life and the next, Purgatory. This is why Mother Church urges us to strive for a holy life. It is our destiny. This is why your prayers for departed loved ones are important. They are striving for perfection. Our prayers are like cool drinks of grace on a hot day. The Lord be with you. Fr. Sid