The month of November is dedicated to praying for the souls in Purgatory. Through Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead and Ascension into Heaven, every person has the opportunity to live with Him in Heaven. However, just because Heaven is now a possibility, it does not mean it will happen for all of us, and for many, it won’t be right away. The truth is, after death, entrance through the “Pearly Gates” is not automatically or immediately given to those who have some degree of faith in God or to those who have been a “pretty good person.” While it is true that after death, one either goes to Heaven or Hell, the Church has always taught there is a state of purification for the believers who are not yet ready to enter Heaven. This purification that souls undergo is what the Church calls Purgatory. In a special way this month, and indeed at every Mass, we pray for all the souls who are in purgatory, that are being purified in order to receive the gift of Heaven.

Every soul must choose Heaven. We must actively accept to be in perfect union with God in Heaven. At the moment of death, every soul has one last chance to repent of his or her sins and choose to live with God forever, or not. If a soul does repent, maybe even for the first time in the person’s life, then that soul receives the certitude of God’s love and mercy, and the knowledge they will one day experience the fullness of life and love in Heaven. But an unclean soul cannot enter into eternal paradise and experience complete unity with God. The consequences of an individual’s sin remains after death even though God has forgiven the person’s sins. Since the soul has thus received a glimpse of the immense glory of Heaven, and the light of God has revealed the darkness in the soul due to sin; the soul sends itself to Purgatory to be purified so as to be made ready to receive the great gift of Heaven.