Death is an involuntary journey or transition into afterlife, which is expected to terminate in heaven or in hell, for all eternity. To deny the existence of heaven and hell is to deny the reality of life itself. Heaven and hell are as real as the air we breathe in daily. What has remained in contention is the issue of purgatory, a half-way house between heaven and hell.

Many non-Catholics deny the existence of purgatory, because the word is not specifically used in the Bible. But there are some allusions to the possibility of sins being forgiven “in the future age”, i.e. after this life (as in Matthew 12:32), which does not apply to those who are already in the final destination of heaven or hell.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1030) defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven…for those who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified.”  Our God is not a God of extremism who casts souls directly into either heaven or hell; rather, He is a God of temperance and moderation who was ready to save the whole city of Sodom and Gomorrah if He could but find only ten just men in the city (Gen. 18:32).

Furthermore, only a few of those who died are automatic candidates for either heaven or hell. Majority of the dead are not immediately qualified for heaven or hell, falling slightly short of either, and thus need a period of purification or purgation before being admitted to heaven. Otherwise, afterlife would be absolutely dreadful and meaningless, devoid of justice and fair play, if there is no mitigation of any sort after death. But the souls in purgatory need our constant prayers to shorten their penance and qualify them soon enough for eternal salvation, rather than eternal damnation.

Who, indeed, are the candidates for purgatory? Very nearly all. In Romans 3:23, it is categorically stated that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Through procrastination, we tend to delay in making the necessary amendments and get called up, unprepared. Many are victims of sudden death through vehicular accidents, plane crashes, or stroke or heart attack; many die through fire disaster, flood, war, terrorist attacks, or collapsed buildings.  Death Has A Thousand Doors is a novel by Patricia W. Grey, whose heroine disappears in a web of mystery and family complications. So, only a negligible few have the opportunity to prepare for death and make the needed reparations.

Purgatory has to be real because God will not allow the evil one to gain such a massive control over humanity, leaving only a negligible few to make it into Paradise. He leaves that window of opportunity to enable us experience purgation and ultimate expiation of our sins.

What makes purgatory different from Hell is that it is a transitory and transitional state which purifies the soul through a chastening and cleansing process in preparation for ultimate acceptance into Heaven.

However, purgatory is not a hiding place for the inveterate sinner who invariably ends in hell fire. Apart from frequent violation of God’s commandment, committing any of the seven deadly sins makes us potential candidates for hell. According to the Roman Catholic theology, the seven deadly sins (also known as the seven capital sins, or the seven cardinal sins) are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, each of which constitutes a mortal sin. One who dies in the state of unconfessed mortal sin may not have the luxury of expiation through purgatory and may face immediate condemnation. That is why it is dangerous to procrastinate in making the necessary restitution because of the real possibility of sudden death.

Rather than indulge in sin, we should court the seven heavenly virtues which are humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence, which will serve as a direct passport to heaven without the need to stop over at purgatory. The following wise counsel should be kept to heart: “And so, keep and do the things which the Lord God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. For you shall walk in the way that the Lord your God has instructed, so that you may live, and it may be well with you, and your days may be extended in the land of your possession” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).