Nowadays, most people don't give any thought to their death or what will happen to them after they die. Of the few that do consider their death, almost all presume that they are going straight to Heaven. Modern thinking goes something like this: "Because God is a 'Loving God' I can't believe that anyone has to suffer after they die!". Or another line of thought says: "I am one of the nicest people I know. I've never done anything really bad to anybody! Of course I am going straight to Heaven, why wouldn't I?".

Tragically this type of thinking is deadly and wrong. According to popes, councils, Doctors of the Church, Fathers of the Church, Saints, and, of course, the Holy Bible the vast majority of people go to hell when they die. A very small number go straight to Heaven. The rest go to Purgatory to repair all the damage of their sins (that have not been sufficiently atoned for yet) and to be purged of their attachment to sin. Remember how Saint Paul warns us, that we should "work out our salvation in fear and trembling." Strange language for someone to use if we are all going to Heaven. But the Saints, even though they are the closest to God (or perhaps because they are so close), are very aware of how difficult it is to save our souls, much less go straight to Heaven.

Closer to our own time, in 1859, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a poor young peasant at Lourdes, France, with an ominous message for a sinful world. Later in life, young Bernadette became a nun and grew in great holiness. She was canonized, not because she had seen the Mother of God but, because she had achieved heroic virtue before she died. It is interesting to see what her thoughts were about her own death and eternal destiny -

"When I am dead," said Saint Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), " people will say: 'She saw Our Lady, she is a saint' but meanwhile I shall be roasting in Purgatory."

I have told this true story for two reasons. First, to encourage all of you to seriously review how you are living your life. Are you doing enough to save your soul? ...... Are you sure?

Secondly - November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory by the Church. She desires us to be merciful to our brothers and sisters that are suffering intensely, so that they can enter into Heavenly bliss. God says if we want mercy we must show mercy. To pray and sacrifice for the Souls in Purgatory is one of the most merciful acts we can perform.

To explain this further and give some ideas that will help you fulfill your duties regarding the Holy Souls in Purgatory, I invite you to visit the Cathedral on our Catholic Kingdom website. There, you will find articles that deal specifically with Purgatory. Finally, I encourage you to join my Procession to Paradise Crusade and help us obtain the relief and release of tens of millions of Holy Souls by the end of November. I hope to see you there!