How to Avoid Purgatory

Purgatory is the state in which we will make expiation for all of our sins which have not been satisfactorily atoned for. The punishment of purgatory is avoidable to varying extents based on how we atone for our sins in this life. Indeed, it is even possible to remove all temporal punishment for our sins before we die and immediately join our Lord in Heaven upon our death. Not only is this possible, but it should be our goal.

How is it possible to reduce or remove the pains of purgatory? There are several ways, which when combined, practically assure us of removing most if not all of our earned punishment. If we strive to achieve all of these goals, we will certainly enjoy eternal reward at the moment of our death. The following is a summary of the book How to Avoid Purgatory by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan.

The first means to avoid purgatory is to remove the cause of our punishment, namely sin. This is an incredibly difficult proposition, which is not entirely possible, since we are imperfect creatures. It is possible to totally eliminate mortal sin. If we die in a state of mortal sin, we will suffer eternal damnation. If we die with confessed mortal sin that we have not expiated, we suffer the most severe punishment in purgatory. We must strive to eliminate all mortal sin in our lives. Similarly, we must strive to eliminate venial sins, because punishment will be given for them as well. While we cannot completely eliminate venial sin, we can drastically reduce its frequency.

The second way to lessen our punishment in purgatory is to do penance. Penance most commonly involves fasting, prayer and almsgiving. The more healthy penance we are able to do in this life, the less punishment we will suffer in purgatory. We can make any unpleasant experience into a penance by offering our pain, discomfort, or stress to God.

The third means to avoid purgatorial punishment is to embrace our suffering. This does not necessarily mean we should seek it out, but we should accept the suffering that we cannot avoid and bear it without complaint. Fr. O’Sullivan describes this means of atonement as follows:

“Everyone in this vale of tears has to face sorrows innumerable and infinite in variety. Crosses light and crosses heavy are the lot of us all. Strange as it may seem, these sorrows, which most of us would gladly dispense with, are in truth God's greatest graces. They are the little share He offers us of His Passion and which He asks us to bear for love of Him and as penance for our sins.”

The fourth method of reducing or removing our time in purgatory is by making frequent reception of the sacraments of confession and Holy Eucharist. We should confess our sins on a regular basis, not just when we have a mortal sin on our soul. Frequently confessing our sins provides us with grace to avoid those sins in the future. We should strive to receive the Eucharist every day at mass in order to receive the graces that it bestows upon us. These graces cleanse us of our venial sins and also dispose us to avoid evil.

The fifth way to avoid purgatory is to specifically pray to God for that purpose. Asking God for the grace necessary to avoid purgatory and be happy with Him in Heaven is an especially powerful method. When asking for this grace, if we do so with faith and perseverance, we will receive it. We should therefore pray daily that God will free us from purgatory.

The sixth way to avoid purgatory is by resignation to death. Pope St. Pius X granted a plenary indulgence to those who after receiving the Holy Eucharist at the hour of death, say the following prayer: “Eternal Father, from this day forward, I accept with a joyful and resigned heart the death it will please You to send me, with all its pains and sufferings.”

The seventh means of reducing our suffering in purgatory is to receive the anointing of the sick (extreme unction). This sacrament prepares us to bypass the pains of purgatory and immediately enter Heaven. We must properly prepare for the sacrament so that we can receive it while we have full use of all of our faculties. We must understand exactly what we are receiving to obtain its full graces.

The Catholic Church also provides specific ways to directly reduce or remove our suffering in purgatory. These are called indulgences. There are two types of indulgence: partial and plenary. Partial indulgences remove part of the suffering due for our sins in purgatory, while plenary indulgences remove all of our due suffering. We should strive to make use of these opportunities for grace before we face the punishment of purgatory.

Here are instructions and specific actions which qualify for attaining indulgences:
The Enchiridion of Indulgences