How to Get to Heaven Faster

By Charla Misse

God wants you to see his face. He wants to embrace you. He wants to spend eternity with you.

Our sins, however, prevent this from happening immediately when we pass. Even though Christ is yearning for us and even though our sins are forgiven, we must suffer in purgatory until justice has been served, and we have been purified.

Yet, in his infinite mercy, he has allowed us to diminish our time in purgatory through our actions on Earth. Indulgences allow some or all of our temporal punishment to be removed; they provide the remission of sins for those faithful who are in a state of grace.

The Church has instituted many ways to obtain partial and plenary indulgences through certain prescribed conditions and certain prescribed works. You and your family might enjoy researching some options to complete together. For example, my family made a pilgrimage to a site which had an attached plenary indulgence. There are various such locations or you might complete another act such as adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least a half hour.

The usual conditions to obtain a plenary indulgence (full remission of sins) would be to turn away from sin, complete the prescribed acts, make sacramental confession, receive Communion, pray for the intentions of the pope and recite the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Indulgences may be received once a day and may be applied to ourselves or to the souls of the departed. They may not be applied to those living on earth.

How amazing it is that we can hasten to see him! God truly loves us deeply.