Question:
Does suffering before death lessen purgatory length? I can’t help but think that people who suffer near the end of their live have a faster track to heaven...or is it just something I’m thinking to make me feel better about it.
Answer:
Yes, suffering on earth offered up and thus united with Our Lord Jesus Christ will lessen our time in Purgatory. That is the fruit of growing in holiness, of detaching ourselves from sin and attachment to sin (see CCC 1471-73), and that’s why some saints could possibly go straight to heaven upon death.
For more on this topic, see this article by Karlo Broussard and our tract on Purgatory.
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