Purgatory and the means to avoid it

Common fallacies about Purgatory They’re cleared up, in a book that liberated many a struggling Catholic half a century ago. In 1949, this English translation of Fr. Martin Jugie’s acclaimed book -- which had gone through seven editions in France -- was greeted as a much-needed corrective to popular fallacies about Purgatory, many of which continue to cloud the faith of good Catholics. Chief among those fallacies, writes Fr. Jugie, is that Purgatory is kind of “temporary” Hell, its pains differing only in duration. From this follows many other errors that can lead us seriously astray in our conduct and in our prayer lives.     Some of the vitally important truths Fr. Jugie imparts:   Why a balanced view of Purgatory must consider the joy -- not just the suffering -- of the Holy Souls Too often neglected: Why Purgatory is a consoling doctrine The radical difference between suffering in Purgatory and the torments of Hell Three chief characteristics of Purgatory. The three reasons a soul may go there Key distinction: the place vs. the state of Purgatory The two kinds of purgatorial pain, and their three functions. The “great pain” that is the source of all the others How best to understand the “fire” of Purgatory? One interpretation, favored by St. Catherine of Genoa, founded on sure dogma The duration of Purgatory. What is the measure of time for the separated soul? Two things that can shorten the pains of Purgatory Why it is not presumption to strive to avoid Purgatory Eight ways of avoiding Purgatory that draw their efficacy from the Sacraments. The surest one of all Eighteen other means of avoiding Purgatory, consisting of virtuous dispositions or practices, and acts of charity Five practices to cultivate the necessary “spirit of penance” The “new mode of knowledge”