# Striving for Heaven, Not Purgatory
*2020-06-21*

> Bill Young reflects on the importance of Divine Mercy, shares a personal experience of a homily about purgatory, and leads the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, urging listeners to aim for heaven.

## Why Not Settle for Purgatory?

I begin with a question: why settle for purgatory when we can aim for heaven? A recent homily caught my attention when a deacon, after the Gospel reading, jokingly asked his friend to “save a seat in purgatory” for him. The priest smiled and echoed the joke. While humor can have a place, I think it’s dangerous to lower our goal to merely a seat in purgatory. As sinners, we rely on Divine Mercy; without it, we would indeed be destined for purgatory. The Church teaches us to strive for heaven, not to accept purgatory as a comfortable destination.

## Divine Mercy Sunday and Its Meaning

Divine Mercy was emphasized by St. John Paul II, who instituted Divine Mercy Sunday—the Sunday after Easter. The devotion includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Novena, and the Litany. At a recent service, because we could not receive Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Reconciliation in person, the priest offered a spiritual communion and an act of contrition, explaining that these can obtain the mercy of the day. This reminded me that Divine Mercy is not optional; it is a core part of our faith, rooted in the diary of St. Faustina and the revelations she received.

## A Call to Aim Higher

We must not set the bar so low that a “seat in purgatory” feels like an achievement. The Gospel repeatedly invites us to trust in Jesus, to love God and neighbor, and to seek heaven. Faith, even as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains. Our daily choices—confession, prayer, love of neighbor—are the means by which Divine Mercy draws us into heaven.

## Prayer: Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Let us now pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together.

Opening Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, source of life, pour forth your mercy upon the whole world. May the fountain of your blood and water, which flowed from your heart, bring salvation to all.”

We then recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed, followed by the traditional prayers of the Chaplet, invoking Divine Mercy in every mystery of the Holy Trinity.

After the Chaplet we pray the Litany of Divine Mercy, recalling the many ways God’s mercy sustains us—from baptism to the sacraments, from the Cross to the hope of eternal life.

## Closing Thoughts and Intentions

I ask you to join me tonight at 8 p.m. for the Rosary and the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, hosted by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Let us also pray for those suffering from illness, especially those affected by the coronavirus, and for the many lay ministers who bring the sacraments to the homebound. May the saints—St. Mother Teresa, St. John Paul II, and all the holy men and women—intercede for us, that we may share in the love of heaven.

*Our ultimate goal should be heaven, trusting in Divine Mercy, not a comfortable seat in purgatory.*