A Spanish theologian from the late Middle Ages once argued that the average Christian spends 1000 to 2000 years in purgatory (according to Stephen Greenblatt’s Hamlet in Purgatory). But there’s no official take on the average sentence….

Indulgence. Definition: a pardon, that released a sinner from performing the penalty that a priest imposed for sins.

Indulgence, a distinctive feature of the penitential system of both the Western medieval and the Roman Catholic Church that granted full or partial remission of the punishment of sin. …

In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (Latin: indulgentia, from indulgeo, ‘permit’) is “a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins”. Indulgences were, from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, a target of attacks by Martin Luther and other Protestant theologians.

You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. The return of indulgences began with Pope John Paul II, who authorized bishops to offer them in 2000 as part of the celebration of the church’s third millennium.

Individual judgement, sometimes called particular judgement, happens at the moment of death when each individual will be judged on how they have lived their life. The soul will then go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory depending on whether their actions have been judged as being in accordance with God’s teachings or not.

Purgatory, the condition, process, or place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven.

Roman Catholic Christians who believe in purgatory interpret passages such as 2 Maccabees 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 26, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11–3:15 and Hebrews 12:29 as support for prayer for purgatorial souls who are believed to be within an active interim state for the dead …

God Controls Purgatory, because the souls in Purgatory are Saved, and will be with Him in Heaven eventually. The souls in Purgatory are Saints.

Paradise is often described as a “higher place”, the holiest place, in contrast to this world, or underworlds such as Hell. In eschatological contexts, paradise is imagined as an abode of the virtuous dead. In Christian and Islamic understanding, Heaven is a paradisiacal relief.

Catholics may use a rosary as they meditate on the life of Jesus and call on Mary to offer their prayers to God. Catholics do not worship Mary or the saints, but ask them to pray to God on their behalf. This is known as intercession. Statues can also help to focus a person’s mind on an aspect of prayer or worship.

The rosary is more than a prayer. It symbolizes our destiny in and with God according to Mary’s example. To live up to this destiny, we need faith in God’s marvelous deeds for us, perseverance in his ways (hope) and a practical attitude toward living our faith, that is charity.

According to the Pallottine Fathers, after Night Prayers: “Many saints have had the practice of adding three Hail Marys here in honor of Mary’s purity for the grace of a chaste and holy life.”[1] Thus, it has been recommended as a daily practice for people who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation that they pray …