What to do so as not to go to purgatory? We must repent – receive Jesus as our Saviour, live by faith. We should also make the most of mental or physical suffering which purifies our soul. God allows it in the form of humiliation, ridicule, defamation, scolding… We should accept it from the hand of God, give thanks for it and be aware that this is now my purgatory instead of the purgatory after death, as St Augustine said: “Chastise me here, O God, and do not spare me now, in order that I may be spared the punishment (fire) of Hell.” I want to love myself truly, so I do not want to be in purgatory for a single minute.

Therefore, our hearts must be set aflame with fire, with the fire of pure love. We must be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, i.e. walk in the Holy Spirit. Jesus says: “I cast fire on the earth, and how I want it to burn!” (Lk 12:49) Where should this fire burn? In us. It should purify us. It is a fire of zeal, pure love for Jesus. A fire that should burn all manifestations of our pride, self-love, envy, self-pity, criticism, rebellion, impurity, our dependences on things, people or on our plans. This fire should burn it all up. Jesus will then truly be our Lord.

For example: An envious or impure thought enters your mind. Stand in the light of God and confess this sin to Jesus. But your soul has been defiled by this thought or image. It is necessary that fire should purify your soul and burn this thought. You can imagine fire and say: “This thought is a lie. It has incarnated itself in my emotions, but I did not want it to. It is the mechanism of sin in me which incarnates it immediately. Lord, let Your fire burn it all up! Let it purify my heart of all impure thoughts, feelings…”

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