Eternity 101: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory by Fr. Mike Schmitz

Fr. Mike started his talk with a question that is asked by most people, “How do I get to Heaven?” He then said that most people believe that good people go to Heaven when they die, but that is untrue.

Fr. Mike gave us this scenario: If you die and are standing before God and He asks, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” What would you say? “Because I am good.” or “Because I go to Sunday Mass?” None of these would be good answers. He then explained that the correct answer would be: Because Jesus Christ died for me, and because of that I have chosen to live for Him.

Fr. Mike then said that this can only be a possibility if it’s true that Jesus is God.

In the talk he also talked about how G0d gives us two choices; we either choose Heaven or Hell. He explained that if you choose Heaven, God will give you Heaven – and Heaven is 100% accessible to everyone, as long as we choose it. He then went on to say, “God does not send anyone to Hell, he simply lets you go to wherever you choose.” Fr. Mike then shared more thoughts about God’s decisions. God is not a dictator, there are clear boundaries, He gives us a set of rules, and He lets us decide our own fate. Our choices matter. He is a loving Father.

Fr. Mike spoke about death and how when we die our body is redeemed; we will have a resurrected body like Jesus’. Then, we will not get sick, die, experience corruption, or grow old – and we will be able to fly and teleport!

Fr. Mike also talked to all of us about how Purgatory works; he explained that Purgatory is a waiting area for Heaven. You will be ready for Heaven when your heart learns to love as He does. He also explained the literal meaning of the word Purgatory, “Purgatory means purification.” He went on to say: “If you go to purgatory you cannot go to Hell.” The next stop will always be Heaven!

Written by Dominic Masek
I am going to be a sophomore at Missouri State University. I am studying Promotion/Advertising BS. Some may also say I am a Fortnite master with my 800+ wins.