You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast for Catholic kids that strives to plant seeds of faith.

Hey there, sprouts.

Today is Monday, November 2, 2020.

Today is also All Souls Day.

Now, before we dive into our Jesus series this week, we are going to spend today talking about the important things that we are commemorating it today. So yesterday on November 1st was All Saints Day. And on that day,

we celebrate all of the faithfully departed that are in heaven with Jesus for all of eternity.

We know many of their names because of the miracles

that have been achieved through their intercession after their death. Perhaps you have some

favorite saints up there. My favorites include St. Trez, St. Maximilian Colby, and many

others. But today, we celebrate all souls that have died.

Now, let's just recall that we as Catholics believe that after someone passes away,

there are three possible places that they will be sent after judgment before Jesus Christ.

They will either be sent to heaven

because of the virtuous and holy life that they lived. They will be sent straight to heaven to

enjoy all of eternity and perfect happiness with God. Another possibility is that because they

rejected God in this world, they will be unable to enter heaven and they will be sent to eternal punishment in hell.

Now, thankfully, there is a third place, and this third place is called purgatory.

Now, many souls are sent to purgatory because they lived a good life. They tried very

hard. But before they can enter heaven and stand in the full presence of God, they need a little

bit of purification. They need some more time to grow in holiness. And because our God is so good and so merciful,

if we die and we aren't quite perfect yet, he gives us more time. And he gives us a place to

grow in perfection so that we can stand in his presence, and that place is purgatory.

...