Have all those Catholic priests and layfolk alike who claim the recently deceased now reside in heaven forgotten that while the Church may be in limbo over limbo, it certainly has not purged itself of purgatory? It seems that many Catholics have adopted the Protestant position of baptism as a free ticket to heaven, contrary to Scripture and the Fathers.

On a related matter, Dom Hubert van Zeller offers the following consideration on purgatory:
The imagination is not more help to us in the matter of purgatory than in the matter of death. Nor do the emotions bring anything to our consideration of purgatory - save perhaps a nervous dread. All we have to go upon are a few texts from Scripture, the doctrine and tradition of the Church, and the cold light of reason. But in fact this more than enough. We can prepare for purgatory in the way that we prepare for death. In fact we can further than in the case of death, because we can experience a foretaste of purgatory in a more real way than we experience a foretaste of death. By ready suffering we can advance the pains which are due for the purification of our souls. Since only the pure of heart may see God, there has to be a process of cleansing either here or hereafter. So why not, by willingly embracing the pains and sorrows of this life, begin the purgatorical process now?