Hi!  My name is Christopher; I was murdered in February of 1994. It was about 10:30 pm when someone rang my doorbell, I got up to answer and as soon as I opened the door, I saw a flash, heard a loud noise and then nothing.

 I opened my eyes and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. First, I’m at ceiling level looking at myself, lying strangely on the ground, in a pool of blood and a huge hole in my skull. In fact, the blood in which I was laying in, was my blood. So a lot of questions came to mind: “Why me?” “What did I do, what had I done?”

Suddenly, a light appeared, illuminating what looked to be some kind of long tunnel in the form of light, and in it stood an even more luminous silhouette. It beckoned to me to come ahead but I turned my back. At this time, I was telling myself, “No I don’t want to die!” In fact, I specifically thought, “I don’t want to die!” Hardly was this thought formulated, that the tunnel and silhouette disappeared.

From that moment on, I “lived” at MY house. But soon, other people came and settle in there. I didn’t know them! Who were they? Suddenly, a movie came to mind and I decided to drive out them.: What if I frightened them? That’s it I thought, they’d eventually leave! So I moved pieces of furniture around, lit the television, the radio on and off, I made pictures fall…stuff like that.

One day, the young girl who lives here sat on the edge of her bed, it seemed like her eyes were boring straight at me when suddenly, she started to talk to me: “You know, she said, my mother is very afraid of you, but I know that you don’t want to hurt us! So, I spoke to my religion teacher of about you and he said to tell you that you shouldn’t be afraid of the Light. You have to go there.” Then, I followed her as she rose and went to the kitchen where her mother was. So I sat on a chair and looked at them preparing the meal. I thought about how happy they looked when I wasn’t disturbing their peace and how rather childish it was of me to frighten them. I should just accept my death.

 “I made up my mind then and there and decided, I must enter the light”. No sooner had I said or thought this, the lighted tunnel and the luminous silhouette returned. I moved forward and there, to my great astonishment stood Jesus-Christ, waiting to receive me with open arms and to help me discover who I really was.

 Then an odd being appeared off to one side, and I found out it was Lucifer. Both, Jesus-Christ and Lucifer propositioned me to choose between the paradise and hell. Hell resembled some sort of large amusement park where one could live proud but alone. On the other hand, paradise was represented to me as a grey room but filled with people, all the people I loved. So I didn’t hesitate for a second; I chose the people I loved.

I looked at Jesus and I said to him that I loved him so much that I wanted to become worthy of him. He accepted me in with great joy, without deterring me from my resolve. That’s how I entered purgatory, by myself and for him.

Once there, in this place of penance, I isolated myself from the rest of the world I had entered by choosing a rock desert. I had convinced myself that by choosing such a place, I would more quickly become worthy of God. As time passed I felt increasingly sad, sad to a point where anguish was undermining me. I had chosen heaven to be with people I loved, but they weren’t here. I think about them all the time and its no wonder why I feel the way I do.

 One day when thinking about all people I loved, it all dawned on me. Discouraged as I was, I finally realized that I could be never worthy of God and that I’m simply like everyone else, a poor guy. And I also thought that a merciful,humble and loving God loved me as I was.

 The Lord saw that I was not well and came to see me.

- - What’s your problem, child?

- I miss you. My family, my friends, I miss all the people I love!

- You’ll see them again someday.

- - Oh God! I know that I’m not worthy of you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

At these words, an intense light shot through and illuminated me. Some kind of large barrier opened and revealed a passage I had never seen before. Jesus took to me by the hand and told me:

- - Welcome home, from the beginning of your wanderings from purgatory to purgatory until today you have finally become humility and love. You are now to be admitted to heaven. Get ready.

 Now, my eyes have really been opened.  Living as I do, face to face with God. He is an extraordinary being. On earth, one speaks of a being of light, I find this to be a beautiful and descriptive image, He radiates love and of humility because that is the perfect description of who and what God is. He helped me to become like him. For that I shall forever be grateful. I now understand earth is only one of six purgatories. Here, in heaven, dwells the true life, the eternal life.