In the System

Today, I had the dubious pleasure of delving into the dark world of our government-run insurance company.  Let me start off with the preface that my oldest has diabetes melitus (for those who don't know that is type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes).  It is (at this time) incurable, but can be managed with daily monitoring and insulin.  He has to see his endocrinologist four times a year, but in our insurance company's infinite wisdom he is still required to get a referral from his "primary care doctor" once a year.  Well, I just got a bill from his endocrinologist because the insurance company did not pay a red cent to him for my son's care.  What is the first thing I do?  I called the doctor's billing office.  I thought I'd check to make sure that they had submitted the bill to the insurance company before I called.  They don't work on Friday.  So, I called the insurance company directly.  Well, the rude person on the other end of the phone felt it her job to talk to me as if I were five and inform me not only was there no referral "in the system" but that I would need to go to his primary care physician and my local insurance company's office to get one.   I said, "Thank you," and hung up the phone before I said something very unchristian.  Well, after trying several local numbers for the insurance company and the medical clinic where my son's primary physician works, I decided to go there and find a real person to talk to.  First I went to the pediatric clinic where my son's doctor works.  The lady who worked there was very helpful but could not see any reason why there was no referral "in the system" but she could not find it either.  I explained that his last primary doctor said he would take care of it, and in my experience with him, he always did what he said he would.  She had another nice lady check to see if a referral had been ordered and put "in the system."  Well....she produced a piece of paper that said that his doctor had put in the referral. 

Next, I need to go to the insurance company's office down the hall.  I went to "referral management" first but she said I need to go to the other office in the next hallway.  I went to that office and she seemed happy enough to help.  She, condescendingly, told me that there was no referral "in the system."  That piece of paper said that a referral was to be put "in the system" but is not proof that is it indeed was put "in the system."  She would do me the favor of putting in an exception request just for the appointment he had over a month ago, because there was no referral "in the system."  She went on to explain how it was my responsibility to make sure that the referral had gone through.  Let get this straight--I took him to his primary doctor like I was told to do--I filled out all the paperwork I was told to--the doctor put in the request, in April mind you--that request somehow did not get "in the system"-- and I was responsible for it not being "in the system" because I didn't notice that I didn't get a piece of paper in the mail that tells me it went through.  Riiiiigggghhhhtttt.  It is all my fault.  So, after controlling my self very well, I went back to the "referral management" office.  The lady there (thanks Jean, if you ever see this) looked "in the system" to see if it was there.  Apparently, someone had tapped on a keyboard somewhere about the referral because there were "notes" on it "in the system."  However, "for some reason" there was no referral "in the system."  So, she said she will put it "in the system" and make sure it is back dated.  I have her number now to make sure it is "in the system" on Tuesday.  Because, after all, it is my responsibility to see that it is "in the system", even though I did everything I was supposed to do.  If that three hours of mental torture is not good for some time in Purgatory, I don't know what is.  Please God, don't make me ever go there again.

10 Easy Ways to Avoid Purgatory

I hope my title catches attention. No, I am not really saying it will be "easy" but there are easy things you can do as an offering to God.

1) Daily Prayer.
Consistently, every day, ask God to give you His Grace to go to Heaven right after death. Remember Luke 18: 1-8, persistent prayer will be answered.

2) Frequent confession.
Going to confession often helps us to avoid sin also. After all, do

Michaelangelo's 'Last Judgement'
on the wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

you really want to sit in front of the priest, yet again, and tell him you did that?

3) Frequent Mass and Holy Communion.
Attending Mass every Sunday and Holy Day is not only required but it is so beneficial it is a mystery to me, personally, why people do not see the advantages to attending. Devout attendence removes much of the temporal punishment for sin, and can potential remove it all. Attend as many week day Masses as you can for even more benefit.

4)Regular Penance.
Self-denial is an excellent way to make up for your sins. Reading Scripture, fasting, going without dessert, turning off the your favorite show, playing with your children, giving to charity (give time as well as money or things), serving at Church in some capacity, and making more time for prayer.

5) Daily Rosary.
Mary's 9th promise to St. Dominic was that anyone devoted to the Rosary would be delivered from Purgatory. Praying 5 decades every day fosters this devotion.

6) Offering up your death.
Offer all your pain or suffering or fear as a sacrifice to God for the temporal punishment we all deserve.

7) Offering up your daily crosses.
All your burdens, pains, duties, all those little jobs you hate doing (cleaning up dead mice is my favorite) can be offered up completely to God. These things are going to happen to us anyway. Give it all to God.

8) The Sacrament of Anointing.
This sacrament helps when we are sick and when we die. This sacrament takes away temporal punishment for sin. If you confess your sins, or you are already in a state of Grace, you can maximize the benefit of this Sacrament.

9) Plenary Indulgences.
A plenary indulgence, once granted by God, can potential remove all temporal punishment of confessed sin. Here are four easy to remember potential plenary indulgences:
#1 Spend 30 minutes before the Blessed Sacrament--in devout prayer and/of meditation.
#2 Spend 30 minutes reading Sacred Scripture for devotional purposes.
#3 Make the Stations of the Cross.
#4 Say a public rosary. Say it with a Church group, family, or prayed aloud in a church by yourself.
Don't forget however, that to gain a plenary indulgence you must receive communion, make confession within a week, and say some prayers for the intentions of the Pope (ie, an Our Father and a Hail Mary)

10) Partial indulgences.
A partial indulgence, once granted, potentially remove some of the temporal punishment of confessed sin.
Some ordinary ways to gain a plenary indulgence:
#1 Visit Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for any length of time
#2 Visit a cemetary and pray for the poor souls in Purgatory
#3 Devoutly wear or display a crucifix, rosary, scapular, or holy medal.
#4 Teach or study Catholic doctrine for any length of time.
For a partial indulgence you must, silently or vocally, express an intention to gain it.

There are many, many more things we can and should do because we owe everything to God. Pray, read, go to Mass, protect and value life, be happy.

Primary source: Beginning Apologetics 8: End Times: What Catholics Believe about the Second Coming, the Rapture, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Indulgences, by Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, San Juan Catholic Seminars, 2005.