The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-10-31
TRE4TIsE on PURG47OEY.
by ST. CATHARINE OF GENOA.

by ST. CATHARINE OF GENOA.
The month of November is usually set apart
by pious Catholics for commemoration of the
souls in purgatory, and for prayers and offer
ings in their behalf. AS specially BETTING the
season, therefore, we publish the beautiful
"Treatise on Purgatory by St. Catharine of
Genoa, with the predatory remarks by the
translator
When the 6 ates of purgatory opened to Dante
and his com panion with awful thunderous roar,
he heard min Cling with the sound chorus of
voices" We praise thee, o God!'-rising and
fading away like a solemn chant and sound of
the organ ucdeT the arches of some vast c2tho
dral.
And after ward. while pnrs,lin g th.ir journey,
they. felt the whrle mountain Of purgatory
tremblc. \ shout arose--"ti"Jy be- to God in
the IIighes, .'-s wel!cd by = " voice of every
suffering soul in that VAS :,.'.n II was The
expression OF universal. u">y.tl-h joy over tie
deliverance of one soal from It's bounds.
Such are tho tones thar ring Al! through the
"Treatise on PGrgatcr!" 10y 81. Catharlnc eff
Genoa-fn.l of praise, Of holy joy, and of IN
selfish love. 1t ought to be read beneath the
mid eyes of the Madonna III some old church,
TO the sound of solemn Music If you do not
meet in it the dazzHns On sola Of tue Grc7t
ElOrentiue poet, you feel their presence, and
yOn rejoice like him in the hooks of beauty
where "sprirg sweet, pale flowers of penitence,"
refreshed by the fragrant Qcws of Gods mercy.
The pat silent suffering of the tried souls
she describes, which are living on the glimpse
they had of the divine Splcndor at the moment
of death, is full of eloquence. They suffer in
in the beautiful bay Of Special, we are told
the sweet water rises up ont of the salt and
bitter
While reading this production Of genius and
of inspiration. no loL ger shrink from that
dark region, lighted up, "a it is, by rays of
Gods wonderful goodness. With St. Catharine,
we regard - as a provision of great mercy
which the soul gladly avails itself of as Il
means Of pUiitiCAt ion, which will lit il for the
awful presence of him in whose sight the very
stars are not pnre-a presence the soul could
not durc TIL it had purged " the worlds
gross darkness off, AS Fabcr says, "TEe mo-
Hent that in His sight it perceives its own IN
fitness for heaven, il wings its voluntary flight
to purgatory, like Il dove to her proper nest in
the SHADES OF the Forest 1t cries:
Take me away. ard in the lowest deep
And thcIe in hope the lone night watches keep,
There, InotionIess and happy in my pain,
Lone, not torlorn,
There viii sing my sad perpetual stain,
There win sing, and soothc my stricken breast
Which ne'er can cease
To thrcb, and pine and langush till possessed
III OF it7 sole peace. ,,
That sooner may rise, an go above
And gee him in the truth of everlasting day
NJ. lie Vicomte de Bussierre, in writing of this
treatise, says: " But is the state described by
the saint that of all the souls detained by
divine justice in this place of expiration The
reply to this question reqnires some preliminary
observations
The dogma of the Church respecting purga
tory is very brief. The Holy Council of Trent
is satisfied with declaring that there is a pur-
gatory, and that the souls therein detained are
helped by the suffrages of the faithful.
The Church does not define the nature of the
sutferings endured there, but this is our idea
of them:
This world is place of probation. In it are
prepared the materials for the construction OF
the New Jerusalem. Not only stones are wanted
lot Its walls but jewels for its decoration
diamonds are not cut in the same manner rs
common stones Thence we can perceive the
necessity OF different ways of preparing the
righteous for higher state of existence The
place each one will occupy in heaven is ire
Eocably fixed at the moment of death, but be-
iore taking possession of it, he must have the
highest polish of which he is susceptible, and
be without any defect or STAIN
Take two persons who are entering purgatory
One has passed his life in gross sensual plea
sures, but absolution with the necessary dispo
sitions has restored him to the paths of rig ht
eousness; the other has always lived in limo
cence and in the closest union with God, bu
slight imperfectons deprive him for time o
the beatiic vision. Shall it be said that thu
manner of purifying these two souls is The
same, and that their purgatory only differs il
point of duration 1t does not seem probable
we do not use the same means for removing
9ta,n from garment that we should for par
''Tre OF dust on polished mirror.
r,5 us explanation will better enable us tc
SIia stand st. Catharines treatise. Mos
~ HI!stlans believe that there are sensible pains
f t RuI Sdtory' 1t is the view commonly taker
not contradict this oninion. She sDeaks of 6
oPecIal Purlhcaton for certain souls, but with
~ ~ eAcIuulng any. The soul in question il
ot t5eAtlse Is diamond already cut will
ouueliul eNactnese, and from which the Di
Dream of Gerontrus" by Father Newman