The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-10-31

Vic bOui BthNOB bho uuhy W. WV
will, IL must stay rebellious for ever IL II
be In state Of submission TO His will, nc
matter how fmperfectfy, 1t can never offend
Him Rgain. Even tho imperfection Of iti
resolve disappears, because that imperiec'
ton results from freedom of the wiii-from
the power to change Its resolution from
good to evil. It 10 Incapable thenceforth Of
any voluntary imperfection. Bat there are
involuntary imperfections still lingering
with 1t. Its history on earth has been Of q
mixed character; IL loved God and it loved
the world. Its affections were, to certain
extent, fixed on the things of time, giving
| God, not all, bat only the fret place. The
love of God had not consumed every. tenn
poral attachment and converted every af-
lection into fuel for its Owl fame.
Then what becomes of those affections,
those attachments, now that the soal 10 in
Pnrgatory 1t is certain that the soul can
not voluntarily consent 20 them Hereafter,
for that would be sin, or at least an i'm
perfection. Yet the force of the habit il
still upon the soul IS an imI ERECTION in
fact, though not in will, which units it for
the presence of God. TITS, as we IN
der.tard it, is what Sg. Catherine de-
dominates the " rus< OF SIM There il
upon the soul "rass1 of the earthly
habit of affection for something else than
God, and'tha rust uust disappear before
the soul will either be foIJy capable of sp,
preciating God 20 the extent of its powers,
or will be fit for his presence and the COM
pany of angels
So-, how does this rus. disappear, &C
eortipg 20 Sc. Catherine By sbe Purifying
FIRE Of lore in the soul itself. The bright
ness Of God fAlls upon that soul, freed from
the fesa, a upon a mirror, but . mirro
covered more or less by stains. The soul
by tke mere force of the natural instinct Il
lore God, which be implanted in it at it
creation, becomes aglow with the heat 0
that divine brightness, bat incompletely q
N proportion 70 the extent of its "rust
Of Imperfections This condition of things
hoEever, is not eternal. The fire of Low,
Burning in the soul gradually burns ava!
all the imperfection of minor affections anG
attachments until finally there is 10 i'm
Fe6ment whatever to its complete unior
with God, whereupon its banishmen t ceases
In the meantime this absence from
Heaven, this privation Of a union for which
exceedingly painful, as much 80, according
to st. Catharine, as the fire of He'll. AnG
in this, according to her, consists ali the
pain of Purgatory-in the fire oflove which
burns in the soul itself without ceasing ant
without qualification by union with it,
object. Thus our sympathy for those suf
fering souls is not diminished through hel
writings by any mistaken idea of iacon-
siderable pain on their part, while oul
hearts are drawn to them by the vivid pic
ture of their purity, their angelic sweet
ness, their perfect acceptance of the will o
God through all the agony of their delay.
Not only is this treatise most beautiful
and consoling in spiritual way, but, fo
many, it will throw light upon the dogma
tic question of Purgatory. Protestantisn
rejects Purgatory. though taught by the
Church in all ages. 1t gays that at death
the soul goes to Heaven or to He'll imme
diately. The will is fixed as it is found al
death. That is very well for a will whict
is actually in rebellion to God knowingly
and consciously also for a will which il
absolutely and perfectly Submissive to God
in all things; but what provision does it
make for an imperfect wilI-ope which is
careless about small faults or even attached
to them Suppose that a man dies while
his will is fixed not to kill or ipjare any
body for an insult, Undetermined to reply
to all insults with warmth and something
of anger. This is certainly sinful state
of the will. Must he 60 to He'll for it 2
Protestants of one wing will say eyes,
nothing sinful can enter Heaven" Others
of the other wing will say "No, he will 90
straight to Heaven the blood of Christ
washes away all imperfections."
The former of these doctrines makes
frailty as fatal as crime the latter puts
frailty on par with perfection. Common
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