The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-11-19

know that we think although we cannot understand
! how we think.
We have before US in print, what appears to be
spiritual revelation to st. Catherine of Genoa of
the way of purgation of the souls of Purgatory.
We are not bound to believe in st. Catherine IS
revelations about Purgatory more than we arc
bound to believe in the passion story of five thou
sand ashes no more and less, suffered by Christ
at the pillar, with St. Bridget authority for
mathematical accuracy. But there comes the con-
selling reflection that perhaps St. GATHERINGS de-
scription is so near to reason, and therefore -
Gods love, that it will chase from the mind the
terror inseparable from death. The vision of the
aged woman, before mentioned, passes before Us.
IT'S for her. and others who may be i'll the same
condition of mind and body, that we quote from
St. Catherine of Genoa lis for the purpose Of
repairing the mischief provoked by PurgatOry pic
lures that we present the other and brighter side
This holy soul est. Catherine), yet i'll the flesh
found herself placed in the purgatory of Gods
burning love- which consumed and purified her
from whatever she had to purify, in order that
after passing out of this life she might enter at
once into the immediate presence of God her Be
loved By means of this furnace of love she unde--
Purgatory to get rid of all the rust and stain of
sin that in this life left unpurged As she,
plunged in the divine furnace of purifying love,
was united to the object of her love, and satisfied
with all that He wrought in her, so she understood
it to be with the souls in Purgatory, and said:
The souls in purgatory, far as L can understand
the matter but choose to be there; and this
by Gods ordinance who has justly decreed it So They
cannot reflect within themselves and say L have
done such and such for sins, for which deserve to
be here" they say. ''Woud that had not
done them. that might go to paradise nor yet
say THAT soul is going out before me-; Il shall
go out before him. They remember nothing of
themselves others, whether good evil which
might increase the pain they ordinarily endure; they
completely satisfied with what God has ordained
for them, that He should be doing all that pleases
Him, and in the it peases Him. that they are in
capable of thinking of themselves. in the midst
of their greatest sufferngs. They behold only the
goodness of God, whose mercy is great in bringing
men to Himself that they cannot see anything that
may affect them, whether good bad if they could
they would not be in pure charity They do not know
that their suerings the sake of their sins
can they keep in view the sins themselves; do
ing So there would be an act of imperfection, which
could have place where there can be no possibility
of actually SHINING. :"
don't believe it would be possible to find any joy
comparable to that of soul in purgatory except the
joy of the blessed in paradse,-a joy which goes
increasing day by day, God and more flows
in upon the SOUL which He does abundanty proper
ton every hndrance to His entrance is consumed
away The hndrance is the rust of sin; the fire con-
sumes the rust and thus the goes on laying itself
open to the Divine inf1owng.
1t is as with covered object The object cannot
respond to the rays Of the not because the sun
ceases to shne-for it shines without ntermisson.
but because the covering intervenes the covering
be destroyed again the object will be exposed to the
sum- and will answer to the rays which against it
IN proportion as the work of destruction advances
Thus the souls are covered by rust-that is, sin
which is gradually consumed away by the fire of |
ourgatory the more it is consumed, the more thew
respond to God their true Sun; their happiness in
reases as the rust falls off, and lays them open to the
Divine ray; and their happiness grows greater |
rs the impeachment grows less, till the time is accom-
olished. The pain, however, does not diminish but |
'hy the time OF remaining in that pain. AS far as
heir Will is concerned these cannot acknowledge
he pain as such completely they satisfied with
he ordinance of God entirely is their will one with
{ III pure charity.
st. Catherine makes it clear that senaration
from God is the greatest punishment of Purgatory.
She says
All the pains of purgatory take their rise from sin
original or actual God created the soul perfectly,
pure and free from every spot of SIM with certain
hstmctlVe tendency to find its blessedness in Him.
From this tendency it is drawn away by original sin
ma sui more by the addition actual sin; and the
arther off it gets, the more wicked it becomes he
ause 1t is less in conformity with God.
Ihngs are good only so far they participate in
7od' 10 irrational creatures God communicates Him
cir without fail, as He wills, and as He has deter
mined; to the rational soul or less according as
1e hnds 1t purified from the impeachment of sin: so
nat when soul is approaching that state of first
ur1ty and innocence which it had when created the
SthctVe desire OF seeking happiness in God develops
sel ana goes ON increasing through the fire of love
Vhich draws it to its end with such impetuostv and
ehemence that any obstacle seems intolerable and
he more clear its vision the extreme it's pain
NOW because the souls in purgatory are without
ne gum Oh sin there is nothing to stand between God
nd them except the punishment which Rooms 49,
ack' ana prevents this instinct from attaining its
er1ecuon and from their keeny perceiving of what |
1onent 1t is to be hindered even in the least degree
~ YET tnat justice most strictly demands hindrance
mere springs within them a fire like that of hell
EAnlN cArunlIcc M c..,