‘HOW GOD MAKES USE OF PURGATORY…’ ~ ‘Treatise on Purgatory’ by Saint Catherine of Genoa; 1915; Chapters XIII-XIV; pp. 36-39
[Saint Catherine of Genoa ~ XV-XVI Century; born: Genoa, Republic of Genoa/ died: Genoa, Republic of Genoa; (aged 62-63); Mystic; Spiritual Writer]Chapter XIII ~ HOW THE SOULS IN PURGATORY ARE NO LONGER IN A STATE TO MERIT, AND HOW THEY REGARD THE CHARITY EXERCISED IN THE WORLD FOR THEM.
IF the souls in purgatory could purge themselves of their stains by contrition, they would in a single instant discharge all their debt, so ardent and so impetuous an act would they make, seeing in so clear a light the effects of the impediment which hinders them from attaining to their end, which is God, the object of their love. And be assured that the souls have to pay what they owe even to the uttermost farthing : this is God's decree, to satisfy the demands of justice. As to the souls themselves, they have no choice of their own in the matter ; they see nothing but God's will ; nor do they wish otherwise, because they have been so determined.
They would not care for alms contributed by the living to shorten their period of pain, were not those precisely balanced by the will of God ; they leave all in His hands Who exacts satisfaction as it pleases His infinite goodness. And could they regard those alms apart from the Divine Will, it would be an act of selfishness which would prevent their seeing the Divine Will, and would be to them a very hell. They remain immovably fixed on what ever God wills for them, and neither pleasure nor pain can ever again cause them to turn to self.
Chapter XIV ~ ON THE SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD THAT THE SOULS IN PURGATORY HAVE.
THESE souls are so closely united, so transformed into the will of God, that in all things they are satisfied with His most holy decree ; and were a soul presented before God with ever so little to purge away, it would suffer grievous hurt and a torment worse than ten purgatories.
That unspotted sanctity, that perfect justice, could not endure it ; to do so would be unbecoming on the part of God. Should, then, the soul perceive that it lacked even a moment of satisfying God most completely, it would be to it a thing intolerable ; and rather than stand thus imperfectly cleansed in the presence of God, it would plunge at once into a thousand hells.
Image: ‘The Last Judgement’ (detail) - Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, 1579