Purgatory (Doctrinal, Historical, and Poetical) | Page 8

between them and God save only the pains they suffer, which
delay the satisfaction of their desire. And when they see how serious is
even the slightest hindrance, which the necessity of justice causes to
check them, a vehement flame kindles within them, which is like that
of hell. They feel no guilt, however, and it is guilt which is the cause of
the malignant will of the condemned in hell, to whom God does not

communicate His goodness; and thus they remain in despair and with a
will forever opposed to the good-will of God.
* * * * *
"The souls in Purgatory are entirely conformed to the will of God;
therefore, they correspond with His goodness, are contented with all
that He ordains, and are entirely purified from the guilt of their sins.
They are pure from sins because they have in this life abhorred them
and confessed them with true contrition; and for this reason God remits
their guilt, so that only the stains of sin remain, and these must be
devoured by the fire. Thus freed from guilt and united to the will of
God, they see Him clearly according to that degree of light which He
allows them, and comprehend how great a good is the fruition of God,
for which all souls were created. Moreover, these souls are in such
close conformity to God and are drawn so powerfully toward Him by
reason of the natural attraction between Him and the soul, that no
illustration or comparison could make this impetuosity understood in
the way in which my spirit conceives it by its interior sense.
Nevertheless, I will use one which occurs to me.
"Let us suppose that in the whole world there were but one loaf to
appease the hunger of every creature, and that the bare sight of it would
satisfy them. Now man, when in health, has by nature the instinct for
food, but if we can suppose him to abstain from it and neither die, nor
yet lose health and strength, his hunger would clearly become
increasingly urgent. In this case, if he knew that nothing but this loaf
would satisfy him, and that until he reached it his hunger could not be
appeased, he would suffer intolerable pain, which would increase as his
distance from the loaf diminished; but if he were sure that he would
never see it, his hell would be as complete as that of the damned souls,
who, hungering after God, have no hope of ever seeing the bread of life.
But the souls in Purgatory have an assured hope of seeing Him and of
being entirely satisfied; and therefore they endure all hunger and suffer
all pain until that moment when they enter into eternal possession of
this bread, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Saviour, and our Love.
* * * * *
"I will say, furthermore: I see that as far as God is concerned, Paradise
has no gates, but he who will may enter. For God is all mercy, and His
open arms are ever extended to receive us into His glory. But I see that

the divine essence is so pure--purer than the imagination can
conceive--that the soul, finding in itself the slightest imperfection,
would rather cast itself into a thousand hells than appear, so stained, in
the presence of the divine majesty. Knowing, then, that Purgatory was
intended for her cleansing, she throws herself therein, and finds there
that great mercy, the removal of her stains.
"The great importance of Purgatory, neither mind can conceive nor
tongue describe. I see only that its pains are as great as those of hell;
and yet I see that a soul, stained with the slightest fault, receiving this
mercy, counts the pains as nought in comparison with this hindrance to
her love. And I know that the greatest misery of the souls in Purgatory
is to behold in themselves aught that displeases God, and to discover
that, in spite of His goodness, they had consented to it. And this is
because, being in the state of grace, they see the reality and the
importance of the impediments which hinder their approach to God.
* * * * *
"From that furnace of divine love I see rays of fire dart like burning
lamps towards the soul; and so violent and powerful are they that both
soul and body would be utterly destroyed, if that were possible. These
rays perform a double office; they purify and they annihilate.
"Consider gold: the oftener it is melted the more pure does it become;
continue to melt it and every imperfection is destroyed. This is the
effect of fire on all materials. The soul, however, cannot be annihilated
in God, but in herself she can, and