‘COMPARISON TO EXPLAIN THE IMPETUOSITY AND LOVE…’ ~ ‘Treatise on Purgatory’ by Saint Catherine of Genoa; 1915; Chapters VI-VII; pp. 17-21
[Saint Catherine of Genoa ~ XV-XVI Century; Genoa, Republic of Genoa/ Genoa, Republic of Genoa; (aged 62-63); Mystic; Spiritual Writer]“CHAPTER VI ~ COMPARISON TO EXPLAIN THE IMPETUOSITY AND LOVE BY WHICH THE SOULS IN PURGATORY DESIRE TO ENJOY GOD
LET us suppose that there existed in the world but one loaf of bread to satisfy the hunger of every creature, and that the mere sight of it could do this. In such a case a man, having naturally, if in good health, a desire for food, would find himself, so long as he was kept from dying or falling sick, getting more and more hungry; for his craving would continue undiminished, he would know that the bread, and nothing but the bread, could satisfy him, and not being able to reach it, would remain in intolerable pain ; the nearer he got to the bread without seeing it the more ardently would he crave for it, and would direct himself wholly towards it, as being the only thing which could afford relief ; and if he were assured that he never could see the bread he would have within him a perfect hell, and become like the damned, who are cut off from all hope of ever seeing God their Saviour, who is the true Bread.
The souls in purgatory, on the other hand, hope to see that Bread, and satiate themselves to the full therewith ; whence they hunger and suffer pain as great as will be their capacity of enjoying that Bread, which is Jesus Christ the true God, our Saviour and our love.
CHAPTER VII ~ THE WONDERFUL WISDOM OF GOD IN THE INVENTION OF PURGATORY AND HELL.
As the soul cleansed and purified finds no place wherein to rest but God, this being its end by creation, so the soul in a state of sin finds no place for it but hell, this being its end by the appointment of God. No sooner, then, does the soul leave the body in mortal sin than it goes straight to hell as to its allotted place, with no other guide than the nature of sin ; and should a soul not find itself thus prevented by the justice of God, but excluded altogether from His appointment, it would endure a still greater hell for God's appointment partakes of His mercy, and is less severe than the sin deserves ; as it is the soul, finding no place suited to it, nor any lesser pain provided for it by God, casts itself into hell as into its proper place. Thus, with regard to purgatory, when the soul leaves the body, and finds itself out of that state of purity in which it was created, seeing the hindrance, and that it can only be removed by purgatory, without a moment's hesitation it plunges therein : and were there no such means provided to remove the impediment, it would forthwith beget within itself a hell worse than purgatory, because by reason of this impediment it would see itself unable to reach God, its last end : and this hindrance would be so full of pain, that, in comparison with it, purgatory, though, as I have said, it be like hell, would not be worth a thought, but be even as nothing.”
Image: Gabriele Dell'Otto - Dante's Divine Comedy 3