St. Catherine of Genoa and the Fire of God's Love--Part 2

     According to Catherine’s teaching, a remarkable transformation occurs within the soul when it stands before God. The soul appears to be united and in total agreement with the holy will of God.  There is no questioning to the length of time or the pain that they endure in Purgatory. There is no jealousy when another soul is released to heaven because one does not want to leave until all has been cleansed. When a soul is repentant at the hour of death, the guilt due to their sin is immediately forgiven, but the “rust” of sin is left, from which they will be cleansed by the pain of the fire. The pain that the soul experiences in Purgatory is similar to the pain of hell, but because the soul realizes the grievousness of sin and the great offense it is towards God, it would throw itself into Purgatory for as long as necessary.


     “I perceive there to be so much conformity between God and the soul that when He sees it in the purity in which His Divine Majesty created it, He gives it a burning love, which draws it to Himself, which is strong enough to destroy it, immortal though it be, and which causes it to be so transformed in God that it sees itself as though it were none other than God. Unceasingly God draws the soul to Himself and breathes fire into it, never letting it go until He has led it to the state from which it came forth—that is, to the pure cleanliness in which it was created.”

     Catherine goes on to teach us that the soul sees how very much it is loved by God and since it cannot yet be united with Him, which is the great cause of their pain. That while in Purgatory God is drawing it, lovingly and with much care to bring it to full perfection and all out of pure love.

     The treatise explains that there are rays and shafts of light that go forth from divine love to the soul which purify and destroy. She likens them to gold being purified to twenty-four carats. When it is pure, it can no longer be consumed by any fire, not the gold itself but only the dross can be burnt away. That is what God does to our soul. Self is destroyed within it until it is pure in God.

     “When the soul has been purified it remains wholly in God, having nothing of the self in it; its being is in God who has led this cleansed soul to Himself. The soul can suffer no more, for nothing is left in it to be burnt away. Were it held in the fire when it has thus been cleansed, it would feel no pain.  Rather the fire of divine love would be to it like eternal life and in no way contrary to it.”

     Catherine’s works ends in explaining that God gives the soul, in an instant, an understanding of Purgatory by imprinting two visions on their minds. The first is that He allows the soul to “know” the justice of Purgatory, which gives them the willingness to accept it and see it as God’s great love and mercy, which allows them to suffer without complaint. The second vision seen by the souls is the happiness they feel as they ponder God’s ordinance and the love and mercy with which He purifies their soul.

     Because of a special grace that is given to the soul by God, an immense happiness is bestowed upon them that grow deeper as they come closer to God.

     St. Catherine of Genoa’s teaching on Purgatory is both fascinating and comforting and is a true gift to the Church. St. Catherine died on September 15, 1510. Pope Clement XII canonized her in 1733. Her body is incorrupt and her feast day is September 15. Her other great work is entitled “The Spiritual Dialogue.”