Your Hourglass

     “Like an hourglass with a certain number of grains of sand within it, God has appointed your life to last only a certain number of days, and you have absolutely no idea how many there are . . . In God’s presence consider: I have no idea when my life will end. All I know is that death will come for me eventually. Am I doing anything to prepare for the real possibility that God may call me, sooner than later? If He called me into eternity today, would I be ready?                                           Patrick Madrid


     During the month of November, the Church, in Her wisdom, has asked us to reflect on The Last Things: death, judgment, heaven and hell.

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.

St. Catherine of Genoa and the Fire of God's Love--Part 1

     “I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise. And day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed.  Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing.”

     This quote is from a book entitled “Fire of Love” by St. Catherine of Genoa, who was a fifteenth century mystic. Caterinetta Adorna was born to an aristocratic family and at age thirteen, she was denied entrance to the convent because of her young age.  After the death of her father, her eldest brother for political and financial reasons arranged a marriage for Caterinetta. The marriage was a disaster. Catherine’s husband was unfaithful to the point of having a mistress and child and squandered his fortune. The first five years of her marriage, Catherine withdrew from society. Her family pleaded with her to get involved with the social life of Genoa, thinking this would help. After another five years, Catherine instead fell into a deep depression.