Purgatory II:

According to the Saints

2019-Nov-16   . . .   By: ncdm

Purgatory is a place of terrible and inexpressible suffering much like that of Hell, but at the same time, it is also a place of astounding peace. The souls are in pain, but unbelievably they are joyful as well, as they are cognizant that the reason why they are there is to recompense the debts from their sins and imperfections that they have committed while living on earth. They are definitely assured that eventually they’ll be cleansed of the ‘stains of sin’, and be forthrightly worthy to appear before God totally purified as gold. These ‘stains of sin’ stand as the remaining hindrance to that beatific vision and union with the Lord.

The torments in Purgatory are unimaginable, even the greatest sufferings on earth seem just a walk in the park, but those poor souls have peace. The souls concede and fully admit that even if heaven is to open for them, they would instantly sink themselves into a thousand Hell rather than appear before God still blemished and flawed. They have ‘interior satisfaction’ as they are constantly consoled by the angels, assuring them that eventually they’ll be freed and be united with the Lord. The happiness they enjoy is of no comparison to any prosperity or contentment on Earth. The flames of Purgatory are more desirable rather than appalling, as the souls are certain that these purify them, helping them wipe clean the stains of sin.

Below are inspiring quotes from the Saints who were privileged to have personally experienced Purgatory as granted them by the Lord.

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#1. Gertrude of Helfta.. 1256-1302, Italy [Thuringia]

“As to the prayers, God does not regard so much their length as their fervor. A single word from the heart has far more power to free a soul from Purgatory than the recital of many prayers and psalms without devotion;.. the hands are cleaned better by a little water and much rubbing than by merely pouring a large quantity of water over them.”

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#2. John Chrysostom.. 347-407, Syria [Antioch]

““Not by weeping, but by prayer and almsgiving are the dead relieved. No pompous funeral nor profusion of wreaths are of any avail without good works. It is far more to the purpose to give to the poor the money which is spent on idle show.”

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#3. Cyril of Alexandria.. 375-444, Egypt

“All the tortures that one can conceive of in this world are refreshing, compared with the least pain of purgatory;.. The greatness and duration of the sufferings in purgatory vary according to the gravity of the sins.”

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#4. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange.. 1877-1964, France [Auch]

“Those persons who do not undergo Purgatory on Earth will have it later on;.. We must not make too sharp a distinction between sanctification and salvation, i.e., if we neglect sanctification, we may miss salvation itself.”

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#5. Sister Lucia of Fatima.. 1907-2005, Portugal [Aljustre]

“All kinds of sins are against the commandments of the Law of God and require a great purification, even if they have already been confessed and forgiven with respect to their punishment, but not expiated with respect to their purification. Until this expiation renders us worthy to be admitted to the immense ocean of God’s Being. This purification – that is called “Purgatory” – can be more or less extended, depending on the number of our sins, faults, and imperfections, and on their gravity, for which we have not given complete satisfaction by means of reparation, good works, penance, and prayers.”

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#6. Catherine of Genoa.. 1447-1510, Italy [Genoa]

“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 cleaning, she throws herself therein, and finds there that great mercy, the removal of her stains.
… Souls in Purgatory
unite great joy with great suffering. One does not diminish the other. No peace is comparable to that of the souls in Purgatory, except that of the saints in Heaven. On the other hand, the souls in Purgatory endure torments which no tongue can describe and no intelligence comprehend, without special revelation.
… So it is with the
rust of sin, which is the covering of the soul. In Purgatory the flames incessantly consume it, and as it disappears, the soul reflects more and more perfectly the true sun who is God. Its contentment increases as this rust wears away, and the soul is laid bare to the divine ray, and thus one increases and the other decreases, until the time is accomplished. The pain never diminishes, although the time does, but as to the will, so united is it to God by pure charity, and so satisfied to be under His divine appointment, that these souls can never say their pains are pains.
… At her creation the soul received all the means of attaining perfection of which her nature was capable, in order that she might conform to the will of God and keep herself from contracting any stain; but being
directly contaminated by the Original Sin she loses her gifts and graces and even her life. Nor can she be regenerated save by the help of God, for even after baptism her inclination to evil remains, which, if she does not resist it, disposes and leads her to mortal sin, through which she dies anew.
… Have not the boldness to say: ‘I will go to confession and gain a plenary indulgence and thus I shall be saved.’ Remember that the full confession and entire contrition which are requisite to gain a plenary indulgence
are not easily attained. Did you know how hardly they are to come by, you would tremble with fear and be more sure of losing than of gaining them?”

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#7. Maria Simma.. 1915-2005, Austria

“A soul in Purgatory sees very clearly on the day of his funeral if we really pray for him, or if we have simply made an act of presence to show we were there. The poor souls say that tears are no good for them: only prayer! Often they complain that people go to a funeral without addressing a single prayer to God, while shedding many tears; this is useless!”

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#8. Anne Catherine Emmerich.. 1774-1824, Germany [Westphalia]

“I can never grieve for a person who dies resignedly, nor for a child suffering patiently, for suffering with acceptance and forbearance is the most enviable state of man as it unites him with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross.
… it is more holy to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory than for sinners who are still alive. Many stay a long time in purgatory who, although not great sinners, have lived tepidly.
… the various good works we do, like alms-giving, actually remit specific punishments which otherwise would await us in Purgatory.
… The prayer most pleasing to God is that made for others and particularly for the poor souls. Pray for them, specially during the Holy Mass, if you want your prayers to bring high interest;… but Mass badly celebrated is an enormous evil.

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#9. John Mary Vianney.. 1786-1859, France [Lyon]

“If we have not done penance proportionate to the greatness and enormity of our sins [reparation], even though forgiven we shall be compelled to expiate them in Purgatory.”

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#10. Margaret Mary Alacoque.. 1647-90, France [Burgundy]

“If only you knew with what great longing these holy souls yearn for relief from their suffering;.. Ingratitude has never entered Heaven.”

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#11. Frances of Rome .. 1384-1440, Italy

“Purgatory is divided into three distinct parts. They are situated one beneath the other, and occupied by souls of different orders. The souls are buried more deeply in proportion as they are more defiled and farther removed from the time of their deliverance;.. The lowest region is filled with a fierce fire, but which is not dark like that of Hell; it is a vast burning sea, throwing forth immense flames. Innumerable souls are plunged into its depths: they are those who have rendered themselves guilty of mortal sin, which they have duly confessed, but not sufficiently expiated during life. Since mortal sins differ in enormity, all souls are enveloped in the same flames, but their sufferings are not the same; they differ according to the number and nature of their former sins.”

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#12. Magdalen de Pazzi.. 1566-1607, Italy [Florence]

“Liars are confined in a place in the vicinity of Hell, and their sufferings are exceedingly great. Molten lead is poured into their mouths; I see them burn, and at the same time tremble with cold.
… souls which had been too much attached to the goods of this world, and had sinned by avarice, those who eagerly sought a perishable fortune, whom formerly riches could not sufficiently satiate, are here gorged with torments – they are smelted like metal in the furnace;
… seeing the ambitious and the proud, behold those who wished to shine before men, now they are condemned to live in this frightful obscurity;
… and those souls which had been guilty of
ingratitude towards God, they were a prey to unutterable torments, and, as it were, drowned in a lake of molten lead, for having by their ingratitude dried up the source of piety.”

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And from ALL the Saints.. “Its unimaginable how grateful the souls in Purgatory are when we offer them prayers and indulgences, most specially the Holy Mass and alms-giving. These are invaluable in helping clean the ‘stains’ in their soul, and thus shorten their stay there, that when they are finally purified and delivered to Heaven, the first favors they ask of the Lord are for those who helped them abridge their stay. These Saints never fail to pray for those who alleviated their sufferings. In their gratitude, they are always with us, that whenever they find us in situations that we ‘need help’ like in sicknesses and accidents, they protect us. And when it comes to our soul and spiritual being, they aid us to vanquish temptations by the devil, encourage us to do good works, ever emphasizing the ‘love of neighbor’, so we die as believers of Christ, and mitigate or escape, hopefully, the torments of Purgatory.”

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