Suffering With Joy

Ridding Ourselves of Rust

November 14, 2011

In keeping with remembering in prayer the Holy Souls in purgatory this month of November, and very much wanting them to pass quickly through their state of final purgation, I am continuing to post on aspects of this subject, especially on the state of Christian perfection necessary to see God face to face (1 Cor. 13:12).

Crucifixion and the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The great lesson purgatory teaches us is that of conforming ourselves so perfectly to the will of God in this life that our only attachment at the time of death is to Him.  Of ourselves we can do no such thing, but with God, all things are possible.  That we should even want to do so is a great grace of the love and mercy the infinitely generous Jesus grants us.

I have written before that we must begin in this life the disposition of soul we will carry into eternity: perfect charity.  In the analogy of ridding ourselves of rust, St. Catherine of Genoa writes in her treatise on purgatory:

And if a soul were brought to see God when it still had the smallest thing of which to purge itself, a great injury would be done to it.  For since pure love and supreme justice could not brook that stained soul, and to bear with its presence would not befit God [Rev. 21: 27], that soul would suffer a torment worse than ten purgatories.

To see God when full satisfaction had not yet been given to Him, even if the time of purgation lacked but the twinkling of an eye, would be unbearable to the soul.  It would sooner go to a thousand hells to rid itself of the little rust still clinging to it, than stand in the divine presence when it was not yet wholly cleansed.

It is better to die in the state of a totally pure heart (Mt. 5:8) and go straight to heaven than to die loving Jesus but still requiring that trial by fire.  Ideally then, whatever we can do in this life to purify our souls of selfishness and to scrub ourselves clean of the temporal punishment due to sin moves us closer and closer to that perfect charity God desires of us.  Jesus has given us the graces of the sacraments, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy to follow, the examples of the saints to imitate, and the gifts of pain and suffering in this life to help us become perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 5:48).

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, a great early 20^th century saint hidden in the Carmelite cloister of Dijon writes so simply:

Love draws its object after it; we draw Jesus after us, He draws us into Himself. Then, carried away above ourselves, into the inner recesses of love, gazing upon God, we go to meet Him, to meet the Spirit that is His Love; and this Love burns us, consumes us, draws us into the unity where beatitude awaits us.

This is heaven.  The journey of burning purification begins now – today – if we so will.  We can be confident that even though we falter, we will never be abandoned by Jesus if we perform our daily duties out of love of God, if we confess our sins with true repentance and a resolve to stop sinning, and if we ask His help to be like Him.

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever!

(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.

Tags: Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, poor souls, purgatory, St. Catherine of Genoa

8 Comments to Ridding Ourselves of Rust

1. 

   “This is heaven. The journey of burning purification begins now – today – if we so will. We can be confident that even though we falter, we will never be abandoned by Jesus if we perform our daily duties out of love of God, if we confess our sins with true repentance and a resolve to stop sinning, and if we ask His help to be like Him.”

   Amen! The kicker being that WE have to ALLOW GOD to work that purification in us. Not an easy task for me!
   Carol@simple_catholic recently posted..Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival (November 20, 2011)
Carol@simple_catholic on November 19th, 2011
2. 

   Hard for all of us, I think.
barb on November 19th, 2011
3. 

   The graces of the Sacraments are essential, I agree! Frequent confession, daily Mass when possible and adoration are what keep me focused on what matters in life…great post, Barb!
Ellen Gable Hrkach on November 19th, 2011
4. 

   Thanks, Ellen. I’m glad you’ve joined us on Sunday Snippets.
barb on November 19th, 2011
5. 

   Whenever I think about Purgatory, I think none of us are really capable of being good enough to be ready for Heaven. Then I get the willies. Then I tell myself I’m worrying about the wrong thing, and I just need to try to follow God the best I can, and let Him worry about the rest of it.
   Kathleen Basi recently posted..Sunday Snippets
Kathleen Basi on November 20th, 2011
6. 

   I’m with you. Jesus will take care of this if we get out of His way. Of ourselves, we can never make ourselves pleasing to God and in perfect unity with Him.
barb on November 20th, 2011
7. 

   “The journey of burning purification begins now – today – if we so will.”
   I’m trying to keep this in mind when I’m tempted to let discouragement overwhelm me. What I endure in this life should help draw me closer to God, to learn to rely on Him more and not on myself, to burst my balloon of self-sufficiency. And hopefully my struggles help me see where I need to change my ways and grow spiritually. So perhaps Purgatory isn’t just after we die? Maybe our hardships should be seen as a kind of Purgatory here?

   Thanks for your post! Good points to remember.

   Evan
   Evan recently posted..From Crystal Cathedral to Catholic Cathedral
Evan on November 20th, 2011
8. 

   Yes, Evan. The refining by suffering begins here and can be completed here. We just have to surrender completely to God’s will. Not so easy.
barb on November 20th, 2011