TREATISE ON PURGATORY by St. Catherine of Genoa
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.
Reflection
In the virtue of hope, which as a habit is an action and not sanguine wish, there is a certain tension that exists owing to the status viatoris of the one who acts in hope. The one who acts in hope is one who progresses from the desert place without path, without water (cf. Psa 106), that is of the place of non-having, of not even knowing path or water, to the end of that path, the Mystical City where there is indeed life-giving streams. The way of the pilgrim is trod by hope and as one progresses, hope gives way to obtainment. Upon entering the Mystical City, one leaves behind the virtue of hope, for in the City one is at rest, one no longer has the status as a pilgrim, but has the status comprehensions; one beholds the Face of God (cf. Rom 8:24).
Above the gates of Hell, it is said, a sign reads Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here. Hope is something that only exists for those who have the status viatoris; for those who can progress and who do progress. The agony of Hell is in that a soul is left in a worse condition than it was when found by God in that desert place. For in turning from Him, and the path, they will reap the reward of never again having hope in arriving. Hope is a virtue, a habit, and those in Hell cannot act. They might desire, long for, and scream out in the agony of one famished, but they cannot act in hope to bring about the obtainment of their desires. What they have is a memory of that which they rejected (and would reject again and again if given the opportunity), and this worm eats and gnaws at them, condemning them.
In Purgatory, those there do not yet have the status comprehensions, but also do not have status viatoris – they can no longer make any pilgrim’s progress by their own activity. They have beheld, and that sight was taken away, yet they know with absolute certitude that they shall see again their Beloved. Their pain is not seeing what has been seen; their rejoicing is in being made able to receive that which has been seen.
Contemplation
Question: It is said that anticipation is better than realization. This reality is because man’s desire for the good is for the greatest good (God), and the obtainment of any good lesser than God always leaves a certain amount of incompleteness in anticipated satisfaction. In what ways can we better anticipate receiving God so as to not be distracted by anticipating lesser goods?
Question: Hope is a habit. We must actively endeavor to engage in the activity of hope, which is not daydreaming thought about a future possibility, but rather real act undertaken to bring about that which is hoped for. What are things that we can do to better make progress towards God by exercising the habit of hope?
~PPP