eBook Catherine of Genoa: Purgation and Purgatory, The Spiritual Dialogue (The Classics of Western Spirituality) ePub

This book contains two works, 'Purgation and Purgatory' and 'The Spiritual Dialogue', which represent the thought of St Catherine of Genoa. I say "represent her thought" because the Introduction provided by Father Benedict Groeschel tells us that she never wrote; rather, the writings in the book "represent quotations of her spoken words or interpretations." We also learn from the introduction that St Catherine was a married lay woman, and that she and her husband eventually lived a continent marriage. This is inspiring, as there are many religious saints, but less who were married. As far as the work is concerned, the first thing I noticed when I began reading 'Purgation and Purgatory' was how gentle purgatory seems compared to that found in Father Schouppe 's book "Purgatory." This is not to say that either of them is wrong. Rather, Catherine chooses to focus more on the suffering's love and longing for God. It is a very short work, only 15 pages or so.

The other work is the "Spiritual Dialogue." This is a dialogue between the body and soul of a person, only to be joined by "self-love." The dialogue illustrates the difficulties in reaching perfection, in punishing and subduing the body to be submissive to the soul and how, conversely, the indulgent body will negatively impact the soul, leaving it sick and malnourished. It is an interesting discussion.

This is a very nice little book by a saint. Definitely worth reading if given the chance.

Serge Hughes is a great translator and the life of Catherine is well worth telling and learning about.

A great source for that which we cannot find elsewhere!

There is no detailed explanation of Purgatory in Holy Scripture. In His Wisdom, God chose not to reveal this to us in this way. When we look to the past, however, the thought of such a place or experience was never a matter of disputation with the Jews and later with the early Church. Research into Jewish tradition and their beliefs at the time of Jesus shows that Sheol (the common name for what they called, and what was found in the Psalms and other places as, "the place of the dead"), was divided differently and seperated from what most people consider are the two places of afterlife, namely Paradise and Hell. This is not, however, the Hell of the eternally damned which is called "Gehenna" in the Bible, is not "Sheol." This Hebrew word "Sheol" we find is translated later into Greek as "Hades" and into Latin as "Purgatorio" (Saint Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th Century. This work is still known as the Latin Vulgate). Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, gives a very excellent description of Sheol, and therefore Purgatory, in his writing Discourse to the Greeks Concerning Hades. In it he describes exactly the understanding of the Pharisees about life after death, an understanding which Jesus supported against the Sadducees (Lk 20:27-40).

Nonetheless, from the beginning, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead. Details, like the actual time a person spends or remains in Purgatory, are unknown.

Suffice it to say, that Purgatory is looked at, not as a punishment, or a second chance, but rather as the removal of the remnants of sin from our lives--purifying our self-centered acts and thoughts, our fallen human nature--the effects of Original Sin--personal sin also. As such, Purgatory is looked upon as a gift of God's love--an extension of His mercy.

The actuality of being subjected to God's love in this way has not been described by anyone. That is, the Church has not officially approved any type of revelation coming from a person in Purgatory. Saints, however, have described the purification that they encounter here and now, as they grow in the Spiritual Life and in holiness. Having experienced the fiery love of God, a love that consumed her, cleansing and purifying all, St. Catherine of Genoa pondered on this love and related it to the souls in Purgatory where they too are undergoing the purification process. She wrote this in her work, "Purgation and Purgatory, the Spiritual Dialogue." The following is only a brief excerpt, but I think you'll get the picture!. It is interesting that the souls in Purgatory have always been called the "Poor Souls." Each time we read this passage of her work from now on we may think, "They have their salvation achieved!" and "They are experiencing joy which we cannot even imagine!" Are they the "Poor Souls." or are we? Food for thought!

These souls cannot think,
"I am here, and justly so because of my sins,"
or "I wish I had never committed such sins
for now I would be in paradise...."
They cannot remember the good and evil
in their past nor that of others.
They do not see that their suffering is due to their sins,
for that awareness would be a want of perfection,
and in Purgatory souls cannot sin.
Only once do the souls understand
the reason for their Purgatory:
the moment in which they leave this life.
After that moment, that knowledge disappears.
Immersed in charity, incapable of deviating from it,
they can only will or desire pure love.
There is no joy save that in paradise
to be compared to the joy of the souls in Purgatory.
This joy increases day by day
because of the way in which the love of God
corresponds to that of the soul,
since the impediment to that love is worn away daily.
This impediment is the rust of sin.
As it is consumed
the soul is more and more open to God's love.
just as a covered object left out in the sun
cannot be penetrated by the sun's rays, in the same way,
once the covering of the soul is removed,
the soul opens itself fully to the rays of the sun.
The more rust of sin is consumed by fire,
the more the soul responds to that love,
and its joy increases.

This book also benefits from having a very good-sized Introduction by the famous spiritual writer, Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

I love St. Catherine, Excellent service, thanks

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Catherine of Genoa: Purgation and Purgatory, The Spiritual Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)

This is a MUST READ!

For those of you who believe in heaven, purgatory, and hell, there is nothing I need to say. St. Catherine of Genoa says it all.

For those of you who believe in heaven and hell but not purgatory, I hope you aim for heaven and don't miss.

God in his mercy has given us purgatory as many of us are not nearly as pure as we might think. Persons undergoing additional purification in purgatory will get to heaven.

For those who do not believe in God that doesn't mean he doesn't exist. Science can only prove processes but NOT how life came to be on this planet.

The others who miss and land in hell. Well, I'm sorry.

This is a must read! It will make you think and provide comfort.

Catherine of Genoa is an amazing example of activist spiritual approaches - interaction with God through service to others. Her selflessness is extreme, and in aversion therapy approach she describes is loathsome in the extreme. But if one can see what's going on beyond the startling nature of these things, one can see God at work through her willingness to selflessly serve.

Book in very good condition, just wish the used sticker was not on it, I can't take it off.