Saint Catherine of Genoa

Saint Catherine of Genoa

Saint Catherine of Genoa offers a revolutionary perspective, writing a treatise on Purgatory that not only unveils the secrets of what happens after death but also invites us to deeply reflect on the meaning of our earthly journey towards eternity.

First and foremost, Catherine teaches that Purgatory is not a place of punishment, but of purification. A view that diverges from the frightening and punitive representations that often characterized traditional doctrine. According to the saint, Purgatory is a state of the soul, a purification process necessary for those who, while loving God, are still attached to the remnants of sin at the time of death. Herein lies the first major novelty: Purgatory as an expression of God's merciful love. A love that burns, purifies, and prepares the soul to enter into eternal bliss.

But how does one end up in Purgatory?

aint Catherine teaches that, at the moment of death, the soul faces a definitive, irrevocable choice that determines its eternal destiny. The saint reveals: "As far as it depends on God; I see that Heaven has no door: anyone who wishes can enter because God is all mercy and stands with open arms towards us, to receive us into His glory."

Yet, there is an indispensable condition: the Divine Essence, in its infinite purity, does not admit the slightest stain of sin. Therefore, the soul, if at the moment of death it finds itself with any impediment due to sin, plunges itself into Purgatory to eliminate this obstacle. It is a choice dictated by the awareness of one's unworthiness in the face of divine holiness, an act of humility and desire for purification to fully unite with God.

Saint Catherine continues, illustrating the fate of souls based on their spiritual condition at the moment of death: "The moment the spirit separates from the body, the soul – if it departs in mortal sin – reaches the predetermined place, guided by the nature of the sin." For the soul in mortal sin, there is no suitable place but Hell; it, not finding in itself the light of grace, heads towards this sad destination. On the contrary, the righteous soul, though loving God but not yet having achieved the full purity necessary for union with Him, voluntarily chooses Purgatory as a place of purification.

The term "choice" used by Saint Catherine is impactful: the soul consciously chooses the place of its purification, seeking in it the mercy of God necessary to wash away its sins. This teaching speaks of a God who does not impose but offers; a God who waits with open arms, but requires a pure soul to enter into eternal communion.

Saint Catherine, through her visions, explains that every soul that loves God but has not completed its earthly path of purification, through repentance and redemption of sins, needs this purifying passage. Purgatory, therefore, becomes an experience of intense love, where the soul suffers not from the pain of fire, as commonly interpreted, but from the burning desire and insatiable thirst for God, a desire that purifies. Here are the saint's words explaining the suffering of souls with a metaphor:

Imagine a world where there exists only one bread, capable of satiating the hunger of every human being simply by its sight. Every person, guided by the natural instinct to eat when healthy, would feel their hunger incessantly grow if they could not eat, and without the possibility of becoming ill or dying, this desire would intensify endlessly. The awareness that only that bread can satisfy the need, and the impossibility of reaching it, would lead the individual into a state of unbearable suffering. Approaching that bread without being able to touch it would ignite even more the innate desire, which would be entirely focused on it, the sole source of true happiness.

If there were then certainty of never being able to see that bread, one would experience total despair, comparable to that of the damned souls, devoid of any hope of meeting the bread that is God, the true Savior. On the contrary, the souls in Purgatory live in the hope of seeing that bread and being fully satiated with it. Their suffering and their waiting are proportional to the time they must wait before they can finally taste that bread, Jesus Christ, true God and Savior, our love.

The Italian mystic also offers a profound understanding of Hell, which, unlike Purgatory, is the place destined for souls that, by their own free will, have completely turned away from the love of God. This concept reaffirms the importance of choice and human freedom in our spiritual journey.

Saint Catherine's revelations about Purgatory and Hell call for deep reflection on the meaning of our earthly life and our daily actions. Through prayer, penance, and love, we can draw closer to God in this life, thereby preparing ourselves for the eternal joy that awaits us all. Let us always remember that every action, every thought, every moment of our earthly life is a step towards eternity.

In this journey of faith, we are not alone. God is always with us, offering His infinite love and mercy.