Tenth Day
The two paths that lead to Purgatory
– The path of mortal sin –
By its nature, mortal sin leads much further than Purgatory: it casts one into the pits of Hell. Souls, which are permeated with sin plunge into the depths of Hell. They cannot stand the light of God, which appears to them at the time of their death. But if […]
Ninth Day
Torments of Purgatory: The Powerlessness of the Souls in Purgatory
– Powerlessness in their suffering –
Consider the fact that at the moment of death all merit ceases because the soul no longer possesses its freedom to choose between good and evil. Purgatory is that long night of which Jesus spoke, during which no one can freely act; those who languish there are […]
Eighth Day
Torments of Purgatory: Duration of suffering for the souls in Purgatory
– What is the duration? –
The Church has not defined anything specific as to the duration of the suffering in Purgatory, but it clearly demonstrates what it believes by celebrating anniversary Masses, for the souls of the deceased. It thus believes that the atonement can be long even lasting for centuries. […]
Seventh Day
Torments of Purgatory: The Pain of Remorse
– The evil we needed to avoid –
The torments, of which we just spoke, are not the only ones which torture the souls kept captive in this place of atonement. They still feel sadness, bitter regret, desolation and fierce reproaches from their guilty conscience, a thousand times more severe for them than the pain of […]
Sixth Day
Torments of Purgatory: The Sentence of Dam
– Deprived of God –
The greatest suffering in Purgatory is not that of fire, as fierce as it may be. A greater suffering is that which theologians call “The sentence of Dam.” In this world, we do not understand the intensity of the suffering caused by being deprived of God because we do not see […]
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – A Message From St. John Chrysostom
Translation From the Holy Gospel According to Matthew
At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored Him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. […]