Every work of God is perfect in its kind, and
that which He does immediately by the exercise
of His Divine power has always a greater force
than that which He does through the agency of
Others. God Himself kindles the fire of Purgatory.
"The breath of the Lord, like a flame of fire, doth
kindle it." Hence the fierceness of the torment it
inflicts. It tortures the soul in Purgatory far more
than the material fire of earth tortures the body.
It reflects in some way the Infinite Majesty of God.
According to St. Augustine, the fire of Purgatory
is of the same kind as the fire of Hell. Venerable
Bede narrates how one, who was conducted by an
angel in a vision to Purgatory, thought that such
a place could be none other than Hell. In Purgatory,
it is true, there is none of the despair of
Hell. The Holy Souls have Heaven in prospect, but
nevertheless their physical sufferings are scarcely
different in kind from the awful agony of the lake
of fire. How should I dread Purgatory!
The fire of Purgatory will search us through
and through. It will be a penetrating fire; it will
find out each fault still clinging to our soul at
the hour of death; each stain not yet washed away
by our tears of contrition will be burnt away before
we can escape from our prison-house. When
I think of the state of my soul before God, of my
past sins and present defects, what reason I have
to tremble at the thought of that crucible where
the dross will be burnt from me. What a long process it will be!
Pray that you may be more earnest in cleansing
yourself from sin now.