Jean-Pierre Camus (1584-1652), bishop of Belley in France, was a friend and follower of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622). He wrote the book, The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales. It contains the section, “Upon Purgatory”: which I reproduce in its entirety.
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Concerning Purgatory, St. Francis used to say that in the controversy with Protestants there was no point on which the Church could support her doctrine by so many proofs, drawn both from the Scriptures and from the Fathers and Councils, as on this. He blamed those who oppose the doctrine for their lack of piety towards the dead. On the other hand, he reproved those Catholic preachers who, when speaking of Purgatory and of the pains and torments suffered there by the holy souls, do not at the same time enlarge upon their perfect love of God, and consequent entire satisfaction in the accomplishment of His will, with which their own will is so indissolubly united, that they cannot possibly feel the slightest movement of impatience or irritation. Nor can they desire to be anywhere but where they are, were it even till the consummation of all things, if such should be God’s good pleasure.
On this subject he recommended the careful study of the Treatise on Purgatory, written by blessed Catherine of Genoa. By his advice I read the book with attention, and have often re-read it, always with fresh relish and profit. I have even invited Protestants to read if, and they have been quite satisfied by it. One young convert admitted that had he seen this Treatise before his conversion it would have helped him more than all the discussions into which the subject had led him.
St. Francis was of opinion that the thought of Purgatory ought rather to comfort than to terrify. “The majority of those,” he used to say, “who dread Purgatory do so in view of their own interests, and out of self-love, rather than for God’s interests. The cause of this is that those who preach on the subject are in the habit of depicting only the pains of that prison, and say not a word on the joy and peace which the souls therein detained enjoy. It is true that the torments of Purgatory are so great that the most acute sufferings of this life cannot be compared with them; but, then, on the other hand, the inward satisfaction of the sufferers is such that no amount of earthly prosperity or contentment can equal it.
1°. The souls who are waiting there enjoy a continual union with God.
2°. Their wills are in perfect subjection to His will; or, to speak more correctly, their wills are so absolutely transformed into the will of God that they cannot will anything but what He wills.
3°. If Paradise were open to them, they would rather cast themselves down into hell than appear before God stained and denied as they see themselves still to be.
4°. They accept their Purgatory lovingly and willingly, because it is the good pleasure of God.
5°. They wish to be there, in the manner in which it pleases God that they should be, and for as long as He wills.
6°. They cannot sin.
7°. They cannot feel the slightest movement of impatience.
8°. Nor be guilty of the smallest imperfection.
9°. They love God more than themselves and more than any other creature, and with a perfect, pure, and disinterested love,
10°. They are in Purgatory consoled by the angels.
11°. They are secure of their salvation.
12°. They are in a state of hope, which cannot but be realized.
13°. Their grief is holy and calm.
14°. In short, if Purgatory is a species of hell as regards suffering, it is a species of Paradise as regards charity. The charity which quickens those holy souls is stronger than death, more powerful than hell; its lamps are all of fire and flame. Neither servile fear nor mercenary hope has any part in their pure affection. Purgatory is a happy state, more to be desired than dreaded, for all its flames are flames of love and sweetness. Yet still it is to be dreaded, since it delays the end of all perfection, which consists in seeing God, and therefore fully loving Him, and by this sight and by this love praising and glorifying Him through all eternity.”
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St. Catherine of Genoa, Treatise on Purgatory (Excerpts on Joy and Happiness in Purgatory):
St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) was an Italian Catholic saint and mystic, admired for her work among the sick and the poor and remembered because of various writings describing both these actions and her mystical experiences. Her writings also became sources of inspiration for theologians such as St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) and St. Francis de Sales: both Doctors of the Church.
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So happy are they to be within God’s ordinance, and that He should do all which pleases Him, as it pleases Him that in their greatest pain they cannot think of themselves. They see only the working of the divine goodness, which leads man to itself mercifully . . . (ch. 1)
I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise; and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing. A thing which is covered cannot respond to the sun’s rays, not because of any defect in the sun, which is shining all the time, but because the cover is an obstacle; if the cover be burnt away, this thing is open to the sun; more and more as the cover is consumed does it respond to the rays of the sun. . . . As the rust lessens and the soul is opened up to the divine ray, happiness grows; until the time be accomplished the one wanes and the other waxes. (ch. 2)
Of the peace and the joy there are in Purgatory. The souls in Purgatory have wills accordant in all things with the will of God, who therefore sheds on them His goodness, and they, as far as their will goes, are happy and cleansed of all their sin. (ch. 5)
When with its inner sight the soul sees itself drawn by God with such loving fire, then it is melted by the heat of the glowing love for God, its most dear Lord, which it feels overflowing it. And it sees by the divine light that God does not cease from drawing it, nor from leading it, lovingly and with much care and unfailing foresight, to its full perfection, doing this of His pure love. . . . it is the sight of these things which begets in the souls the pain they feel in Purgatory. Not that they make account of their pain; most great though it be, they deem it a far less evil than to find themselves going against the will of God, whom they clearly see to be on fire with extreme and pure love for them. (ch. 9)
A last act of love is done by God without help from man. So many hidden imperfections are in the soul that, did it see them, it would live in despair. But in the state of which we have spoken they are all burnt away, and only when they have gone does God shew them to the soul, so that it may see that divine working which kindles the fire of love in which its imperfections have been burnt away. (ch. 11)
It is true that love for God which fills the soul to overflowing, gives it, so I see it, a happiness beyond what can be told, but this happiness takes not one pang from the pain of the souls in Purgatory. Rather the love of these souls, finding itself hindered, causes their pain; and the more perfect is the love of which God has made them capable, the greater is their pain. So that the souls in Purgatory enjoy the greatest happiness and endure the greatest pain; the one does not hinder the other. (ch. 12)
They await immovably all that God gives them, whether pleasure and happiness or pain, and never more can they turn their eyes back to themselves. (ch. 13)
The second work they see is the happiness they feel as they contemplate God’s ordinance and the love and mercy with which He works on the soul. In one instant God imprints these two sights on their minds, and because they are in grace they are aware of these sights and understand them as they are, in the measure of their capacity. Thus a great happiness is granted them which never fails; rather it grows as they draw nearer God. These souls see these sights neither in nor of themselves but in God, on whom they are far more intent than on the pains they suffer, and of whom they make far greater account, beyond all comparison, than of their pains. For every glimpse which can be had of God exceeds any pain or joy a man can feel. Albeit, however, it exceeds the pain and joy of these souls, it lessens them by not a tittle. (ch. 16)
As for my outer man, it too, since the spirit does not respond to it, is so besieged that it finds nothing to refresh it on the earth if it follow its human instinct. No comfort is left it save God, who works all this by love and very mercifully in satisfaction of His justice. To perceive this gives my outer man great peace and happiness, but happiness which neither lessens my pain nor weakens the siege. Yet no pain could ever be inflicted on me so great that I would wish to depart from the divine ordinance. I neither leave my prison nor seek to go forth from it: let God do what is needed! My happiness is that God be satisfied, nor could I suffer a worse pain than that of going outside God’s ordinance, so just I see Him to be and so very merciful. (ch. 17)
Photo credit: Forensic facial reconstruction of St. Catherine of Genoa: FFR by Cicero Moraes (Arc-Team), 3D data acquisition by Alessandro Bezzi (Arc-Team), historical research by Luca Bezzi (Arc-Team) [link] [Wikimedia Commons / CC-by-4.0 license]
Summary: I reproduce excepts from St. Catherine of Genoa (Treatise on Purgatory) & Bishop Jean-Pierre Camus (The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales) on the experience of joy in purgatory.
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