Is there joy in Purgatory?
Defined dogma Private revelation
Defined dogma What the Church holds
The souls in Purgatory are saved, confirmed in grace and certain to see God; Purgatory is “entirely different from the punishment of the damned”.
Private revelation What the saints and mystics report
Here the mystics are most alike: St Catherine of Genoa says the souls suffer the greatest pain and the greatest joy at once, and one does not prevent the other; St Francis de Sales calls it a Hell as to the suffering and a Paradise as to the sweetness of charity; Faustina hears the souls call Our Lady “the Star of the Sea”.
Accounts that bear on this
- CGE-R4Catherine of Genoa: The greatest joy and the greatest pain together; "one glimpse of God exceeds every pain"; love would annihilate the …
- CGE-R5Catherine of Genoa: The souls cannot reflect on their sins or compare themselves with others; no will left but pure love; they can …
- FAU-01St Faustina: §20 (1934): her angel leads her to "a misty place full of fire"; the souls' greatest torment is longing for God; Our …
- EMM-09Anne Catherine Emmerich: To Dean Rensing (1813): a deep abyss of sad, silent souls with joy at God's mercy, the Mother of God enthroned among …
- UMP-R8Sr Mary of the Cross (the Manuscript): Consolations: glimpses of Heaven "almost a punishment"; "martyrs, consumed as it were by love"; confirmed in grace; …