As an adolescent, I was once invited
to go horseback riding with a friend. We had a great time, riding along trails
in the California desert.
Afterward
my friend and I were chatting happily in the car driving home —I thought—when her mom
stopped in the parking lot of a ritzy country club. Apparently I didn’t get the
memo about this part of the day. The club was equipped with fancy private
showers, and my friend had brought along a fresh outfit, but I all had were my
dirty, horsy clothes.
That day came back to mind recently when I read these words
of St. Catherine of Genoa:
To see God when
full satisfaction had not yet been given to Him, even if the time of purgation
lacked but the twinkling of an eye, would be unbearable to the soul. It would
rather [suffer] a thousand Hells to rid itself of the little rust still
clinging to it, than stand in the divine presence when it was not yet wholly
cleansed.[1]
I found that rather too much of a
hyperbole at first … until I remembered how mortified I’d felt that day at the
country club.
Now for those of you who don’t know, when you ride a horse
on a warm day, not only will you sweat, but so will the horse. And the two of
you will especially sweat where you come in contact. And though horses are brushed daily, they aren’t
bathed that often. So I had swaths of brown along my pants, which bore the
distinct odor of horse.
While I don’t remember anyone looking at me strangely or turning
up their noses, I still felt about as welcome as a skunk. I couldn’t get
comfortable anywhere we went in the club, and I certainly didn’t want to sit
down.
If I felt so contemptible and out of place amongst other
human beings—well-to-do and fashionable (and clean!) as they might be, still strangers
whom I never saw again—how would I feel appearing, grimy with my own sin, in
the presence of God, whose opinion is the only one that counts, who is the true
desire and only satisfaction of my heart, whose beauty and glory and power are
beyond my imagination, and who is perfectly holy?
Yes, God’s love is infinite, and He will love us no matter
what. But it is we who desire the
purgation. As C.S. Lewis puts it:
Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it
not break the heart if God said to us, “It is true, my son, that your breath
smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no
one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the
joy”? Should we not reply, “With
submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.”
“It may hurt, you know.”
”Even so, sir.”[2]
November, the month when we remember the souls in Purgatory, is
just behind us. Perhaps I’m not the only one who forgot or was unaware of it (with
the distraction of that historic election). But our remembrance of the holy,
suffering souls should not be limited to a single month anyway. Some say that All Souls’ Day is not day
of the year that the most souls are released from Purgatory, but Christmas.
And today is the first day of Advent, which—despite the
decorations everywhere and the Christmas carols blaring from store radios—is meant
to be a penitential preparation.
Advent, which means "coming," is not just about His first coming at Christmas. He is coming again, and we
need to be ready. Whether or not His Second Coming is in our lifetime, Christ will
come to each of us at the end of our lives—which could be any day.
So now is a splendid time to reflect on the souls in Purgatory
and to offer up sacrifices and Masses for them. At the same time, those
sacrifices can make reparation for our own sins and prepare us to meet our
Savior.
A beautiful tradition and helpful reminder is to set up the
stable with the animals and the manger (no Holy Family yet) and set nearby a basket of straw. For every little sacrifice offered,
one can place a straw in the manger (or stable) in preparation for the Infant
Jesus.
Advent is a time to focus on what we should remember all
year round: the Bridegroom is coming! … only we don’t know when.
You've gotten the memo. Don’t get burned. Get that grime off now, so you’ll be ready
and eager to greet the King whenever He arrives.