1. On the other hand, they have a pain so extreme that no tongue can be found that could tell it, nor any intellect that could comprehend the least spark of it, unless God should show it by special grace.
2. This spark God, by grace, showed to this soul; but I cannot express it with my tongue. And this sight that the Lord showed me has never since departed from my mind; and I will tell you of it what I can, and those will understand to whom the Lord deigns to open the intellect.
3. The foundation of all the pains is original or actual sin. God created the soul pure, simple, and clean of every stain of sin, with a certain beatific instinct toward Himself; from this instinct the original sin that the soul finds in itself draws it away; and when actual sin is added to it, it draws still farther away; and the farther it removes itself, the more malign it becomes, for God corresponds to it less.
4. And since all the goodness that can exist exists by participation in God — who responds in irrational creatures as He wills and as He has ordained, and never fails them, while in the rational soul He responds more or less according as He finds it purified of the impediment of sin — therefore, when a soul is found that draws near to its first creation, pure and clean, that beatific instinct discloses itself to it and goes on growing, with such impetus and such a fury of the fire of charity (which draws it to its last end), that to find itself impeded seems to it an unbearable thing; and the more it sees, the more extreme is its pain.
About this translation
This English translation from the Italian was drafted with AI assistance using SWE-2 Max and prepared as a reading edition for this library. Review has included source provenance, section structure, and selected source comparisons and corrections. It has not included a complete independent, sentence-by-sentence translation audit.
Catherine’s teaching was transmitted by her disciples and first printed in 1551. This translation follows the supplied Italian transcription; the introductory note is editorial.
This is a reading copy, not a critical edition. No professional translation certification or ecclesiastical approval is claimed for this modern edition.
No general reuse licence is specified for this modern translation or its source transcription. The age of the original work does not by itself establish their reuse terms.
Remember Eternity · remembereternity.org. AI-assisted English translation drafted with SWE-2 Max from the Italian; selected source comparisons and corrections only. No complete independent translation audit or ecclesiastical approval is claimed. Catherine’s teaching was transmitted by her disciples and first printed in 1551. This translation follows the supplied Italian transcription; the introductory note is editorial. No general reuse licence is specified for this modern translation or its source transcription.