1. Just as the clean and purified spirit finds no place for its repose except God, having been created for this end, so the soul in sin has no other place save Hell, God having ordained that place for it as its end.
2. Therefore, in that instant when the spirit is separated from the body, the soul goes to its ordained place with no other guide than that which the nature of sin has — the soul, that is, departing from the body in mortal sin.
3. And if the soul did not find at that point that ordinance (proceeding from the justice of God), it would remain in a greater Hell than that is; for it would find itself outside that ordinance, which partakes of the divine mercy, because it does not give it so much pain as it deserves. Therefore, finding no place more fitting nor of less evil for itself, by the ordinance of God it casts itself into it, as into its own proper place.
4. So, to our purpose of Purgatory: the soul separated from the body, which does not find itself in that cleanness in which it was created, seeing in itself the impediment, and that it cannot be removed except by means of Purgatory, swiftly casts itself into it, and willingly.
5. And if it did not find this ordinance, apt to remove that impediment, in that instant there would be generated in it a Hell worse than Purgatory, seeing that it cannot reach, because of the impediment, its end, God; which matters so much that in comparison Purgatory is not to be esteemed; although, as has been said, it is like Hell: but in that comparison it is almost nothing.
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.