The passive purgation of the soul is just that-passive. One is not in charge and one does not direct one's own path.
Let me compare this with being in purgatory. At the particular judgement, one meets God and sees the great imperfections and sins in the soul. One is then allowed a time to be purified outside of the Presence of God. One has actually been in the Presence and now is cast out.
How much pain this must be...
And, so it is in the Dark Night. One is in the pain of feeling the separation from God, whom one loves and who one desires.
But, God removes Himself, as one is not pure enough for His sustained Presence.
Passive purification means that one is not in control, period. Christ allowed Himself to be at the mercy of men, and they were not merciful.
I have experienced this more and more in the past week, with details I am not free to give at this point.
God takes over the will, the mind, the memory, the understanding and the body.
If one is humble and lets Him do this, there is merit and growth. If one rebels, one is set back even years.
There is no consolation at this point and no one can look for it.
Such would be the state of purgatory. Purgation on earth or purgatory...choose.
This section is from St. John of the Cross
I shall continue later....
Yet until a soul is placed by God in the passive purgation of that
dark night, which we will soon explain, it cannot purify itself completely
of these imperfections or others. But people should insofar as possible
strive to do their part in purifying and perfecting themselves and thereby
merit God's divine cure. In this cure God will heal them of what through
their own efforts they were unable to remedy. No matter how much
individuals do through their own efforts, they cannot actively purify
themselves enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union
of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge them in that fire
that is dark for them, as we will explain.
apologies for spacing problems--router goes on and off here...
