It has been well said by a great saint that the fire of Hell is simply the light of God as experienced by those who reject it; to those, that is, who hold fast to their darling illusion of sin, the burning reality of holiness is a thing unbearable. To the penitent, that reality is a torment so long and only so long as any vestige of illusion remains to hamper their assent to it: they welcome the torment, as a sick man welcomes the pains of surgery, in order that the last crippling illusion may be burned away. ...
There is no difference in the justice; the only difference is in the repudiation or acceptance of judgment. ... whether in Hell or in Purgatory, you get what you want — if that is what you really do want. If you insist on having your own way, you will get it: Hell is the enjoyment of your own way forever. If you really want God's way for you, you will get it in Heaven, and the pains of Purgatory will not deter you, they will be welcomed as the means to that end. ... the consequences of sin are the sinner's — to be borne, at his own choice, in a spirit of sullen rebellion or of ready acquiescence.
Dorothy Sayers, Introduction to Dante's Purgatorio
Amen, amen. May I always be ready to accept God's judgment and go joyfully in the direction of having my crippling illusions burned away.
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