Purgatory , what is purgatory

 From The wonderful secret of the souls in purgatory by sister Emmanuel.

p.17-18

At this point we ask the fundamental question : what precisely is purgatory?

I would sat that it is a clever invention of God . Here I would like to suggest something of my own.

Try to imagine that one day a door opens and a being of extraordinary beauty appears , as such beauty as you have never yet seen on this earth . You are fascinated, even perturbed by this BEING  of light and beauty , especially as He is showing such immense love for you ( something you could never have imagined ) ; you will also notice that He has a great desire to attract you to Himself and to embrace you . The fire of love , already  burning in your heart , certainly urges you to throw yourself into his arms. But , at this precise moment , you become aware that you have not washed yourself for a long time; that you smell ; that you are very ugly , that your nose is dripping ; your hair is greasy and sticky , and your clothes covered with stains.... and so on. At this point you , yourself , say: NO  , it is not possible that I present myself like this! First of all , it is necessary that I go and wash myself , take a shower, and then I will immediately come back to Him ...

But then this love born in your heart is so intense , so strong , so burning that the delay in having to take a shower is totally unbearable. The pain due to his absence is a strong burning of the heart , although it may last only a few moments. The terrible burning in your heart is certainly in proportion to the intensity of the revelation of love; it is a flame of love....

Well, this is purgatory . It is a delay due to our impurities; a delay before God's embrace; a flame of love which makes us suffer terribly ; a waiting , a longing for love. It is precisely this flame, this burning longing that purifies us from all our impurities. Purgatory, I dare say , is a place of desire, of a mad desire for God. For that Go we have already met and seen , but to whom our soul is not yet united.

The souls in purgatory speak frequently to Mary of this great desire, this thirst for God that they experience , and of how this desire is profoundly painful, it is a real agony.

Practically, Purgatory is a deep crisis, a crisis due to God's absence.