Chapter: 1

MOURNING RAVEN
March 15, 2008

In Roman Catholic Christianity, purgatory is the condition, process, or place of purification or temporary punishment in which the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven.

Roman Catholic doctrine says, some souls are not sufficiently free from sin and its consequences to enter the state of heaven immediately, nor are they so sinful as to be destined for hell either. Such souls, ultimately destined to be united with God in heaven, must first endure purgatory - a state of purification. In purgatory, souls "achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven”.

As Purgatorius Ignis (purifying fire) touches my soul, causing pain so unbearable for any human, I let out a Far Cry to my "Angel"-

Save me, O Angel, because the floods come in upon my soul;
I sink in depths where none can stand; Deep waters, o’er me roll.
My constant calling wearies me; My throat is parched and dried,
My eyes grow dim while for my Angel, Still waiting I abide.
It is my zeal for Thine abode that has consumed my life;
Reproached by those reproaching Thee, I suffer in the strife.

As I lie there mourning in the Purgatory, all those haunting memories come back, bringing me back to life. And I become The Raven meant to symbolize mournful and never-ending remembrance.