Such a delightful assembly at the 5:00 Mass. I find it so heartening that people remember these special days. I'm sure the Holy Souls found it very heartening as well! Today's observance raises all kinds of interesting questions about time and eternity. In general, Catholic thought is "placing" Purgatory squarely within the timeframe of death and the particular judgment, the idea being that the white-hot revelation of lingering sin and its effects in us is the purging of those very sins and consequences. But since "all time belongs to Him," our prayer for the departed, even if chronologically "after the fact" of their purgation, is still effective.
St. Catherine of Genoa is probably our prime source for the spirituality of Purgatory, and she says that the chief dispositions of the Holy Souls is one of love and praise. They are more than relieved to be able to be purified of anything that prevents God's glory from being fully reflected in them and to them. They'd NEVER want to take a step back into life in the body: far too risky. And even though there is a suffering involved, it revolves precisely around the sadness and horror of finding out, with no possibility of avoidance, just how much one has, basically, said "no thanks" to infinite love.
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