“It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire”.
Eugène Delacroix, The Barque of Dante1
Today’s readings are scary. And they should be. They are unpopular, but they should not be so. It is hard to speak of hell and condemnation when people in the pews do not want to hear about it. Well, to be honest, we priests wouldn’t like to hear or talk about it either, but we are not supposed to pick and choose the parts of the gospel we like, leaving aside the rest. It belongs to mature Catholics to address difficult topics.
The Existence of Hell
The existence of hell is a revealed truth and we cannot cast it into doubt. God, a loving Father who created us into his image and likeness, does not certainly want us to miss the opportunity to be saved and live eternally in his happiness.
Let us let the Catechism of the Catholic Church speak: “Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.” (1033)
Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. (1034). “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.” The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs. (1035)
Call to Responsibility
“The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (1036)
“God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”:
Father, accept this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen. (1037)
Healthy Fear
Our ancestors were not afraid of speaking about hell, they had a strong faith in this horrible reality. There is a healthy fear of it, as there is a healthy fear of the Lord. May our Blessed Mother, Queen of All Saints, protect us and lead us all to Heaven.
God bless you all.
[1] Public domain, htps://aleteia.org/2020/07/17/the-most-harrowing-paintings-of-hell-inspired-by-dantes-inferno, accessed September 22, 2024.
Author: The Contribution of Cornelio Fabro to Fundamental Theology. Reason and Faith, Cambridge Scholars Publishing: htps://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9315-2
Poesía Sacra, Quemar las Naves, and Desde Fossanova, IVE Press: htps://ivepress.org/
