Even though such persons claim to be Catholic-Christians, it is not uncommon to hear them call into question some key doctrines; one of these is the reality of Hell. In fact, to deny the truth does not change the reality of such a truth. I can say that there is no wall, but if I walk into it (having denied its existence), I will end up with a bruise or two as well as a bump on my head.
Another common phenomenon is to hear the following: “I cannot see how a good God could send anyone to hell.” You probably have heard this assertion more than once. The problem with this assertion is that it is a half-truth, which by the way is a half-lie. It is murky, unclear and ambiguous to say that God does not want to send anyone to hell because in truth it is our choice due to an abuse of our freedom. In a word, instead of using our freedom, we end up abusing our freedom—this is called sin.
JESUS AND HELL. Jesus spoke about the reality of heaven—that He is going to prepare a place for us so that where He is we also might be. (Jn 14: 1-3) However, Jesus spoke much more frequently about the stark reality of hell. The reason for the multiple repetition of hell from the lips of the Master is pure love; He does not want us to end up in that horrible, horrendous haven of eternal torment and no-return.
Therefore, instead of spouting out various erroneous speculations that either hell does not exist or that practically nobody is going there, why not turn to the Master, Jesus Himself, and rely upon His words. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus, in fact, speaks very frequently about the reality of Hell.
A priest-friend once stated in a homily a very poignant and convincing point as to the reality of Hell. He conveyed this truth. Jesus’ Passion, suffering, scourging and death on the cross was not for nothing, but rather to save us from the reality of Hell. In fact, according to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Jesus died on the cross to show us the horrendous evil of sin—which if not repented can lead to hell—as well as to show us the immensity of God’s love for us. Love, pure love, motivated Jesus to undergo all of the horrendous tortures associated with His most cruel Passion, suffering and death on the cross.
Let us outline now some of the key places where Jesus teaches us about Hell. The passage will be indicated, a brief summary, and the possible reasons why some individuals could suffer the permanent and horrendous reality of hell.
1. MT. 25: 31-48. The Parable of the Universal Judgment. Jesus separates the goats on the left from the sheep on the right. The goats symbolize those who will be damned; the sheep, the saved. This passage points to most of the Corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry and thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting both the sick and the incarcerated. If done, salvation is the recompense; if neglected, separation from God is the eternal consequence. In a word, if we want to attain heaven and avoid hell, let us make a constant and concerted effort to serve Christ in the poor, the hungry, the suffering and the forgotten.
2. LK. 16. Another Parable of Jesus that points to an eternal chastisement is the Parable of the Rich man and the poor man Lazarus. Somewhat related to the Parable above found in Mt. 25, it points to a failure in human relationships. This Parable highlights a marked literary contrast: a very rich, well-dressed, well-fed man and a poor man, so poor that he is almost dying of hunger. It is not that the Rich man is cruel, insulting, or mean-spirited toward the poor man Lazarus. No! The primary reason for the Rich man ending up in the lake of fire was not what he did to Lazarus, but rather what he failed to do. This is the all-too-common sin of omission—not doing what we should be doing. How often in fact do we sin due to omission? Perhaps more often than we are aware of! In Mass, in one of the Penitential Acts, we confess that we sin in thought, word, deed and omission—not doing what we should be doing!
3. JN. 15. THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES. Jesus presents a well-known image of His time, as well as ours, of a vine that produces fruit, grapes that can eventually produce wine. Jesus insists on the indispensable condition of the vine and the branches—they must produce fruit, and fruit in abundance. If not, the vine branches will be pruned and some of the branches cast into the fire to be burnt and consumed. Jesus is the true Vine, and we are the branches. We must be united to Jesus if we are to produce fruit, and fruit in abundance. A classical interpretation is that the person in the state of mortal sin is cut off from Jesus. By dying in mortal sin, we are lost for all eternity. May the sap of the vine fill our veins—sanctifying grace—so that we will bring forth spiritual fruit in abundance! In concrete, we should be filled with apostolic zeal and an ardent desire to save souls for the Heavenly Banquet.
4. MT. 5: 27-30. SERMON ON THE MOUNT. A very poignant passage that very clearly refers to Hell is found in the Sermon on the Mount. It is related to how we use or how we abuse our body and its members. With utmost clarity, Jesus says that if we are not using our body for the proper purpose then there should be a sharp severing. In short, if the eye, the hand, or the foot is being used for the wrong purpose—being abused—then Jesus calls for a severing. Especially noteworthy today, is the abuse of the eyes. How many people today are abusing their eyes by viewing websites, material, shows, images and pictures that are highly offensive to God!!!
5. MT. 7:13-14. THE NARROW GATE. In unequivocal terms Jesus says that if we want to get to Heaven and avoid the fire of Hell then we must strive to enter in through the narrow Gate. The Road that leads to perdition—Hell is wide and spacious. (Read # 153 in the Diary of St. Faustina)
6. MT. 8:12—TORMENTS AND SUFFERINGS AS SUCH… “Be driven out into the darkness. Where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Jesus describes hell as a place of darkness, as well as the unending torture that results in the wailing cries of despair of the damned and the grinding of their teeth in utter pain and anguish.
7. MT. 13:41-42. THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS. Jesus offers us the Parable of the Weeds. It is the devil who sows the weeds. The weeds are the offspring of the devil. They are those who sow evil in the hearts of men. At the end, they will be sorted out and they will be cast into the fiery furnace where there will be wailing and grinding of death. These are the people who give bad example, scandalizing and poisoning the hearts of many by their errors and sins.
8. MT. 18: 6. THE MILLSTONE AWARD. Jesus says that scandals will eventually enter into the world. But woe to those who cause one of the innocent ones—the children—to be scandalized. Better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck and be cast into the depths of the sea.
9. I CORINTHIANS 6: 9-10. Saint Paul speaks very clearly on the serious sins of individuals that will prevent them from entering into heaven—implying of course the reality of eternal condemnation. This is the key and foundational passage: “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor boy prostitutes, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.” In other words, it is true that God is infinite in mercy, but those who do not repent of their serious sins and die in that state will lose their immortal souls.
10. REVELATION 20. THE LAKE (SEA) OF FIRE. Those whose names were not found written in the Book of Life were cast into the sea of fire. Satan and the false prophet were cast into this lake or sea of fire. Having our names written in the Book of life should be our greatest desire. In the words of Saint Alphonsus Liguori: “The grace of all graces is to die in the state of grace.” This would be to have our names written forever in the Book of Life.
In conclusion, we must accept the totality of the Deposit of Faith and not fall into the modern phenomenon of Cafeteria Catholicism. By this term is meant that we pick and choose only what is agreeable to our spiritual palate or taste buds. Even though it is not a pleasant and consoling concept, Hell truly exists, and it is a possibility for all of us because we can abuse our free will, commit mortal sin, willingly stay in mortal sin, and die in that terrible state. Never forget, death comes like a thief in the night, we know not the hour, nor the day. Don’t play Russian roulette with your salvation! Keenly aware of this serious reality let us pray, practice penance, have recourse to frequent Confession, receive the Holy Eucharist with great love, and have an overflowing and tender love for Mary. If we follow these steps we will avoid Hell and attain eternal life in Heaven.
