Ever increasing is the number of people in today's society who do not believe in the existence of hell. A reality commonly defined by secular society as a place where only the worst of the worse end up; the Adolph Hitlers and Osama Bin Laden's. After all, they may argue, since God is all good how can He throw most of us in hell? The majority of us are decent people, right? Beside this, modern relativism will have you convinced that "if" hell exists (or better yet if you believe hell exists) one would need to be a cold blooded killer or an absolutely horrific person to end up there. Nevertheless, this is all only if hell exists!? Time and again even certain theologians attempt to redefine or explain away the existence of hell calling it symbolic of a deeper truth or a metaphor explaining another truth of Christs teachings. The fact is, I believe, the idea of the existence of hell and the knowledge that some of us will end up there for eternity is too much for some minds to except. It is too great a torment, not possible for an all loving God. It is, however, a mandatory tenant of our Catholic Christian faith which all Catholic need to believe in order to be rightfully called a Catholic.
Oh' how masterfully our adversary has deceived us! We can go on-and-on about the lies that society believes about the existence of hell, what hell will be like and who goes there. Just like relativism we can make hell to be whatever we want. And although Satan gets an A+ for effort and effectiveness he still breathes lies and we're the ones deemed too stupid to know the difference! I will, therefore, set down at length the Church approved revealed explanation of the reality of hell as given to St. Catherine of Siena by God the Father in her writings entitled, "The Dialogue." Teachings which are in no way contrary to Divine Revelation and only serve to shed more light onto it's reality.
First we must define hell itself. The Original Catholic Encyclopedia defines hell as, "a place where all those who die in personal or mortal sin, as enemies of God, and unworthy of eternal life, will be punished by God after death." (Original Catholic Encyclopedia: Page 207) You can take the time to read the entire encyclopedia entry to find out more specifics as to the origin of its name, it's existence based on Divine Revelation and the more theological aspects of hell. I will only be treating here of the specific teachings God the Father gave to St. Catherine of Siena as to the realities of hell.
THE FOUR PRINCIPAL TORMENTS OF THE DAMNED, FROM WHICH FOLLOWS ALL OTHERS
There are three principal vices (sins which humans can be enslaved to) which destroys a soul and if left un- repented leads them in hell. These determines the extremity of their torments in hell. They are as follows...
1) SELF LOVE, from which proceeds the second vice,
2) LOVE OF REPUTATION, from which proceeds the third vice,
3) PRIDE, and from pride all other sins come; especially injustice and cruelty.
These vices determine the torments one will experience in hell which God told St., Catherine "the tongue is not [even] sufficient to narrate."
1. The damned see themselves depraved of the vision of God.
- God explains that this is such a pain to the damned that, if it were possible, they would rather choose fire, the other tortures and torments and to be able to see Him than be able to go without the fire, the tortures and torments and not see Him.
2. The Worm of Conscience.
- It is from not being able to see God that the damned are tormented by the worm of their own consciences. It gnaws at them unceasingly. This is what Jesus meant when He referred to the "weeping and gnashing of teeth." To make the torments worse is that in this state the reality that the damned can see the conversation of the fallen angels through the eyes of their sins and understand that there is absolutely no redemptive hope for them.
3. The vision of the devil.
- The mere sight of the devil to the souls in hell redoubles their every toil. As the Saints rejoice at the sight of God in heaven, refreshing themselves in joyousness in the fruit of their toil borne for God with such abundance of love, and all displeasure of themselves, so does the sight of the devil revive these wretched ones to torments. This is because in seeing the devil they know themselves more. In other words, they know their own sin and have made themselves worthy of it.
This torment increases the worm of conscience more and more and the fire of conscience never ceases to burn. The sight of the devil, moreover, is more painful to them because they see him in his own form, which is so horrible that the heart of man could not imagine it. Of this, St. Catherine herself was abler to catch a sheer glimpse of Satan once and exclaimed that she would rather walk along a road of hot coals until the day of Judgement that to see him again!
Even with all of this described, God told St. Catherine, we don't even know at all how horrible the devil is. It is because of Gods Divine justice that the devil appears more horrible to the soul that is depraved of Him, more or less according to the gravity of their sins.
4. The fire.
- This fire burns but does not consume because the soul cannot be consumed. God, once again in His Divine justice, allows this fire to burn them without consuming them in many diverse ways according to the gravity of their faults.
Out of these four torments issue all others, such as cold and heat and the outer darkness.
Now because they did not amend themselves after the first reproof that they had of injustice and false judgement, neither in the second, which was that, in death, they did not hope in God, nor greive for the offense done to Him, but only for their own pain, have they thus miserably received eternal punishment.
These torments mark only the beginning of what is in store for the damned. I have just listed the basics here. This doesn't even include the General Judgement at the end of time and the other reproofs which God has made coinciding with this.This does not include the emotions experiences by the damned and how they are literally frozen in themselves through utter hatred.
My dear brothers and sisters and all who read this. Understand that hell is absolutely real. It will not be a place to party with your friends or a place finally rid of God in order to pursue whatever you want. If not taken seriously now it will be too late once you die. This in itself is a torment of hell! God is so merciful and desires none of His creatures goes to hell. Hell was created specifically for the fallen angels and not us!
Perhaps of the severity of this blog my next blog will describe the unspeakable glory of the blessed in heaven!!!
- Paul A. Ray
Copyright 2011 Armor of God
Taken from, "The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena. Dictated by her, while in the state of ecstacy, to her secretaries, and completed in the year of Our Lord 1370" Published by TAN CLASSIC BOOKS 1997
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