The Reality Of Hell...

[Jake Huether]

I read this last night. I think ya'll should read it too.

Of course - the specific contents are private revelation, and not binding on Catholics (or anyone) to believe. However, the reality of Hell is binding. We must beleive. For without hell, there is no point in NOT sinning.

http://olrl.org/doctrine/came_back.html

[cmotherofpirl]

Remember she is a Saint now.

[Jake Huether]

Remember she is a Saint now.

Yes... I know. But it's Church teaching that "private revelation" is not binding. The reality of Hell is binding. The private revelation of what it is actually like is for our benefit, but not necessarily binding (we can accept or reject it).

In reading the seperate accounts of SEVERAL different mystics (including Saints), and realizing that they all say pretty much the same thing, I myself am compeled to accept it. I'm just making it clear that the specifics of Hell are not Church teachings.

[Guest jrob8503]

I always thought that the eternal separation from God was enough. I don't understand why Hell would have to "rub it in" by making you lie in mud and throwing you in fire.

[Jake Huether]

I always thought that the eternal separation from God was enough.  I don't understand why Hell would have to "rub it in" by making you lie in mud and throwing you in fire.

Well, even more the reason not to make it there!

Contemplate that though, jrob8503:

The Saints and mystics experienced it. They tried to put into words what they had experienced. "mud and fire" are only analogous to the "experience".

Being without God is torture, but more specifically being without God causes much more than simply that particular torture.

Take for instance this example. I have the oportunity to go on vacation with my wife. But instead I let her go with her friends and I stay and work. I then start to feel lonely (suffering due to her absence). But then, I also torment myself by thinking how stupid I was for staying and not going with her. So, you see, there are more than one "tortures" produced by her absence.

Since we put ourselves in hell, we suffer not only the absence of God, but also the knowledge that we could have done something to prevent it.

We suffer His absence. But we are also tormented by not being able to turn back time. We suffer because we had the chance.

It isn't that "Hell would have to 'rub it in'". Hell is hell because of who is in it (and who is not in it), not where it is. It is simply what we have chosen. In hell, all torture is self-torture. God isn't activly torturing you (He is a God of Love). But as a God of Justice, He allows himself NOT to be there. In his absence, which we chose, we then suffer the results of our choice.

Hell is hell. It is the worst possible torment you can imagin multiplied by infinity! If you can imagine being without God - then Hell is worse than that!

Anyway - like I said, accept or reject the specifics, but make no mistake ITS BAD.

[Jake Huether]

By the way, isn't that an amesome story about St. John Bosco?

[MC Just]

My goodness. I printed that out. I'm gonna live like a hermit now.

[Anna]

I always thought that the eternal separation from God was enough.  I don't understand why Hell would have to "rub it in" by making you lie in mud and throwing you in fire.

The lying in mud and being thrown in the fire is the picnic portion of hell...

Hey, Satan gets his kicks in weird ways...

Kinda scares the h*** outta ya, eh? :unsure:

[JP2Iloveyou]

That's scary. I can't put into words how aweful it must be to be in hell. I mean, it's for ETERNITY! Often, I don't think we can comprehend how long eternity is. I heard it like this: Suppose there is a mountain that is 200 miles, yes miles, tall and 100 miles wide. Now, suppose a bird flies to the top of the mountain and sharpens its beak on the peak of the mountain for 30 seconds. It flies away and comes back in 1000 years to sharpen its beak again for 30 seconds. It continues to do this every 1000 years until the mountain is nothing but a pile of dust. After that time period, not even ONE DAY will have gone by in eternity. I'm scared. Thank you Jesus for the Sacraments! How foolish of us Catholics who can receive Jesus in the Eucharist every day even to not do so! How foolish of us to not make frequent use of the confessional! How foolish of us to not be Baptized and Confirmed! How foolish of us to not, if we are able, get Anointed as we approach death! Pray for priests! No priest, no Eucharist, no Confession, no Confirmation, no Anointing of the Sick, no Holy Matrimony, no Holy Orders! Without a priest (or deacon in the case of Matrimony), the only Sacrament we could have is Baptism!