Let's Talk About Hell

[At_Trent]

Do you think of Hell ? Do you believe one would benefit from pondering it daily ?

Hell Exists, And We Might Go There

This article is based on a talk given by Fr. Marcel Nault at the Fatima Bishops Conference.

When I am invited to preach, I remember the words of Christ: “the Holy Spirit will speak in you and through you.” And when I think about the Apostles, I do not imagine them going from town to town with their computer, their microphones, their recording machine, their filing cabinet. They go and they let the Holy Spirit speak. Because it is the Holy Spirit that changes the heart of sinners, I put all my trust in the wisdom and the strength of the Holy Spirit.

I preach everywhere the message of Our Lady of Fatima. What will I preach? I preach what I think is the most important. I preach what is the most important teachings of Our Lord Jesus and when Jesus Christ came on earth, He came for one reason, to save souls from Hell.

St. John Chrysostom, a beloved Father of the Church, used to say and repeat that the Lord Jesus preached more often on the Catholic Dogma of Hell than any other subject.

Some people say it is better to preach on Heaven. I believe that the more a person meditates on that truth which we call Hell, the more that meditation produces many fruits of conversion.

St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictines, was in Rome and the Holy Spirit told him, “You are going to lose your soul.” He left Rome and he went into solitude to meditate on the Holy Gospel. He meditated, prayed and did penance, and the Holy Spirit spread the word and people flocked to him. Holiness attracts souls.

Why do you think St. Augustine changed his life? Because of the fear of Hell. I preach often on Hell because the Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Mother asked me to preach on Hell and when I preach on Hell, you feel, you know, that I believe in the reality that we call a Roman Catholic Dogma, Hell.

Pope Pius IX, who gave us the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Immaculate Conception; Pope Pius IX, who has given us the Syllabus, used to preach and ask preachers to please, please, preach more often on Hell.

The thought of Hell makes saints. Curiously, saints are afraid to go to Hell. The Curé of Ars was afraid to go to Hell. St. Therese of the Infant Jesus was afraid to go to Hell. Saint Simon Stock, the Superior General of the Carmel priests, said that his monks were even afraid to go to Hell despite the fact that they were fasting, praying and living out of the world.

Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, appeared to Saint Simon Stock and told him: Don’t be afraid anymore, I’m giving you Carmelites a special vestment; all those who will die wearing that vestment will not go to Hell.

I wear the Brown Scapular inside my vestment, and I have another one in my pocket because I never know when people will ask me to preach, and when I preach, I preach the Holy Rosary and the Brown Scapular.

Mary said, “Through the Rosary and Scapular I will save the world.”

One cannot specialize and preach everything, but the Lord Jesus invited me to preach on Hell. A monsignor said to me, “Marcel, don’t preach on Hell. People don’t like that, you scare them.” And in a very friendly way that Monsignor said to me, “Marcel, I have never preached on Hell and look at the position I have. I will never preach on Hell.”

After a long silence, I looked him in the eye and said, “Monsignor, you are on the road to Hell for all eternity. You preach, Monsignor, to please the crowd, instead of preaching to please Christ.”

When God sent prophets in the Old Testament, it was to remind the people to come back to the truth, to come back to holiness. Jesus came, Jesus preached. He sent His Apostles into the world to preach the Holy Gospel.

The serpent came and spread his poisons of heresy, and the Lord Jesus decided to send His Beloved Mother, the Queen of Prophets, to earth to destroy heresies. And it is written by the Fathers of the Church that the Mother of God is the hammer of all heresies.

cont…

 

[At_Trent]

On July 13, 1917, Mary came to Fatima as a prophet of The Most High to save souls from Hell. Our Lady lowered Her hands and suddenly, the three children saw a hole in the ground.

That hole, says Lucy, was like a sea of fire in which she saw the forms of humans, men and women, shouting and crying in despair. And she saw demons in the forms of ugly animals. The vision was so horrible that the children feared that they would die from fright.

And Mary said to the three children, “You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go.”

Each time you say the Rosary, my children, do say after each decade, “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Marcy.”

Mary came to Fatima to save souls from Hell. The Curé of Ars, the patron of all parish priests, used to preach that the greatest act of charity towards your neighbor is to save souls from Hell. One day when he was hearing confession in a little church, the devil, in the form of a man, raged and screamed, “I hate you. I hate you because you stole from my hand 85,000 souls.”

You Excellencies, Cardinals and we priests, when we come to the judgment, Jesus will ask one question. “I made you a priest, a bishop, a cardinal, a pope. How many souls have you saved? How many souls have you saved from Hell?”

The Curé of Ars saved more than 85,000 sinners. How many souls have we saved? When you read the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church, the Saints, you are struck by one thing: they all preach the Holy gospel of Jesus; Heaven, Purgatory, and they never fail to preach on the Roman Catholic Dogma of Hell.

Read the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church, all those priests, magnificent apostles of Jesus Christ. They all preach on the Catholic Dogma of Hell because when we meditate on Hell we become a saint.

I don’t want to criticize the bishops, but it is sad for me to say that in my thirty years of priesthood I have never heard a bishop, my bishops or any other bishop, preach on the Roman Catholic Dogma of Hell. I suppose in India and elsewhere they do, but in America, we don’t preach on Hell.
Preach to save souls not to please

In many dioceses I have often heard bishops recite the Rosary, but they decline to add the little Fatima prayer after each decade because “the people don’t like that.”

We are not there preaching to please the crowd but to save souls, to prevent them from going to Hell for all eternity. And I think the little prayer of Our Lady of Fatima given to the children on July 13, 1917, is more powerful and more pleasing to God than any kind of meditation. The meditations that we priests write down and pronounce, they might be nice, but after each decade do you know a meditation more powerful, more holy than the prayer given by Our Lady of Fatima? Please, after each decade, do recite it.

I preach often on Hell. My friends, you have received your catechism, you have received your gifts from God. For me, Jesus wants me, Jesus asks me, Jesus begs me, Our Lady of Fatima begs me to preach Hell.

There are many revelations that we can read in the holy books and some souls in Hell have spoken, given the privilege by God, to help us in our faith. And those souls in Hell say, “We could accept to be in Hell a thousand years. We could accept to be in Hell a million years, if we knew that one day we would leave Hell.”

But no, my friends, we must meditate, not only on the pre-destination of seeing God in Heaven, we must also meditate on the eternity of Hell. I heard a priest in the charismatic conference with about 10,000 laypeople and 300 priests present. He was preaching, “My friends, God is love, God is mercy and you will see His Infinite Mercy at the end of the world, delivering souls from Hell.”

What heresy! Yet his bishop did not remove his faculties, and he was allowed to continue to preach such heresy. With our little human intelligence we make a little “philosophic reasoning”. God is love, God is our Father. How can a loving Father take His little Peter and throw him in to the furnace of Hell? Why that would be an insult to God, Who is love.

How many times have you heard that hypocrisy? My friends, Hell exists. Hell is eternal. I can go into Hell. You can go into Hell. And if God had called me to my eternal reward some years ago, I would have gone to Hell for all eternity, weeping, crying. Not for a million years, not for a thousand million years, but for eternity.

And in gratitude to the Most Holy Trinity, to Our Blessed Mother, I go to Confession every week, I recite my 15 Mysteries of the Rosary every day, my breviary, I wear my Brown Scapular, and I preach the Rosary and the Brown Scapular to everyone. I preach to bishops like I preach to everyone because bishops too have a soul to be saved.

The Lord Jesus has chosen us among men to make us priests for one reason, to offer sacrifice to the Almighty Father and save souls from Hell. When I preach at parish retreats, I always end with the preaching on Hell.
Devotion to the Rosary is a great sign of pre-destination

I am not holy but I pray my Rosary, I wear my Scapular, I say my breviary, seven days a week. I say my Mass every day, I go to confession every week and I hope (I’m not sure, nobody is sure) to go to Heaven.

Cont…

 

[At_Trent]

Nobody is sure unless they have a private revelation from God. Why not take all insurance Our Lady of Fatima has given us: “Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of pre-destination.”

She has given us another insurance, “that anyone dying in this habit [the Brown Scapular] shall not suffer eternal fire.”

If only one bishop among you would come to Fatima and go back to his diocese and beseech his people, “I am your bishop. I am here to save your souls from Hell. Please accept my teaching today, listen to my teaching today. Meditate on my teaching today. And please, my priests, imitate your bishop, preach on Hell.”

If only you would do this, you will be doing the greatest act of charity of your priesthood, of your episcopal apostolate.

Preach Hell and Jesus will bless you, Jesus will forgive you your weakness, Jesus will forgive your sins if you do preach Hell. By preaching Hell, you are making a terrific act of charity because those that will hear you, they will believe, they will change their lives and they will go to Confession.

Saints go to confession, Saints go to confession! And those that go to confession frequently become Saints.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I haven’t voted yet or read your article but I just have one question: Does fantasizing about going through the Nine-Circled Inferno version of hell (like it was an RPG dungeon) count?

I’ll give a more serious response later but, you know, just thought I’d check first.

 

[PhanxicoXavier]

I voted daily - and shame on anyone that votes “seldom” and considers themselves a devout Catholic. Anyone who thinks that they know better than the Saints and despise their recommendation to meditate DAILY on the miserable state of the Damned is a fool.

Please, if anyone is not making it a daily habit, even a habit that is repeated EVERY HOUR, to **meditate *seriously ***on the Last Four Things, then start doing it NOW.

I know that some people will say or think that what I have said is too old-fashioned, or to focused on God’s Justice and not His Love, but I will say this again - if you do not meditate on Hell, then you will go to Hell.

 

[Onegin]

When I think of Hell, I am often reminded of the vision of Hell that the children saw at Fatima. As Sr. Lucy later described:

“She opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, Who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven. Without that, I think that we would have died of terror and fear.”

I agree that we should meditate on Hell but I believe that we should also consider the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary who told the children that many souls go to Hell because there is no one to pray or sacrifice for them.

We need to pray the rosary daily and offer sacrifices for those poor souls who have no one to love or pray for them.

 

[StevieD]

There is almost no mention of hell in the Church today yet the fear of hell was the starting point for many a saintly life. I am of that generation who were taught about hell both at school (our teachers would probably be sacked or arrested these days for what they said on the subject) and from the pulpit (remember those?). Catholics in those days could not fail to be aware that hell exists and that there was a good chance of ending up there if we did not try to do what God wanted of us.
Our Lady took the time to remind the world about the reality of Hell at Fatima, the Church (and we) should imitate Her in this. Satan must be delighted by our modern timidity.

 

[ljubim]

I voted often because lately it’s been daily because of a good book I am reading (Fr. Amorth’s second exorcist book), but typically I’ll think about it several times a week.

 

[Lormar]

There is almost no mention of hell in the Church today yet the fear of hell was the starting point for many a saintly life. I am of that generation who were taught about hell both at school (our teachers would probably be sacked or arrested these days for what they said on the subject) and from the pulpit (remember those?). Catholics in those days could not fail to be aware that hell exists and that there was a good chance of ending up there if we did not try to do what God wanted of us.
Our Lady took the time to remind the world about the reality of Hell at Fatima, the Church (and we) should imitate Her in this. Satan must be delighted by our modern timidity.

I’m of the same generation and will be forever grateful. The salvation of my soul is the only thing that matters to me in this world.

 

[At_Trent]

I haven’t voted yet or read your article but I just have one question: Does fantasizing about going through the Nine-Circled Inferno version of hell (like it was an RPG dungeon) count?

I’ll give a more serious response later but, you know, just thought I’d check first.

Hi, I’m not familiar with what you mentioned. I’m basically speaking of what the Church teaches us about Hell. The fear of it, and perhaps more importantly, the sorrow felt for having offended God by sinning. True contrition, the Last Four Things, it’s all connected.

rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/tags/last-four-things

catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things.htm (be careful of some of the links on the site, but the article itself is orthodox)

catholic.com/library/last_things.asp

catholicmatters.com/tlft00.htm

newadvent.org/cathen/05528b.htm

 

[At_Trent]

I voted daily - and shame on anyone that votes “seldom” and considers themselves a devout Catholic. Anyone who thinks that they know better than the Saints and despise their recommendation to meditate DAILY on the miserable state of the Damned is a fool.

Please, if anyone is not making it a daily habit, even a habit that is repeated EVERY HOUR, to **meditate *seriously ***on the Last Four Things, then start doing it NOW.

I know that some people will say or think that what I have said is too old-fashioned, or to focused on God’s Justice and not His Love, but I will say this again - if you do not meditate on Hell, then you will go to Hell.

Not old fashioned at all. And excellent advice. In fairness, those who know no better due to lack of understanding on the dogma of Hell are not foolish, but then that’s why I started the thread. Since we seldom hear it from the pulpit, in some parishes not at all, one way to promote the understanding of traditional Church teaching on the matter is to present it where it will reach many.

Once one knows and is exposed to the dogma, then yes, to deny it or ignore it is very foolish indeed.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Hi, I’m not familiar with what you mentioned. I’m basically speaking of what the Church teaches us about Hell. The fear of it, and perhaps more importantly, the sorrow felt for having offended God by sinning. True contrition, the Last Four Things, it’s all connected.

Ah I see, theological then. Well here’s my vote: Seldom.

And no, I’m not devout. But so what? Just cuz I don’t pray ten novenas every month or something makes me less moral than you? Hell is a consequence of sinful actions but you don’t need to resort to scare yourself with it all the time just to know that you’re doing something wrong.

I myself would find enough joy just to know that I’ve done the right thing for once since people are more inclined to tell me I’m a walking scrap heap of mistakes.

 

[At_Trent]

When I think of Hell, I am often reminded of the vision of Hell that the children saw at Fatima. As Sr. Lucy later described:

I agree that we should meditate on Hell but I believe that we should also consider the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary who told the children that many souls go to Hell because there is no one to pray or sacrifice for them.

We need to pray the rosary daily and offer sacrifices for those poor souls who have no one to love or pray for them.

Indeed.

Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the most precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus,
in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy souls in Purgatory.

Amen.
(from St Gertrude)

…
Daily Offering of the Most Precious Blood
With a contrite and a pure and loving heart say:

O Mary, Immaculate Mother of Jesus, offer, we beseech Thee, to the Eternal Father, the Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, to prevent at least one moral sin from being committed somewhere in the world this day(or night)

 

[At_Trent]

There is almost no mention of hell in the Church today yet the fear of hell was the starting point for many a saintly life. I am of that generation who were taught about hell both at school (our teachers would probably be sacked or arrested these days for what they said on the subject) and from the pulpit (remember those?). Catholics in those days could not fail to be aware that hell exists and that there was a good chance of ending up there if we did not try to do what God wanted of us.
Our Lady took the time to remind the world about the reality of Hell at Fatima, the Church (and we) should imitate Her in this. Satan must be delighted by our modern timidity.

I’m of the same generation and will be forever grateful. The salvation of my soul is the only thing that matters to me in this world.

Yes, the Church’s mission from day one is the salvation of souls. If we don’t take Hell seriously, then we slip closer to it daily. Satan surely laughs with delight as those who dismiss the prospect of eternal fire lay their souls on his platter.

 

[At_Trent]

I voted often because lately it’s been daily because of a good book I am reading (Fr. Amorth’s second exorcist book), but typically I’ll think about it several times a week.

Fr. Amorth is a diamond in the rough

 

[At_Trent]

Ah I see, theological then. Well here’s my vote: Seldom.

And no, I’m not devout. But so what? Just cuz I don’t pray ten novenas every month or something makes me less moral than you? Hell is a consequence of sinful actions but you don’t need to resort to scare yourself with it all the time just to know that you’re doing something wrong.

I myself would find enough joy just to know that I’ve done the right thing for once since people are more inclined to tell me I’m a walking scrap heap of mistakes.

No one is preaching to you here, or damning you to Hell. You may very well be the only one that has posted here that will have eternal life.

Have you ever heard a sermon on Hell ? That’s the point of the thread. You are reading ill intent into this thread where there is none. But once we know the dogma of Hell is in fact Church teaching, we have a decision to make. It’s your soul. Discern and carry on as you will.

I wouldn’t recommend speaking against the dogma or arguing it is of no concern though.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

No one is preaching to you here, or damning you to Hell. You may very well be the only one that has posted here that will have eternal life.

Have you ever heard a sermon on Hell ? That’s the point of the thread. You are reading ill intent into this thread where there is none. But once we know the dogma of Hell is in fact Church teaching, we have a decision to make. It’s your soul. Discern and carry on as you will.

I wouldn’t recommend speaking against the dogma or arguing it is of no concern though.

Meh, it was more of a response to this post here. The guy even said that if you don’t meditate on hell, you will go to hell. Isn’t that damning?

Anyways, to your original question, I have heard a bit of that every now and then. The problem is Hell has a connotation for being a scare tactic. I can’t say it’s wise to count on it too much. A bit of consequentialism, moral universalism, and a stable moral compass seems to serve me better any day.

 

[Onegin]

The problem is Hell has a connotation for being a scare tactic.

It’s supposed to be a scare tactic! However, what should scare us even more away from sinning than the fear of Hell (which I would hope would be very great indeed for all of us - it’s a terrible place!) is the horror of how our sins offend God who loves us so much.

Consider the words of the Act of Contrition:

Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
And I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pain of Hell.
**But most of all, because they offend Thee my God **
Who art all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace
To confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen.

…and the Eighth Station in the Way of the Cross (St. Alphonsus Liguori):

My most beloved Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses I have committed against Thee, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused Thee, Who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, much more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins.

Imperfect contrition: Sorrow for our sins because we are afraid of going to Hell.
Perfect contrition: Sorrow for our sins because they offend God.

 

[At_Trent]

Meh, it was more of a response to this post here. The guy even said that if you don’t meditate on hell, you will go to hell. Isn’t that damning?

Anyways, to your original question, I have heard a bit of that every now and then. The problem is Hell has a connotation for being a scare tactic. I can’t say it’s wise to count on it too much. A bit of consequentialism, moral universalism, and a stable moral compass seems to serve me better any day.

Well, the truth does not go away because we don’t want to ponder it. And the sermons and writings of saints and doctors of the Church is where we draw these conclusions on the reality of Hell.

We can trust our own conscience of course, but so many of us fail. I don’t trust mine, and I fear I may go to Hell no matter how much I meditate on it and pray.

 

[At_Trent]

Imperfect contrition: Sorrow for our sins because we are afraid of going to Hell.
Perfect contrition: Sorrow for our sins because they offend God.

Bingo