When Was The Last Time You Heard A Sermon On Hell?

[EasterJoy]

Thanks to all who replied and voted.

Funny, on the way home from noon Mass today, my local Catholic radio station was airing a sermon concerning couples living in sin, with strong emphasis on the reason why they shouldn’t. Hell.

The thing that I emphasized to my students is that the pains of Hell aren’t an arbitrary punishment that God made up to really sock it to us for following our arbitrary will instead of some arbitrary thing God made up. God’s law isn’t arbitrary. These are the natural pains that come from separation from God, from making ourselves the center of the universe. The point was that these pains start now. Then we talked about examples of doing yourself great harm without being immediately aware of it, or being aware of it and yet ignoring the warning signs because you wanted to do what you wanted to do: like a smoker, with the coughing that betrays that he’s killing himself with tobacco.

 

[HonoraDominum]

We got an excellent sermon about Hell, and what sends you there, on Good Shepherd Sunday at my FSSP parish. If you can get past the thoroughly gross story that is the beginning of this wonderful homily, you’ll get a good old fashioned “Repent or go to Hell” style lesson.

My priest says in this homily, and says it regularly, “Priests are not here to make you feel good, they’re here to make you be good.” And yes, I know how amazingly lucky I am to not just be a Catholic, but to have a holy priest as one of the leaders of my parish.

Top Seven Sins That Will Send You To Hell

 

[At_Trent]

The thing that I emphasized to my students is that the pains of Hell aren’t an arbitrary punishment that God made up to really sock it to us for following our arbitrary will instead of some arbitrary thing God made up. God’s law isn’t arbitrary. These are the natural pains that come from separation from God, from making ourselves the center of the universe. The point was that these pains start now. Then we talked about examples of doing yourself great harm without being immediately aware of it, or being aware of it and yet ignoring the warning signs because you wanted to do what you wanted to do: like a smoker, with the coughing that betrays that he’s killing himself with tobacco.

The earthly pains are nothing compared to the ones in Purgatory and Hell. Perhaps that’s why we sometimes are a bit lax ?

 

[At_Trent]

We got an excellent sermon about Hell, and what sends you there, on Good Shepherd Sunday at my FSSP parish. If you can get past the thoroughly gross story that is the beginning of this wonderful homily, you’ll get a good old fashioned “Repent or go to Hell” style lesson.

My priest says in this homily, and says it regularly, “Priests are not here to make you feel good, they’re here to make you be good.” And yes, I know how amazingly lucky I am to not just be a Catholic, but to have a holy priest as one of the leaders of my parish.

Top Seven Sins That Will Send You To Hell

Haven’t listened yet … getting ready to … but I liked the comment left there "Yikes!! What a reality check ! "

 

[HonoraDominum]

Haven’t listened yet … getting ready to … but I liked the comment left there "Yikes!! What a reality check ! "

Oh, this sermon’s got everything - an opening story that simultaneously sucks you in and makes your skin crawl, good old fashioned talk about damnation and sin (the classic ‘6th and 9th’), some hysterical perspective on modesty in women’s clothes and the stifling Texas heat, and a message of hope and salvation. Have I mentioned lately how much I this priest?!

 

[dailey]

I have heard Hell preached about once on an Ash Wednesday mass. I’m sure the priest knew that Ash Wednesday is the one day when everyone goes to church, even those who never go. Therefore, it’s the best day to do it, especially considering it is the start of Lent.

Personally, I think Hell should be preached about once in a while, as long as the sermon is also centered reminding us of God’s mercy.

Maybe some humor could be used by the priest such as a quote from Dirty Harry “do you feel lucky” Like, sure God is merciful but how lucky do you feel by jeapordizing your soul with sin? or something like that. That way people aren’t terrified but still get the point.

See, I think we NEED to be terrified. When I was in Catholic school, Sr. Rosaria put the FEAR OF GOD in us children, no sugar-coating. And this is exactly how I am raising my children.

 

[Phemie]

I said ‘yes’, but remember that I’m 57 so I’ve lived gone through many a pastor in my day. Have I heard a sermon on Hell in the last 30 years? No.

 

[divinefaith]

I’ve heard several sermons on that issue. Usually when the Gospel was about the final judgement or the last days. Funny thing is I’ve never heard a sermon on purgutory.

 

[Te_Deum]

The homily given on Sundays generally has some connection to the gospel readings (EF I should add). Sometimes the homily may be about an upcoming Feast Day (like the Feast of the Assumption) where the celebrant has went into detail on Our Lady etc.

But I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a homily about hell… I was taught about it of course… I’ll need to keep my ears open.

 

[centurionguard]

We had one this morning. Our priest gets a little old school about once a month.

I’m coming in a few days late in this thread but I like what you said about

Our priest gets a little old school about once a month.

Methinks when we Catholics tire from “Old School” Homilies especially on the subject of Hell then perhaps we haven’t heard it and let it really sink in enough. One can always learn something new.

I love Old Seminary School Priests which are sadly fading away through the years.
A little Fire and Brimstone topic from the Ambo never hurt nobody

 

[LPS]

I’m 50 years old and a cradle Catholic, and remember hearing two sermons with the main topic of “hell.” As someone else noted, it is sometimes mentioned in sermons that focus on different topics overall, though.

The best sermon I heard on hell was by a French Benedictine monk and it did not involve fire and brimstone images. It involved separation from God, and spending eternity in a state of eternal frustration.

It was subtle, and far more effective, IMHO than a fire-and-brimstone sermon.

I heard a similar sermon and it makes me weep to remember it.

 

[rel1]

I haven’t of course I quit going to church quite a long time ago. I figured I’m thoroughly brainwashed already.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

The homily given on Sundays generally has some connection to the gospel readings (EF I should add). Sometimes the homily may be about an upcoming Feast Day (like the Feast of the Assumption) where the celebrant has went into detail on Our Lady etc.

But I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a homily about hell… I was taught about it of course… I’ll need to keep my ears open.

Ditto, except that my parish is OF. The priests preach on the readings. If the readings are focused on hell or purgatory, that’s what they talk about. I doubt they have a schedule that says “Preach on HELL every 6 weeks!”

 

[alwayslooking]

I’ve heard quite a few. There was a priest housed in the rectory at my parish. He was a chaplain for the local hospital. Our pastor had came down with cancer so this priest would occasionally say the Sunday and daily mass when no other priest could be found.

He was Catholic from birth, but his parents had to move to a small town where there was no Catholic parish. He had to go to a Baptist church during his developing years. Be accredited this for his “fire and brimstone” homilies.

Those homilies were duesys too; describing the constant smell of sulphur in your nostrils. I remember he would become very animated too waving his arms. It would really get your attention.

 

[EasterJoy]

The earthly pains are nothing compared to the ones in Purgatory and Hell. Perhaps that’s why we sometimes are a bit lax?

The truth is, most of us are pretty scarce when the lung-cancer patients are taking their last breaths, too. That’s no picnic. I think that the tendency to hide from the reality of Hell and hiding from the inevitability of death are not unrelated trends.

Of course, the opposite mistake is to dwell on Hell and to obsess over who God is going to punish and the details of how that might happen. That line of thought can get rather sick, too. One priest I know referred to graphic descriptions of Hell written so as to titillate others into reading about it as spiritual pornography! He thought it was just another way of glamourizing evil.