The Hell There Is
Newsflash: God is serious about hating sin, and people do go to hell.
In fact, most people go there.
I am continually amazed by the way people respond when I insist that outside the Catholic Church, there is no salvation. I'm talking about Catholics here - they can't fathom what I'm saying. It slowly dawns on them that 99% of the people they know and love are not Catholic and are, by all objective standards, not headed for heaven.
You can't be serious! But, but, but ... that means my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles, my friends, my co-workers - that means people that I have known and loved who have already passed away are ... no, it can't be!
People! Are we serious about what we say when it comes to grace, sin, heaven, hell, the holiness of God, the final judgement, etc.? Are these just nice abstract ideas that we memorized in catechism, but which have no actual application in real life?
Do you need a motivation to get serious about evangelization? Step outside and look at everyone you see. All those people in their cars, walking down the street, shopping in the stores, eating at McDonalds ... most, if not all of them, are going to hell. And they probably don't even know it (mentally they do, but they obviously aren't giving that thought too much credence).
I was talking about this with a friend of mine recently, and - God bless him, he's such a sincere soul - his reaction was, "Then why aren't we pounding on doors, stopping people on the street, telling everyone we know about the Catholic Faith?"
Exactly.
Wide is the road that leads to destruction, and many are those who walk therein.
Many will try to enter into eternal life, but few will find it.
Our Lord said both of those things.
Why on earth do you think He suffered so much, went through such great agony on the Cross? Sin is real! God does not wink at our offenses, and He has given us every opportunity to avoid the terminal decree that all of us deserve.
Who's to blame for the souls that go to hell, then? Certainly not God. What more could He possibly do, short of turning us all into robots and flipping the "salvation" switch?
So do something about it, ok? Start with praying. You can save more souls through regular prayer than you could ever do by door-to-door evangelization. At least one of my Rosary decades is dedicated, every single day, to "the worst sinner in the world today."
Then work on your family. Can't win 'em? Breed 'em. Transmit to your own family such a love and zeal for the Faith that they will do the same for their families someday, until one day, within a few generations, your family of ten solid Catholics becomes an extended family of 300 solid Catholics.
Time is short. People you know and love are getting closer to death every day, and once their time comes, there are no second chances. Write a letter or two. Send a tape. Mail an article. Invite someone out for coffee and tell them about the most important thing in your life, the Holy Faith.
And pray, pray, pray.
Take on a penance this week for the salvation of a friend or family member - and if you're lucky enough that all of your family and friends are already committed Catholics, then take on a penance for the salvation of some sinful soul who is currently unknown to you. Who knows? Someday you may make it to heaven and that person will come up to you and say, "your prayers worked - thank you, I owe you my life."
But for the love of God, whatever you do, do not fall into the complacent trap of believe that everyone you know is "probably mostly ok," and that there is no danger for them.
It's going to be a painful moment on the Day of Judgment when perhaps hundreds of souls, people you worked with, people you loved, people you interacted with on a regular basis, turn to you after being condemned to hell and say, "You knew the truth - why, oh why didn't you tell me?"
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us - save souls, forgetting not to save my own poor soul!
In fact, most people go there.
I am continually amazed by the way people respond when I insist that outside the Catholic Church, there is no salvation. I'm talking about Catholics here - they can't fathom what I'm saying. It slowly dawns on them that 99% of the people they know and love are not Catholic and are, by all objective standards, not headed for heaven.
You can't be serious! But, but, but ... that means my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles, my friends, my co-workers - that means people that I have known and loved who have already passed away are ... no, it can't be!
People! Are we serious about what we say when it comes to grace, sin, heaven, hell, the holiness of God, the final judgement, etc.? Are these just nice abstract ideas that we memorized in catechism, but which have no actual application in real life?
Do you need a motivation to get serious about evangelization? Step outside and look at everyone you see. All those people in their cars, walking down the street, shopping in the stores, eating at McDonalds ... most, if not all of them, are going to hell. And they probably don't even know it (mentally they do, but they obviously aren't giving that thought too much credence).
I was talking about this with a friend of mine recently, and - God bless him, he's such a sincere soul - his reaction was, "Then why aren't we pounding on doors, stopping people on the street, telling everyone we know about the Catholic Faith?"
Exactly.
Wide is the road that leads to destruction, and many are those who walk therein.
Many will try to enter into eternal life, but few will find it.
Our Lord said both of those things.
Why on earth do you think He suffered so much, went through such great agony on the Cross? Sin is real! God does not wink at our offenses, and He has given us every opportunity to avoid the terminal decree that all of us deserve.
Who's to blame for the souls that go to hell, then? Certainly not God. What more could He possibly do, short of turning us all into robots and flipping the "salvation" switch?
So do something about it, ok? Start with praying. You can save more souls through regular prayer than you could ever do by door-to-door evangelization. At least one of my Rosary decades is dedicated, every single day, to "the worst sinner in the world today."
Then work on your family. Can't win 'em? Breed 'em. Transmit to your own family such a love and zeal for the Faith that they will do the same for their families someday, until one day, within a few generations, your family of ten solid Catholics becomes an extended family of 300 solid Catholics.
Time is short. People you know and love are getting closer to death every day, and once their time comes, there are no second chances. Write a letter or two. Send a tape. Mail an article. Invite someone out for coffee and tell them about the most important thing in your life, the Holy Faith.
And pray, pray, pray.
Take on a penance this week for the salvation of a friend or family member - and if you're lucky enough that all of your family and friends are already committed Catholics, then take on a penance for the salvation of some sinful soul who is currently unknown to you. Who knows? Someday you may make it to heaven and that person will come up to you and say, "your prayers worked - thank you, I owe you my life."
But for the love of God, whatever you do, do not fall into the complacent trap of believe that everyone you know is "probably mostly ok," and that there is no danger for them.
It's going to be a painful moment on the Day of Judgment when perhaps hundreds of souls, people you worked with, people you loved, people you interacted with on a regular basis, turn to you after being condemned to hell and say, "You knew the truth - why, oh why didn't you tell me?"
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us - save souls, forgetting not to save my own poor soul!
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