As a long time fan of Jimmy's, I wish to share (as he requests) his recent piece in which he offers an "interview" in which he poses questions that are answered
in the writings of Bl. John Paul II:
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Thank
you, Your Holiness, for joining us for this "interview." Please
allow me to begin with a very direct question: Why should anyone go to
hell? Isn't God an infinitely good and merciful Father to all of us? Why
would he impose such a punishment on his children?
God is
the infinitely good and merciful Father. But man, called to respond to him
freely, can unfortunately choose to reject his love and forgiveness once
and for all, thus separating himself for ever from joyful communion with him.
It is
precisely this tragic situation that Christian doctrine explains when it
speaks of eternal damnation or hell.
It is
not a punishment imposed externally by God but a development of premises
already set by people in this life.
The
very dimension of unhappiness which this obscure condition brings can in a
certain way be sensed in the light of some of the terrible experiences we
have suffered which, as is commonly said, make life "hell."
In a
theological sense however, hell is something else: It is the ultimate
consequence of sin itself, which turns against the person who committed it.
It is
the state of those who definitively reject the Father's mercy, even at the
last moment of their life.
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How is
hell described in the Old Testament?
To
describe this reality Sacred Scripture uses a symbolical language which will
gradually be explained.
In the
Old Testament the condition of the dead had not yet been fully disclosed by
Revelation.
Moreover
it was thought that the dead were amassed in Sheol, a land of darkness
(cf. Ez 28:8; 31:14; Jb 10:21f.; 38:17; Ps 30:10;
88:7, 13), a pit from which one cannot reascend (cf. Jb 7:9),
a place in which it is impossible to praise God (cf. Is 38:18; Ps6:6).
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What
does the New Testament add to our understanding of hell?
The
New Testament sheds new light on the condition of the dead, proclaiming above
all that Christ by his Resurrection conquered death and extended his liberating
power to the kingdom of the dead.
Redemption
nevertheless remains an offer of salvation which it is up to people to accept
freely.
This
is why they will all be judged "by what they [have done]" (Rv 20:13).
By
using images, the New Testament presents the place destined for evildoers as
a fiery furnace, where people will "weep and gnash their teeth" (Mt 13:42;
cf. 25:30, 41), or like Gehenna with its "unquenchable
fire" (Mk 9:43).
The
Book of Revelation also figuratively portrays in a "pool of fire"
those who exclude themselves from the book of life, thus meeting with a
"second death" (Rv 20:13f.).
Whoever
continues to be closed to the Gospel is therefore preparing for "eternal
destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of
his might" (2 Thes 1:9).
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One
passage that has often been interpreted as referring to hell is the parable
of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Recently, some have thought that the Rich Man is
merely in purgatory. Does his example show us purgatory or does it depict
hell?
All
this . . . narrated in the parable of the Rich Man . . . explains that hell
is a place of eternal suffering, with no possibility of return, nor of the
alleviation of pain (cf. Lk 16:19-31).
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Both
the Old Testament and the New Testament images of hell are very concrete. Are
we to understand them literally, seeing that they pertain to a reality that
lies beyond this life?
The
images of hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted.
They
show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God.
Rather
than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively
separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy.
This
is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the truths
of faith on this subject:
"To
die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means
remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of
definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called
'hell'" (CCC 1033).
"Eternal
damnation", therefore, is not attributed to God's initiative because in
his merciful love he can only desire the salvation of the beings he created.
In reality,
it is the creature who closes himself to his love.
Damnation
consists precisely in definitive separation from God, freely chosen by the
human person and confirmed with death that seals his choice for ever.
God's
judgment ratifies this state.
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But
can any creature of God really go to hell? Can anyone say "no" to
God to definitively that he is ultimately lost?
Christian
faith teaches that in taking the risk of saying "yes" or
"no", which marks the human creature's freedom, some have already
said no.
They
are the spiritual creatures that rebelled against God's love and are called
demons (cf. Fourth Lateran Council, DS 800-801).
What
happened to them is a warning to us: it is a continuous call to avoid the
tragedy which leads to sin and to conform our life to that of Jesus who lived
his life with a "yes" to God.
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What
about the people we see around us who seem to die without God? Can we affirm
that they are in hell, or must we be more cautious in our assessment?
Damnation
remains a real possibility, but it is not granted to us, without special
divine revelation, to know which human beings are effectively involved in it.
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The
idea of hell-and especially some of the biblical images associated with
it-seem very frightening. Should we be alarmed by this teaching?
The
thought of hell--and even less the improper use of biblical images--must not
create anxiety or despair, but is a necessary and healthy reminder of freedom
within the proclamation that the risen Jesus has conquered Satan, giving us
the Spirit of God who makes us cry "Abba, Father!" (Rm 8:15;Gal 4:6).
This
prospect, rich in hope, prevails in Christian proclamation.
It is
effectively reflected in the liturgical tradition of the Church, as the words
of the Roman Canon attest: "Father, accept this offering from
your whole family ... save us from final damnation, and count us among those
you have chosen."
Thank
you, Your Holiness.
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