Hell:
The Absence of
Love
Life and
Beyond
INTRODUCTION
One of the biggest questions which continue to baffle the
human mind is the question of hell. We ask God why in
His goodness will allow a soul to suffer and be damned
in hell. How can we reconcile the all-merciful and all-
loving God with eternal punishment? We dispel this
seeming contradiction by postulating God offers us life
and love, and gives us the choice whether we accept the
offer or not.
PERFORMAN LEARNING
CONTENT CE COMPETENCIE
STANDARD STANDARD S
The learner demonstrates an The learner should be able to At the end of the discussion,
understanding of the state of life understand the concept of students will be able to
in hell where there is the absence hell as an eternal punishment enumerate the capital sins and
of love and a consignment to for the damned soul and how explain how sin can lead us to the
eternal fire as a punishment for the goodness of God wishes absence of love as they
our unrepentance. to save us all. distinguish the difference
between sin of omission and
commission.
What is hell? Simply put, it is the
opposite of heaven. If heaven is the
eternal reward to those who die in God's
grace, hell is the eternal punishment for
those who die in their stubbornness to
sin. In heaven, the blessed souls see the
face of God and live in His perfect love;
in hell, the condemned souls suffer from
the absolute absence of God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a clear delineation of hell.
"We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love Him. But
we cannot love God if we sin gravely against Him, against our neighbor
or against ourselves: 'He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who
hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal
life abiding in him. Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from
Him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones
who are His brethren. 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).
St. John of the Cross said that "mercy is the ultimate
expression of love." God is the merciful father in the
parable of the prodigal son who never ceases to wait
for the return of even the most despicable sinner. His
merciful love embraces all rebel returnees. It is
providential that during these times of terrorism,
corruption, moral denigration, and spiritual
desiccation, Pope Francis wrote Misericordiae Vultus,
declaring the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015-
2016), and published a book, The Name of God Is
Mercy (2016), to lead the world toward conversion
and transformation.
However, despite the Church's emphasis on the
mercy and compassion of God, she warns that the
eternal consequence of a person's deliberate choice of
rejecting His love is nothing but hell. The Catholic
Church has never resorted to scare us with this
appalling doctrine for the purpose of compelling us to
blind obedience. She preaches and teaches the
doctrine of hell to show us the possibility of not
belonging to our definitive home in heaven because
of our obstinacy in sin.
No love lost for those in heaven, but for those in hell, everything
is lost. If there were souls in hell, it is because they chose it.
However, the question is, "How can we reconcile the love of
God and the reality of hell"? In his book, The Problem of Pain,
C. S. Lewis, explains that God does not simply tolerate a human
being to enter hell, but rather, it is that He just wants to respect a
person's decision to make a choice other than Him, In other
words, God chooses to be chosen. He wishes us all to be saved.
It is very important to understand that God could only wish our
salvation and help us attain it through His grace, but He will
never compel us. Indeed, all will be saved, except those who do
not wish to-those who remain rebels to the end.
God gives us this life and we can choose to live it
fully or waste it. In the process of choosing we make
a judgment. We judge ourselves. If we choose life, we
basically choose heaven. If we reject life, we
ultimately choose hell. It is we who make the choice
and the decision. God does not send anybody to hell.
“God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a
willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is
necessary, and persistence in it until the end. God
does not want ‘any to perish, but all to come to
repentance.’”
Hell is real, but it is not a cruel punishment created by God
to show His vengeance and justice. Hell is defiance to God
who is compassionate and forgiving. We can end up in hell
if that is the choice we make. The CCC says, “Mortal sin is
a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It
results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying
grace, that is of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by
repentance and god’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from
Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our
freedom has the power to make choices forever, with no
turning back.“ (CCC1861)
Hell which is “the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with
God and the blessed” (CCC1033) can be our choice. Pope Benedict XII
declared that “the souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into
hell immediately after death and then suffer the pain of hell.” (DS351) To
sum it up, “hell is the condition of everlasting separation from God, the
absolute absence of love.” (YouCat161)
Certain scriptural passages give some symbols of hell
like that of punishment (cf. Mt. 25:46), destruction (cf.
Mt.10:28), privation or exclusion (cf. Mt. 25:32-34),
and banishment into the “darkness outside” (Mt.
25:30). But the most prevalent picture of hell is that of
fire since it combines the ideas of torment and
destruction. The punishment of hell lasts for eternity.
One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is the holy fear
of God. This holy disposition of the mind and heart
shields us from temptations. It helps us not to offend
God by avoiding evil and instead please Him by doing
good. This divine gift will always stir in us our sense of
sin, that is, our fear to offend God and the possibility of
being cast into eternal fire. The book of Sirach reminds
us that "Those who fear the Lord will be happy at the
end, even on the day of death they will be blessed" (Sir
1:13).
"The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and
its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who
die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they
suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire. The chief
punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom
alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he
was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035).
This truth makes it
appear that the doctrine
of hell is terrifying, that's
why Pope John Paul II
says that "preachers,
catechists, teachers... no
longer have the courage
to preach the threat of
hell" (1994).
The Bible teaches us that hell is not a myth; it
is real. Jesus urges us, "Enter through the
narrow gate [that leads to life]; for the gate is
wide and the road broad that leads to
destruction, and those who enter through it are
many" (Mt 7:13). The Book of Revelation
stresses that the exclusion from the book of
life will be consignment to the pool of fire"
(Rv 20:14).
The Church makes a clear distinction between purgatory
and hell. If the fire (poena sensus) in purgatory has a
cleansing nature and its duration is only temporary, the fire
in hell is the ultimate punishment and it is eternal. If the
separation from God (poena damni) in purgatory is only
for a time being, the loss of God in hell is absolute and
perpetual. The fire of hell to which the damned are
consigned, according to the Sacred Scripture, is
"unquenchable" (Mt 3:12; Mk 9:43, 48).
Reflection:
Explain:
“Hell is the absence of love.”
References
1. Panganiban, et al (2017). Road to
Emmaus Series: Stay With Us, Lord! Liturgy
and Sacraments: The Phoenix Publishing
House Inc.
Hell:
The Absence of
Love
Life and
Beyond
