Cruise to Hell

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
 -- Romans 3:23-25

Michael Voris is at it again. This time the topic is Hell. And Michael pulls no punches and doesn't try to dance around the issues. That's the great thing about Michael V. He's direct and there is no ambiguity in his commentaries. He's not always the most charitable and I think this can be a real problem at times.

But when it comes to the topic of Hell, his approach is the only one that makes any sense for Catholics to take. Although, it doesn't usually work out very well in social conversations. It's hard to convince those who don't believe in Hell or think that everyone is going to Heaven that they are just fooling themselves. Maybe a look of pity at the right time is all we can do to express our thoughts in an effective way.



And on the other side of the debate is Father Barron. Not my favorite priest. I would describe him as lukewarm. He is always accommodating to the secular culture and that to me is a warning sign. Any truly faithful Catholic should be well aware that we are in a culture war and on one side is the authentic Catholic Church and on the other side is the popular culture. If you find yourself getting very good press from the popular press then you should consider that you are way off the mark. I don't think Michael Voris is getting any great reviews in any popular media. Father Barron on the other hand fits right in and he seems to like it that way.

Sad, sad that Father Barron is now head of Mundelein Seminary, but not surprising given the history of that institution and the history of the Catholic Church in Chicago. Need we mention Alinsky, Obama and their connections to the Chicago Church? Mundelein was the source of the priests that started the whole "community organizing" work within the Catholic Church. Mundelein was also one of the sources of the sort of theology that became known as the "spirit" of Vatican II. (Maybe I can go into detail on another day. Just take my word for it. I have the facts to back this up.)

Well it seems like a good time for a quote from Pope Pius X:

The number of the enemies of the cross of Christ has in these last days increased exceedingly, who are striving, by arts, entirely new and full of subtlety, to destroy the vital energy of the Church, and, if they can, to overthrow utterly Christ's kingdom itself.
[...]
The partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church's open enemies; they lie hid, a thing to be deeply deplored and feared, in her very bosom and heart, and are the more mischievous, the less conspicuously they appear. We allude, Venerable Brethren, to many who belong to the Catholic laity, nay, and this is far more lamentable, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church; and, forming more boldly into line of attack, assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man.

Yes, that's not a "spirit" of Vatican II style of writing, but the Church didn't just come into being in the 1960s. It's been around a lot longer than that. Something like 2000 years. A long time.

When the children at Fatima saw a vision of Hell that Our Lady showed to them, their lives were immediately changed. This is all the proof that I need of the existence of Hell.

Jacinta would often sit on the ground or on a rock, and she would say, growing pensive: “Oh, hell, hell! How sorry I am for the souls that go to hell! And the people who are there, being burned alive, like wood in a fire!” And she would kneel down, half trembling, with her hands joined, to recite the prayer Our Lady had taught us: “O my Jesus, forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need”… And Jacinta would remain kneeling for a long time, repeating the same prayer.

I still hold out some hope that after we die and we go before Christ for judgement that we will have a last chance to choose salvation, but how can those who have spent their whole lives avoiding the light of Christ recognize that light in the moments after their death and move towards it. They will more likely be attracted to another "light", just as they have been in their earthly life. And they will follow that reddish glow downwards into the realm of Lucifer "the light bearer". At first it will seem appealing and warm -- like a cruise to the Caribbean. But then the temperature will suddenly go up and they will find themselves in a sea of flames. This is what the children at Fatima saw -- souls burning in Hell.

I have a personal belief that the Catholic Mass prepares us for our encounter with Christ. That it is like a dress rehearsal for that day of judgement, so that when we come before God we will already have some idea what to expect. We will fall on our knees and ask forgiveness. We will hunger for the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. We will recognize the music of the choirs of angels and this will guide us towards Christ the Son of God. We will see a woman with a crown of stars and recognize her as Mary praying for our souls at that moment of death. Just as she prayed at the foot of the Cross at the moment of Christ's death.

I can only pray that the children that are going through CCD classes in preparation for their First Communion will be told about Hell. And I hope it scares the hell out of them. It is a scary thought to burn for all eternity.