Heaven, Hell, and My Prescription for what We SHOULD be Focused on Instead (Free)
The Truth about a dirty word in the Catholic world—Hell—and why bad beliefs aren't corrected by worse theology, but by correct focus. (FREE POST)
THIS IS FREE TO EVERYONE but there is an “Afterthoughts” segment at the end, for paid supporters.
Pope has stunned, once again! No, not Pope Francis. I’m talking about Monsignor Charles Pope, a popular priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and a prolific Catholic author. His new book “The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church” could be poised to shock and unsettle many Catholics, even if they never get past the title.
The truth about Heaven, Hell and the balance between Mercy and Justice involves complicated and nuanced theology. But I’m going to give you a simple prescription for how best to think about these things, and where our focus as Christians is best applied if we hope to be handed a crown after judgement, instead of a pitchfork to match our newly-grown forked tails. This isn’t about doom and gloom, but about hope and glory.
“Jesus warns that many are on the wrong path. And we’ve got to stop and make a decision and be more urgent about this…”
-Monsignor Pope, via Catholic News Agency
A Hell of a Teaching!
Most Catholics (perhaps other Christians, too) resist or reject the idea of people winding up in hell. That’s because most Catholics either don’t believe in hell, or believe that God could never “send” anyone there if it exists. It’s an odd pair of disbeliefs, since Jesus spoke about hell more than he spoke about heaven, and since the Catechism of the Catholic Church continues to teach very clearly about the existence of hell—a state of eternal separation from God.
“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."615 The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1035
The reason why Hell is...well, hellish is because it is a state of being eternally separated from God, who is the source of everything Good. Being separated from Him is to exist without any good whatsoever—without any hope, without any joy, happiness or peace and with no hope of your state or condition ever improving, changing or ending.
Paid subscribers, look for my “Afterthought” at the end of this essay to hear how I describe what “Hell” is like, and what the experience of Heaven might be like.
This kind of “ultimate ending” of hell is disorienting to most Christians who hold faulty beliefs about God, Mercy and Justice, and the necessity for holiness. They believe that God’s love is unconditional (there is no such thing), that his Mercy eradicates his Justice, and that being nice is the same as being Good (“Nice people go to Heaven”) Since the idea of eternal punishment can’t, as they believe, be reconciled with these flawed ideas about God, love, mercy and holiness, people often toss them away as bad or insignificant information.
From a CNA interview with Monsignor Pope “Even many daily Mass-goers reject hell, [Monsignor Pope] said, which he chalked up to what he called ‘a cultural trend where I think we’ve reduced love to mere kindness.’”
Bipolar Disordered Thinking
Believing that all humans go to heaven is only one extreme. The other is the belief that the slightest sneeze in the wrong direction will cast a soul into eternal hell fire. “Stupid” leans in either direction, folks. When focusing on God’s Justice, which is a real thing, we tend to see hell as a threat that should command our total attention. We also tend to toss God’s “justice” at people like confetti, spitballs, or a downpour of acid rain, scaring them into the pews, or terrorizing them out of their sinfulness. It’s imbalanced, upside-down thinking.
“…we begin to believe that God not only understands but accepts our difficulties (or disinterest) in changing our lives”
On the other hand, when focusing entirely on Heaven through an errant understanding of God’s mercy. we run into another set of wrong beliefs. We begin to believe that no sin is of any consequence. What’s more, we begin to believe that God not only understands but accepts our difficulties (or disinterest) in changing our lives, that everyone who dies without baptism is automatically saved by a baptism of desire, and that heaven is absolutely automatic for everyone, as long as they’re nice people.
So where should our focus be? Is there a middle ground between the open road of God’s mercy and the inescapable gravitational pull of hell fire?
No. Because both are the same reality.
God’s mercy has to be great to pull us out of damnation. And damnation or hell is so grave that it took the unspeakable act of mercy of the The Cross of Christ to overcome it. How, then should we understand the balance? Where should our focus be?
Pay to subscribe, and I’ll tell you. No, I’m just kidding! But do consider a paid subscription. And remember to check out the Afterthought at the end of this essay. Let’s continue.
My Thoughts, and My Prescription for Focus
In preparation for correcting your focus on eternity, here are some bulleted thoughts about Heaven and Hell that you should keep in mind. You may not know some of these, but they’re are all supported in traditional Catholic thought, or long-existing Catholic doctrine:
Hell is real. Oridnary people can wind up there.
God’s mercy is great (something often understated) but it doesn’t erase His justice.We have to be like God if we are to enter Heaven.
Square blocks can’t fit into round holes, and only the holy can enter Heaven. So between now and judgement we have to live lives that reflect Jesus Christ; we have to change our nature.Sometimes a person isn’t quite holy enough for Heaven, but not wretched enough to warrant hell.
Purgatory helps get us over the edge and closes the gap of our deficient holiness, but it won’t turn a devil into a saint. Purgatory is not a replacement for living a good life of following God’s law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.Don’t aim for purgatory; aim for Heaven
Those who aim for Purgatory will only hit hell, which is permanent. Those who aim for heaven will, even if they miss it, at least reach purgatory, which is temporary (then Heaven follows).God can’t be conned, and many are living their lives as though they expect to con their way into Heaven when they face the Just Judge (“I know I did XYZ but I had a good reason. You understand, don’t you?”). Don’t live a life preparing for a con game you can’t win.
We can’t get to Heaven by our own power. We need a power outside of ourselves to help get us there. That’s sanctifying grace, manifested most substantially in the sacraments. Without that power, we’re trying to drive from New York to California on fumes, and on wishful thinking that the wind will blow us down the highway a few miles here and there.
My Prescription
Where should our focus be? Some choose to focus on hell (or justice) and others focus instead on Heaven (or mercy). I don’t focus on either of them. Focusing on hell is lopsided. Focusing on Heaven isn’t bad but there is a real and active risk of becoming blinded by that light, never seeing that we aren’t even moving in its direction. We can become stagnated on the journey, or lose our sense of urgency in growing in holiness. I see it all the time.
What I do, and what I suggest everyone do, is focus on finding God and growing in holiness now, in this life. Focus on this phase of the journey, not one what may or may not come next (Heaven, Hell , Purgatory). We can’t really comprehend God’s Justice or His Mercy. At least not completely. And we certainly can’t dictate how Jesus will judge us, or push the buttons that open Heaven’s gate. We have no control over any of that. What we do have a hand in is how we navigate the path from here to eternity. And I think that’s all God wants us to focus on—the adventure of growing in holiness now and the drama and thrill of growing closer to God now.
“You won’t have to overthink Justice and Mercy when you’re focusing on charity and holiness.”
Don’t worry about running away from Hell, but be aware of it. Don’t even “worry” about running to heaven, but know it as your goal. If you focus on becoming holy NOW, and experiencing holiness NOW, and growing ever closer to God NOW, then avoiding hell and running toward heaven will work itself out organically, without you ever having to think about it. You won’t have to overthink Justice and Mercy when you’re focusing on charity and holiness. You won’t have to fear hell when you’re focusing on being close to God now. You won’t have to reach for heaven when you’re communing with it now (Prayer, sacraments, mass, grace and merit).
What’s most going to shock people about this prescription is that it takes anxiety out of the whole formula, leaving room for only peace. And that’s what most disorients people today.
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Hey, there’s more! Below is a 16-minute audio Afterthought where I talk about what the experience of Heaven and Hell must be like, and what saints have said in their visions of Heaven and Hell. For paid supporters only.
God bless and be with you all!
Afterthoughts
Audio, 16 min. - For paid supporters.
What is Hell like? What might the experience of Heaven be like?