Feb
13
The Way of Life and the Way of Death—Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)
Sirach 15:15–20; 1 Cor. 2:6–10; Matt. 5:17–37
I’ll start today with a simple proposition of Catholic doctrine and go from there. There are four final realities, which the Church calls the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. These are inescapable realities which all of us will face at the end of our time. My focus today is on the last of those realities.
Hell exists. It’s a reality. It’s a state of separation from God, a barrier between the souls in that state and the God who created them. Despite what some would like to believe, there are inhabitants of Hell. First and foremost, the angels who rebelled against God are in Hell, because they refused to submit to God’s plan for creation.
I’ll start today with a simple proposition of Catholic doctrine and go from there. There are four final realities, which the Church calls the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. These are inescapable realities which all of us will face at the end of our time. My focus today is on the last of those realities.
Hell exists. It’s a reality. It’s a state of separation from God, a barrier between the souls in that state and the God who created them. Despite what some would like to believe, there are inhabitants of Hell. First and foremost, the angels who rebelled against God are in Hell, because they refused to submit to God’s plan for creation.
