Why Think About Hell

She has become a haunt for demons…a cage for every unclean spirit…

Of all the horror movies ever devised, perhaps the most frightening are those that depict scenes of the demonic. Why? Because of the eternal nature of the realm from which they come. St. Francis de Sales tells us that what tempers our fears on earth is the knowledge that all things must come to an end eventually. It is the very finiteness of life that makes our trials on earth endurable, the one thing that brings us hope in our suffering. But not so in hell. In hell, there is no hope. In hell, there is no end to our misery. Our fear and suffering are both complete and continuous.

Last week, we explored our reasons for not pondering heaven more than we do; today, let us examine our reasons for not pondering hell. It really boils down to just two.

The first reason we don’t think about hell is that, well, hell is scary. Who likes to be scared? The terror of hell is not the kind that makes for big box office hits in theaters, nor is it the scary thrill of rollercoaster rides. No, the terror of demons is one that truly frightens us because we just don’t know how to make them go away. They’re bigger than us. They overwhelm. They possess. So naturally, we look away.

It’s best to ignore their existence, right? The thing is, whether we acknowledge them or not, demons are constantly “on the prowl, seeking the ruin of souls” (St. Michael Prayer). And if we do not learn how to wage war against them, then we place ourselves in danger of being overcome by them.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

When I was newly married, I had a dream—a nightmare, actually. I dreamed I was running around a “haunted” house, being chased by a demon. There was no way out, and I was terrified. I began to scream, “Lord, Lord!”…but to no avail. Finally, I reached a stairwell and saw a portrait of the Blessed Mother. I looked at the image and pronounced her name: “Mary!” Suddenly, my eyelids—which had previously felt stuck shut—slowly and painstakingly began to open as I woke up.

There was no doubt in my mind that this frightening dream was different from any nightmare I’d had before. In my heart I knew this one was of the spiritual realm. But if this dream was truly of supernatural origin, why didn’t the Lord Himself wake me up when I called out to Him?

Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary. – St. Bonaventure

It was not until years later that I understood. Jesus was showing me—at a time in my life when my faith was in its spiritual infancy—that it is Mary who He wills to “crush the head of Satan.” Is Jesus not perfectly capable of accomplishing that task Himself? Of course. And yet, in His divine providence, it is to Mary that the Lord wills us to go in times of spiritual warfare. Why? Perhaps St. Louis de Montfort sums it up best:

Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being beaten and punished by a little and humble handmaid of God, and her humility humbles him more than the Divine power.

When I woke up from my dream, I was forever changed with regard to my fear of nightmares. For the first time, I had a newfound awareness that if all the devil had to throw at me was bad dreams…then what I had previously found terrifying was nothing. And from that day forth, I never feared nightmares again. I can’t even remember the last time I had one. Mary indeed took care of that battle for me.

Besides fear, there is a second reason we avoid thinking about hell. If we’re being honest, talk of the devil can seem a little archaic, if not superstitious. Just like a good Christian movie can inspire us to greater love of God, too many horror movies rooted in entertainment can numb us to the reality of the devil’s existence. Children dress as little devils on Halloween; cartoon characters are depicted with horns, suggesting hell is just a harmless “story;” movies and TV shows even make Satan look like the misunderstood underdog. We end up liking his character!

The reality is that our modern idea of a “likeable” hell could not be further from the truth. St. Francis de Sales tells us that just as the greatest joy we have ever experienced on earth is but a shadow of the joy we will experience in heaven, so too is the greatest torment and misery on earth as nothing compared to the misery and torment that awaits the soul headed for hell.

Imagine the darkest, most hopeless day here on earth: the misery of resentment and envy, the anger of betrayal, the loneliness, the despair, the pain, the insecurity…all these would be to us as nothing compared to the torment of hell. Hell would be every single one of these bitter emotions all at once—compounded even more. The misery in hell is not just complete; it is at the same time continuous and infinite. It is for all eternity.

Well, that’s a horrific thought! But we must understand that the reason hell is such a place of misery is simply this: it is an existence that is forever void of God. Void of His grace, void of His peace, void of His joy, void of His love:

The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1035)

The purpose of contemplating hell is neither to scare us nor to entertain us, but rather, to prompt us to do something now in order to avoid its misery for eternity! Mercifully, the way to avoid all that horror is not by being “perfect,” a task that would be impossible for creatures as weak and sinful as ourselves. The way, rather, is actually pretty simple and not so frightening when we consider that we have One who will “come to the aid of our weakness.”

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise…

Our gratitude to God has a way of keeping us humble and opening our eyes to our sinfulness, such that what is left in our hearts is trust in the Lord to save us. Our trust in His mercy is the one thing Jesus cannot resist! Surely, He will shower us with all the graces we need to overcome temptation and to ever strive for unity with Him forever in heaven.

May our contemplation of both heaven and hell inspire us to greater love of God and more fervent gratitude. In this way, the Kingdom of God will be ours.

Photo by Josep Castells on Unsplash