Newsletter 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 15th November, 2026
GOSPEL REFLECTION: Heaven and Hell Hell: Scripture: Mt 25:41 Jesus described hell as an “everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Mk 9:48 Jesus described hell as a place where “the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.” Fatima: July 13: Lucia wrote: “We were now able to behold a sea of fire. Plunged in the flames were devils and human souls that looked like transparent embers, others were black or brown and in human form; these were suspended in flames which seemed to come from the forms themselves – there to remain without equilibrium amid cries of pain and despair which horrified us so that we trembled with fear. Saints and Mystics: St Teresa of Avila: Six years after she was given a vision of hell, she said she “still felt a chill of fear at the very thought of it.” St Faustina’s account of hell – she was taken to hell: “Today I was led by an angel to the chasms of hell. It is a place of great torture. The first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; (perpetual guilt) the third is that one’s condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it – a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire; the fifth torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell and despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies. There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God’s mercy upon them. Oh, my Jesus I would rather be in agony until the end of the world amidst the greatest sufferings than offend You by the least sin.” No one would want anyone to go to hell, no one would want their worst enemy to go to hell. If we, who love only finitely, don’t want anyone to go to hell how much more does God, who loves infinitely, not want anyone to go to hell? All God wants is for us to say sorry. If the worst sinner of all time were to say sorry to God, He would not go to hell. Heaven: Catechism of the Catholic Church: Those in heaven “are like God for they see Him as He is ‘face to Face.’ Heaven is “a communion of life and love, with the Trinity.” “To live in heaven is to live ‘in’ Christ.” In other words, a soul in Heaven lives in God and God lives in him/her. St Faustina’s account of heaven: “Today I was in heaven, in spirit and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great happiness in God is. The souls enter into depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new. Now I understand St Paul who said: ‘Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” The saints and others on earth who have seen or experienced God’s love in heaven now want to go to heaven because it is almost too painful to remain on earth because they are now deprived of seeing Our Lord and His love. Simon was a sixty-four-year-old-soon-to-be-retired Professor of Economics. Simon saw Heaven. This is what he wrote: “After dinner, I began getting dizzy and I collapsed onto the kitchen floor. I woke up to find myself up near the ceiling, looking down on my body lying on the floor. “I sped up faster and faster... toward what I thought was a very large star in the distance. Later, I knew instinctively that I was on the outskirts of heaven. The place was immense and so beautiful – beautiful – just indescribably beautiful beyond words and in colours that don't exist here on earth, and music that was in such a perfect harmony. “... Right there, standing in front of me, was Jesus. Jesus opened up His arms and beaming from the holes in His hands and feet and side were rays of beautiful pulsating light that were so welcoming that I flew into His arms so hard I should have knocked Him over. Every molecule of my soul was exhilarated beyond human imagination. Every wave of love that poured out of Him flew into every tiny, minute recess of my soul to the point that I felt like I would explode... I was left with a complete and perfect knowledge and understanding of myself. Every fault and failing filled me with such remorse that I fell on my knees at His feet. I clung to His feet and kissed his wounds as He continued to fill my soul, wave after wave of ever-increasing love. It was such tender and compassionate love that I had to beg Him to stop. “'Come', He said, 'I want you to see,' when suddenly, we were surrounded by people. I instantly knew who they were. Each and every one of them hugged me. I saw neighbours and friends, my brother and sister, a man I gave a $20 bill to on the street and countless more. “Ah...but then the worst moment came. That dreadful awful moment when Jesus put His hand on my shoulder and told me that I had to go back... He explained that it wasn't my time... 'I have something more for you to do'.” “I felt like I'd lost everything. I understood that to be without Him, even for a moment, was unbearable.” In heaven the souls are in God. Receiving all His Infinite Love. As a result, they are perfectly fulfilled. So much so, that they could not imagine being more fulfilled. Also, God’s love is infinite, or always more, the souls in heaven are always experiencing higher levels of fulfillment or deeper levels of His love. If we were to reach the end of eternity, which we will never do because there is no end to eternity, we still would not have experienced all of God’s love. God’s love is always more. God wants us to go straight to heaven when we die. He doesn’t want anyone to go to purgatory for example. because He loves us. However, Our Lord warns us that it is not easy to go straight to Heaven, which is achieved through the “narrow gate” and the gate to hell is “wide and spacious”. Also, we are called to live not only so that we ourselves get to Heaven and we are called to live in such a way that many others get to Heaven with us.
by Fr Doug Harris
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