Many are Damned Few will be Saved

I came across this link on , 'Spirit Daily' and am genuinely interested in what people think. It's not something I myself have given a lot of thought too.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/08/is-hell-highly-populated.html

 

Here are some verses that struck me about Hell

Isaias (Isaiah) 33:14
The sinners in Sion are afraid, trembling hath seized upon the hypocrites. Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Matthew 25:41
Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Exodus 3:2
And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt.
Exodus 13:21
And the Lord went before them to shew the way by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire: that he might be the guide of their journey at both times.
Malachias (Malachi) 3:2
And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller' s herb:
Deuteronomy 5:26
What is all flesh, that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaketh out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live?

These verses show that God has alot to do with fire. There are hundreds more. Anyway my thoughts after reading the Bible were that perhaps when life ends, we return to God, who's light would burn us like fire if we did not have His grace. The Fire would either purify us and refine us with our permission, or would continue to burn us through eternity if we refuse salvation. God also says that Hell is a place, and of course being without Him would be hell as an adjective. So anyway, I think that everyone who is not prepared will be burned by the fire of God's consuming love, it depends on our will, our desire for salvation, our deeds, and how long on earth we were working out our salvation. If we agree to God's will right before death, the fire will have to purge us yet before we are able to enter Heaven, or the place of God's kingdom.

 

You know Carmel, the funniest thought came into my head when II read that article, it was,

'Oh so that explains a lot of things I see every day'.

 

Very interesting take on Hells fire Carmel. I have never quite heard it put this way. I have heard it alluded to in this way but not quite like this.

I had a horrible nightmare the other night. In the dream there was a beautiful woman dressed in all black carrying some sort of staff who came to we're I was with a couple others. She announced that she was there to take me to hell. In the dream I went into a full blown panic attack because I had realized that my soul was going to hell forever. It was a terrifying feeling. I felt this deep dread and loss inside in the dream. It was a horrible feeling that I had waited too long to get right with God and now it was too late. In other words I had played Russian roulette for too long with God and the bullet had now hit the chamber. I just started to beg God to forgive me and give me another chance but also felt that it was too late probably and then I woke up....PHEWWWWWW!!!!!!

 

Padraig I am consoled by the side thought in your question, "I haven't given it a lot of thought."

What I think is ... for what purpose/interest/motivation do communicators feel the need to write such articles and raise such questions?
My own moments of greatest spiritual insight and growth seem to happen when I look at my own motivation for doing things (or not doing things) concerning others.

I have a good Priest friend (the one who popped the satellite spy dome in NZ) I have known for many years. In my younger days I was disturbed that he seemed to believe in hell but maintained we had no certain knowledge that any human being was actually resident there. In time I realised he prob came to this conclusion due to his Socrates based philosophic view that all sin is ultimately intellectual in nature (not "seeing" clearly) ...therefore when, with loving assistance, we are finally nursed into seeing how things really are we will naturally get back on the right track. Socrates did not appear to believe in the reality of pure malice where some persons are too proud and untrusting to be patronisingly nursed or loved into seeing things clearly. Nor will they ever want to learn from their very painful mistakes.

However I have slowly come to realise (learnt from the approach of a Buddhist monk friend), what concern of mine is this? Concentrate on my own negative reactions. Why do I get upset when people are "wrong". What impurity is in me that so easily causes the disturbance to that limpid peace, that clear smooth pond within which is one's soul. Is it about personal authority and power issues, wanting to control, wanting other people to be controlled by fear, being afraid myself. Is it about conceit or jealousy that if I have sacrificed myself for God and others haven't it would not be fair if they were not punished (the older brother parable).

So nowadays these sorts of questions, for me, have become meaningless. A bit like the 2nd Coming really. Just daily do the usual things that we all know we have to do to be friends of God, chop wood, carry water, don't look backwards, don't be anxious about tomorrow, don't look into your neighbours backyard. There is no point. Salvation is an eternal this place, this person next to me, this time right now.

Speculation is fun and recreative.
However 90% of people seem unable to discuss hell without losing that inner tranquillity of soul .

 

Numerous priests these days say that few, if any, will be damned. However this is to ignore Our Lady's words at Fatima when She said that 'Many souls go to hell because no-one prays for them'. This could be interpreted as 'many of the (few) souls that go to hell do so because no-one prays for them' or (more probably?) 'many souls go to hell and the reason is that no-one prays for them'.

I challenged the famous Fr. Robert Barron for asserting that 'it is reasonable to hope that everyone is saved' by quoting Our Lady of Fatima but he responded that no private revelation is more authoritative than the Catechism which appears to leave open the possibility of universal salvation. I think that he is being very optimistic.

 

Let's hope and pray for the best, and let God take care of the rest!

I believe in His justice, but I trust in His Mercy-- without it, I don't think any of us would be saved.

 

Did most of the souls at Sodom and Gomorrah go heaven or hell? Our Blessed Mother has repeated many times that our age is far worse than those days when God destroyed these cities. I believe her.

 

Bl

I struggle with this same issue....why does it bother me so much when others, especially other Catholics, are wrong? Is it really because I am concerned for their soul, or do I have this deep down desire to be right? Even worse, is it because of pride....do I need them to know that I am right?

 

Our Lord said of Judas, 'It were better he had not been born'. Does anyone really think he is in heaven?

 

Speculation is fun. Since however Jesus in scripture talks quite openly about hell and it is mentioned so many, many, many times in Scripture Jesus and the Holy Spirit, through scripture must want us to pay at least some attention to the subject.

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-hell-21-eye-opening-scriptures/

Despite this I have not heard a sermon on hell since I was 15, about forty two years ago. Why is this?

I think its because our present culture just can't handle the idea of hell.


We are happy very,very happy with ideas of love, of tolerance, of mercy of forgiveness , of understanding but any ideas of justice and consequences well we just can't stomache it.

It reminds me of getting a cup of coffee with about ten spoonfuls of sugar in it. It lacks balance. Pink for instance is , I suppose a nice enough colour but suppose the whole world was painted in shades of pink. It would really make most of us want to throw up (well at least us men)

I think reflecting on hell and the devil ..at least a little bit is a counter balance to this.

We are all products ( and sometimes victims) of our culture. I think painting over the pink sometimes is a very good thing.

I recall meeting the devil directly in my spiritual life and being astonished by it. Why astonished? After all his existence is very firmly in the teaching of the Church and in Scripture ,so what's to be astonished about? Well because of my culture. I was seeing everything pink and suddenly I was seeing pure black for thef irst time.

Also being shown in prayer hell was a lot to take in, hell is greys rather than pinks.

I just think we have to paint over the pinks and take a lot of the excess sugar out of our spiritual coffee sometimes.

That's why I liked the link.

...and on prayerful reflection, yes, I do think most folks are headed for hell. That's why God is just about to put the cosmic brakes on.

 

Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.
Could those in favour of mass savings show this through scripture.

 

I posted this some months ago. Probably a good time to re-post given this topic:

During my confession today with a great Franciscan priest he recommended that I read this homily by Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Called "The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved". All I can say is Wow!!! A must read for everyone. Please take the time to read it. It is definitely a wake up call for me. Very scary stuff but a wonderful message in the end. Here is a link to the homily...

http://olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml​

 

BH said...Just daily do the usual things that we all know we have to do to be friends of God, chop wood, carry water, don't look backwards, don't be anxious about tomorrow, don't look into your neighbours backyard. There is no point. Salvation is an eternal this place, this person next to me, this time right now.

WOW. Any point in avoiding sin? praying? penance? why even be a catholic? confession? restitution?

 

Exactly. Also, as posted on another thread, social justice junkies love to twist the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy into some empty, material masks of goodness devoid of sincerity and respect for God. Call it "Humanism." Likewise, even as this society distorts those works, it condemns the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy as some kind of destructive intolerance, radical arrogance, and foolish weakness. One cannot have the Corporal Works of Mercy without the Spiritual Works of Mercy that necessarily accompany and enhance them. In fact, the devil loves to separate these two kinds of works as much as possible for he knows that in this separation lies the harvest of many souls to perdition

 

In August of 1917 Our Lady of Fatima told the children, "Pray, pray much and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there is no one to make sacrifices for them."

What Father Barron says about it does not line up with what Our Lady has told us. I don't think he is a Fatima priest.

 

I believe at Fatima she also spoke of many souls falling into hell like snowflakes.

 

I was given a "warning" by Jesus and He told me if I did not love and serve my husband (who had just moved out) and if I applied for an annulment, I would be sent to hell. He also told me ALOT about what He expects of married couples, and that over 90% of those falling into hell in this age was for the sin of Adultry. He said that we are responsible for our spouse's soul, and that we better make SURE to do everything we can to help our spouse back to heaven, or we would pay the price. VERY strong words, and I must say, brought me straight to conversion! I have horses, and it made me think of a particular horse who bucked. He was about to be put to death because he was useless, except one wise person made him walk with a bag of rice on his back. Every time the bag of rice fell off, the horse was whipped. Soon the horse would actually crouch or do whatever it took to keep that bag of rice on his back. He ended up not being killed and being the most beloved of the riding horses, and was entrusted even with toddlers. ARE we are brother's keeper?? Are we expected to do whatever we can to help our brothers and sisters back to Heaven? YES! We cannot do that if we do NOT proclaim the Truth. Simple as that..

 

A beautiful prayer from that homily:

You are horror-struck at such a thought? Well then, cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ and say to Him, with tearful eyes and contrite heart: "Lord, I confess that up till now I have not lived as a Christian. I am not worthy to be numbered among Your elect. I recognize that I deserve to be damned; but Your mercy is great and, full of confidence in Your grace, I say to You that I want to save my soul, even if I have to sacrifice my fortune, my honor, my very life, as long as I am saved. If I have been unfaithful up to now, I repent, I deplore, I detest my infidelity, I ask You humbly to forgive me for it. Forgive me, good Jesus, and strengthen me also, that I may be saved. I ask You not for wealth, honor or prosperity; I ask you for one thing only, to save my soul."

Safe in the Flames of the Sacred Heart!