Salesian Literature

Chapter 15:  Seventh Meditation:  Hell

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Preparation

1. Place yourself in the presence of God.

2. Humble yourself and ask for his help.

3. Imagine a gloomy city, completely on fire with sulphur and foul-smelling tar, full of people who are unable to leave it.

 

Reflections

1. The damned are in the abyss of hell like in this miserable city.  There they suffer unspeakable torments in all their senses and in all their members.  Since they have used all their senses and members in sinning, they suffer in all their members and in all their senses the punishment befitting their sin. The eyes because of their deceitful and wicked looks, will suffer the terrible sight of the devils and of hell.  The ears, for the pleasure taken in evil conversations, will hear only wailing, lamentation and cries of despair.  And so on for the other senses. Besides all these torments, there is one still greater, that is, the privation and loss of God’s glory which they are debarred from seeing forever.  Absalom found the suffering of not seeing the loving face of his father, David, greater than that of being in exile (2 Sam. 14:23-24, and 32-33).  My God, great indeed will be the sorrow to be deprived forever of the sight of your gentle and loving face.

2. Think above all of the eternity of these punishments which by itself makes unbearable.  Alas, if a flea in the ear or the heat of a single fever makes a short night seem so long and exasperating, how dreadful the everlasting night filled with torments!  This eternity gives birth to eternal despair, and blasphemies and ravings that never end.

 

Give vent to Good Movements of the Will and make Deliberate Decisions[1]

1. Be filled with terror at the words of Isaiah (33:14):  Will you be able to live forever with these everlasting burnings and in the midst of this devouring fire?  Do you really want to go away from your God forever?

2. Acknowledge that you have deserved it, yes, so many times.  From now on I will follow the opposite way.  Why should I go down into this abyss?

3. Hence I will make such and such efforts to avoid sin which alone can lead me to this everlasting death.

 

Thank.  Offer.  Pray.

 

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[1]  As in Second Part Chapter 6.

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