Hell is an uncomfortable subject to say the least.  It is not a perfect motivation for loving God either – He wants us to trust Him as a Father and return to Him, not to merely flee from the fear of eternal torment.  Yet “the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity [for] those who die in a state of mortal… (Catechism of the Ca...

As I tucked my five-year-old son into bed tonight he wanted to “say some more prayers for people.” I think part of his intent might have been to delay lights-out time, but how could I not honor that request? In his list of intentions, he included “all the souls in purgatory,” at which point he actually stopped and thought about what he was ...

Christianity is more than a canceling of a sin-debt.  The central piece of our faith is not just the communication of our cleansing, but the Incarnation of God Himself.  But even that doesn't say enough – it's not the whole story.  Because it is not just that the divine intermingled with man, like a visitor, but that through Christ man becomes...

Jesus has conquered death! Alleluia! And yet we still must die in order to share in the fruits of His Resurrection. In our fallen freedom, we also can reject the new life of the Resurrection. Easter may not sound like the right time to reflect on Hell, but doing so shows us the power of Christ’s Resurrection. He has set us free from the power ...