Luke 16: "The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'" Hell and damnation are not things we hear much of these days. We prefer to hear about God's love rather than God's justice. However, Jesus spoke enough about Hell and punishment that we can't ignore it! Avoiding sin out of love of God is a far better thing that doing so out of fear of God. This is why the Church has long taught that repentance from sin out of the fear of God is an "imperfect act of contrition," whereas repentance out of love of God is a "perfect act of contrition." However, where love of God isn't enough to cause a change of heart, remember that there is a Hell. To love God is far better, but to fear God is enough to turn away from sin.

March 8, 2012

Msgr. William J. King