The mystery of suffering, Part Six

This is probably the saddest post I will ever write.  There is absolutely nothing worse than the sufferings one endures in hell.

Before we discuss those in detail, here is a link to my post last year where I discussed hell in general as a topic:  http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/tough-teachings-hell.html

In this post, we will focus specifically on the sufferings one endures in hell.

We will focus on two Saints who gave us details on hell, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, and Saint Alphonsus Marie Liguori.   What they say is not within the proper domain of Magisterial teaching, so what they say is not required to be believed by all Catholics.  However, seeing those who said these things are canonized Saints, which means they are in heaven, and that what they teach does not go against Church teaching in any way, their words should be given a high level of respect and credence.  Furthermore, it is also worth noting that Faustina lived in the 20^th century, and Alphonsus in the 18^th, so we are not talking about people who lived a long time ago and therefore, were subject to “ancient” ideas of hell that are not relevant anymore.  No, their visions are indeed very relevant to us today.  Souls do go to hell, even today, despite some, including a few in the Church, saying that that is not true.

Saint Faustina, through whom the Lord gave us the Divine Mercy devotion, was given a revelation of seven specific sufferings in hell.  She listed them in #741 in her spiritual classic, Divine Mercy in My Soul.    Here is what she said specifically about the suffering in hell:

"Today, I was led by an angel to the Chasms of Hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw: The First Torture that constitutes hell is:      The loss of God. The Second is:      Perpetual remorse of conscience. 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, lit by God's anger. 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.

These are the Tortures suffered by all the damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. Indescribable Sufferings 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.

Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like...how terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. O 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."

Note her last point here.  The sufferings of this world pale in comparison to the sufferings of hell.  

These sufferings, as she notes, are a result of permanent separation, permanent remorse, permanent state of being, constant smell and sight of evil, everlasting company with the devil, despair, hatred of God and everyone, and constant cursing. 

Saint Alphonsus Liguori gives us even more details in one of his sermons entitled On the Pains of Hell.  He shares some of the same ideas, like fire, darkness, and stench, but adds a few more of his own.

He agrees with Saint Faustina that there is a fire in hell.    He says: 

The Pain, then, produced-by the Fire-of Hell, is far-greater than that which is produced-by our Fire, because God has made the Fire-of this Earth for the Use-of Man, but He has Created the Fire-of Hell, purposely-for the Chastisement of Sinners; and therefore as Tertullian says, He has made it a 'Minister'-of His Justice. "This Avenging Fire is always kept-alive by the Wrath-of God.   The Damned are Buried in the Fire of Hell; hence they have an Abyss of Fire below, an Abyss of Fire above, and an Abyss of Fire on every-side. As a Fish in the Sea is surrounded-by Water, so the Unhappy Reprobate are encompassed-by Fire, on every side. This Fire shall Torment the Damned, not only 'Externally', but also 'Internally'. It will Burn the 'Bowels', the 'Heart', the 'Brains', the 'Blood' within the 'Veins', and the 'Marrow' within the 'Bones'. The 'Skin' of the Damned, shall be like a ' Caldron', in which their 'Bowels', their 'Flesh', and their 'Bones' shall be Burned. David says that the Bodies of the Damned shall be like so-many Furnaces of Fire

This fire burns and hurts us unceasingly, but it does not, as we might think, produce light.  Saint Alphonsus speaks of darkness in hell:

The Fire itself, will bring with it, the Pain of Darkness; for, by its Smoke, it will, according to Saint Jude, Produce a Storm of Darkness which shall Blind the Damned. "To whom the Storm of Darkness is Reserved, Forever" - Jude 13. Hence, Hell is called a Land of Darkness, covered-with the Shadow of Death. "A Land that is Dark and covered-with the Mist of Death: A Land of Misery and Darkness, where the Shadow of Death, and no Order, but Everlasting Horror dwelleth" - Job 10:21-22. Hell is a Dungeon, closed on every-side, into which a Ray of the Sun or Light of a Candle, never enters. Thus the Damned "Shall never see Light" - Psalm 48:20. The Fire of this World, gives Light, but the Fire of Hell, is utter Darkness 

What happens when one is exposed to the heat of fire?  One becomes thirsty.   But that thirst is never quenched in heaven.  The Saint writes: 

To Suffer a Parching Thirst, without having a 'Drop-of Water' to Quench it, is Intolerably Painful. So great is the Thirst of the Damned, that if One (1) of them were offered, all the Water on this Earth, he would exclaim: All this Water is not Sufficient to Extinguish the Burning Thirst, which I endure. But, alas! the Unhappy Damned shall never have a Single Drop of Water, to Refresh their Tongues.

When one suffers heat, thirst, and exhaustion, one begins to smell, and indeed there is an incomparable stench in hell.   Liguori writes: 

The Reprobate shall be likewise Tormented-by the Stench that pervades Hell. This Stench shall arise-from the very Bodies-of the Damned. "Out of their Carcasses shall rise a Stink" - Isaiah 34:3. The Bodies of the Damned are called 'Carcasses', not because they are Dead (for they are Living, and shall be Forever (∞), Alive-to Pain), but on Account-of the Stench, which they 'Exhale'. Would it not be very Painful to be shut-up in a 'Close' Room, with a Fetid Corpse? Saint Bonaventure says, that if the Body of One (1) of the Damned, were placed-in the Earth, it would, by its Stench, be Sufficient to-Cause the Death of all Men.

Besides odors, souls in hell emanate loud sounds that are piercing.  He writes:

They are Tormented, not only by the Stench of their Companions, but, also-by their Shrieks and Lamentations. How Painful is it to a Person, longing-for Sleep, to hear the Groans of a Sick Man, the Barking of a Dog, or the Screams of an Infant. The Damned must Listen Incessantly to the Wailing and Howling of their Associates, not for a Night, nor for a Thousand (1000) Nights, but for All Eternity (∞), without the Interruption-of a Single (1)

Not only must one experience all these beyond comparable sufferings, he or she must also experience them in a narrow space.  Alphonsus writes:

The Damned are also Tormented by the 'Narrowness' of the Place, in which they are Confined; for, although the Dungeon of Hell is Large, it will be too-Small for so many- Millions (10⁶) of the Reprobate, who like Sheep, shall be Heaped, One (1) over the Other. "They are Laid in Hell, like Sheep" - Psalm 48:15. We learn from the Scriptures, that they shall be Pressed-together like 'Grapes in the Winepress', by the Vengeance of an Angry God.   In whatever Position, the Damned shall fall-into Hell, after the General Judgment, whether on the 'Side', or on the 'Back', or on the 'Head' Downwards, in That, they must Remain-for Eternity (∞), without ever being able to 'Move' Foot or Hand or Finger, as-long-as God shall be God.

Finally, souls in hell are tormented in all their faculties.  The Saint writes:

The Reprobate, then, shall be Tormented in all the Senses of the Body. They shall be Tormented in all the Powers of the Soul. Their Memory shall be Tormented-by the Remembrance-of the Years which they had Received-from God, for the Salvation of their Souls, and which they spent in Laboring-for their own Damnation; by the Remembrance-of so many Graces and so many Divine Lights, which they Abused. Their Understanding shall be Tormented by the Knowledge of the Great Happiness which they Forfeited, in Losing their Souls, Heaven, and God, and by a Conviction, that this Loss is Irreparable. Their Will shall be Tormented by seeing that whatever they Ask or Desire, shall be Refused. "The Desire of the Wicked shall Perish" - Psalm 111:10. They shall never have any of those things for which they Wish, and must Forever (∞) Suffer all that is Repugnant to their Will. They would wish to Escape-from these Torments, and to find Peace; but in these Torments, they must Forever (∞) remain, and Peace they shall never Enjoy.

Do souls in hell get a reprieve from their sufferings?  No.  He writes: 

In this Life, how Great so-ever may be the Tribulations which we Suffer, there is always some Relief or Interruption. The Damned must remain Forever (∞) in a Pit of Fire, always in Torture, always Weeping, without ever Enjoying a Moment's Repose

Does anyone in hell have pity on them?  No.  The Saint concludes:

But, perhaps there is someone to Pity their Sufferings? At the very Time that they are so-much Afflicted, the Devils continually Reproach them, with the Sins for which they are Tormented, saying: Suffer, Burn, Live Forever in Despair; you yourselves have been the Cause of your Destruction. And do not the Saints, the Divine Mother, and God, Who is called the Father of Mercies, take Compassion on their Miseries? No; "The Sun shall be Darkened and the Moon shall not give her Light, and the Stars shall Fall from Heaven" - Matthew 24:29. The Saints, represented-by the Stars, not-only do not Pity the Damned, but they even Rejoice-in the Vengeance Inflicted on the Injuries, Offered-to their God. Neither can the Divine Mother Pity them, because they Hate her Son. And Jesus Christ, Who Died-for the Love of them, cannot Pity them, because they have Despised His Love, and have voluntarily brought themselves, to Perdition.

These visions should scare us to our core.  They do me.  

The suffering in hell, unlike the suffering of Christ which is redemptive, and human suffering in this world, which can be redemptive, can in no way ever be redemptive.

The suffering hell, unlike the suffering of Christ and human suffering in this world, never ends.
There is no hope.

Does this put our suffering here in perspective, at least a little?

Let us use these as motivation to remember that the sufferings of this life are nothing compared to the sufferings in hell,     Let us realize that in the midst of all our suffering here, there is hope.   There is truly only one state where suffering has no value, and has no hope for relief.  Let's do whatever we need to, including enduring any suffering we have to do on this side of the grace, to avoid ending up there.

Saint Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us.