Nhân Lễ Phục Sinh 2020, Nhắc "Thiên Đàng, Hỏa Ngục" của GH. John Paul II

Lý Thái Xuân

http://sachhiem.net/LTX/LythaiTG26.php

07-Apr-2020

Có thể nói Ngài Giáo Hoàng John Paul II đã để lại nhiều vết son đối với nhân loại, mặc dù không mấy thực tiễn, nhưng đã là những hành vi hiếm hoi trong cả hơn ngàn năm Vatican "thống trị" thế giới. Ngài đã dám kê khai 7 núi tội lỗi của Giáo Hội La Mã đã làm trong một buổi lễ long trọng để xin lỗi nhân dân thế giới (dù chỉ là một buổi xin lỗi Chúa). Và Ngài đã can đảm nhìn lại quan niệm về Thiên Đàng và Hỏa Ngục (dù sau đó thì mọi chuyện vẫn như cũ) như được trình bày sau đây.

Tờ báo National Catholic Register có đăng một bài ngày 1 tháng 8, 1999 (dưới đây), kể lại lời tuyên bố của Giáo Hoàng John Paul II trước đám đông khán giả ngày 21 tháng 7, 1999 về các khái niệm Thiên Đàng. Nội dung toàn văn có đăng chính thức ở tờ L'Osservatore Romano, và tờ Vatica.Va/ của Tòa Thánh. Giáo Hoàng lòng vòng quanh các trích dẫn kinh thánh Cựu Ước và Tân Ước và cố gắng "trừu tượng hóa" các ý nghĩa trong đó. Rồi Ngài bắt đầu "cập nhật niềm tin" để hiểu thánh kinh một cách "thực tiễn" hơn:

- Hôm nay chúng ta sẽ cố gắng tìm hiểu kinh thánh ý nghĩa về Thiên đàng, để hiểu nhiều hơn về thực tế mà lá thư này đang đề cập (Today we will try to understand the biblical meaning of “heaven”, in order to have a better understanding of the reality to which this expression refers.) Cuối cùng ông xác nhận: (Phụ Lục 1)

- "Thiên đường không phải là một nơi chốn trừu tượng hay hữu hình cụ thể chiếm một khoảng không gian trên chín từng mây, mà thiên đường chỉ là mối liên hệ riêng tư và sống động giữa cá nhân của chính con người với Chúa Ba Ngôi." (Heaven is not an abstraction nor a physical place amid the clouds, but a living personal relationship with the Holy Trinity), (Phụ Lục 1, bản tin số 2)

Ít ngày sau, ngày 26 tháng 7, 1999, Giáo Hoàng John Paul II nói thêm trước quảng đại quần chúng (Phụ Lục 2):

- "Địa Ngục không phải là một nơi có những hình phạt do thượng đế đặt ra, nhưng chỉ là do kết quả của những thái độ và hành động con người tạo ra trong đời sống của họ." (Hell is not a punishment imposed extremely by God, but the condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life".)

(Catholic Culture)

Điều đáng nói ở đây là cho dù những định nghĩa mới này về Thiên Đàng, Hỏa Ngục đã gây xôn xao trong giới trí thức Âu Mỹ, tuyệt đại đa số con chiên đi nhà thờ đều "không hay biết" gì cả. Tính đến nay đã 21 năm, mỗi lần có ai đó nhắc đến quan niệm Thiên Đàng Hỏa Ngục của Giáo Hoàng như trên, nghĩa là khác với sự tin tưởng trước đây, thì các con chiên lớn, con chiên nhỏ đều "ngơ ngác" không tin rằng có ông Giáo Hoàng nào nói như thế.

Nhưng trách con chiên cũng không được, vì sau khi Giáo Hoàng John Paul II tuyên bố khơi khơi như nói chơi vậy, thì Ngài không làm gì khác, không sửa đổi giáo lý hay một lời kinh nào cả.

1. Kinh căn bản nhất là Kinh Tin Kính (theo conggiao.org) vẫn còn: "xuống ngục tổ tông, ngày thứ ba bởi trong kẻ chết sống lại; lên trời ngự bên hữu Đức Chúa Cha..."

2. Các bài giảng vẫn mô tả "thiên đàng" như là một nơi đến cuối cùng. Đọc bài "Thiên Đàng" đăng trên conggiao.org ngày 23 tháng 9, 2009 (tức 10 năm sau tuyên bố về Thiên Đàng của GH John Paul II) như sau:

3. Việc ngơ ngẩn trước mắt là Ngài Giáo Hoàng John Paul II này vừa được phong thánh ngày 1 tháng 5, năm 2011 bởi Giáo Hoàng Benedict XVI. Vậy thì Ngài John Paul II làm thánh ở "giáo phận" nào trên Thiên Đàng mà chính ông bảo không có thực?

Và việc tức cười hơn nữa là trong khi Ngài John Paul II "hiểu khác" về Thiên Đàng thì Ngài cũng đã phong thánh cho biết bao người khác. Trong 26 năm làm giáo hoàng, ông đã đề cử 483 vị thánh, nắm giữ hơn 1.100 khán giả nói chung tại Vatican, ban hành 14 cuốn bách khoa về các vấn đề đạo đức, tôn giáo và xã hội và đi khắp thế giới

Giáo Hoàng cũng không chỉnh sửa lại các giáo điều trong giáo hội cho thích hợp với định nghĩa của Ngài.

Thí dụ, Giáo hội vẫn dạy là ông thánh Phê rô (Peter) giữ chìa khóa thiên đàng. Giờ không có Thiên Đàng thì ông thánh Phê rô đứng ở đâu? Thí dụ thứ hai, giáo hội vẫn bắt buộc tín đồ tin ngày Phục Sinh, rằng Chúa Giê-su sống lại và bay lên trời (Xem các này lễ buộc). Giờ không có Thiên Đàng thì Chúa Giê-su bay đi đâu? Thí dụ thứ ba, giáo hội cũng vẫn còn bắt giáo dân tin Đức Mẹ Thăng Thiên. Giờ không có Thiên Đàng, vậy Đức Mẹ bay về đâu?

4. Linh mục Ansgar Phạm Tĩnh còn bạo phổi, ngông nghênh, "chửi Cha" ông Giáo Hoàng John Paul II là "cứng lòng tin" là "lệch lạc", là "lờ mờ", (mà không biết) khi ông viết như sau, đăng trên tinmung.net như sau:

Thiên Đàng—Luyện Ngục & Hỏa Ngục

Lm Ansgar Phạm Tĩnh

Đối với niềm tin vào Thiên Đàng—Luyện Ngục và Hỏa Ngục, người ta thường có ba thái độ:

Thứ nhất là thái độ cứng lòng tin:

• Chẳng có Thiên Đàng, cũng chẳng có Luyện Ngục hay Hỏa Ngục như Giáo Hội Công Giáo dạy! Có chăng là có Thiên Đàng nơi trần thế này mà thôi! Chết là hết, là kết thúc, xuôi tay nhắm mắt xong là hết đau khổ, hết lo lắng và hết … nợ đời!

Chính vì không tin vào thực tại của Thiên Đàng—Luyện Ngục và Hỏa Ngục ở đời sau, cho nên họ như những con thiêu thân chỉ biết lao đầu vào ăn chơi, hưởng thụ, trác táng, hút sách, phạm pháp, làm những việc vô luân thường đạo lý… Và cuối cùng khi chán ngán cuộc đời này, khi họ chán sống rồi thì … tự tử. Chấm hết!

Thứ hai là thái độ tin vào Chúa nhưng tin một cách lệch lạc:

• Tin vào Thiên Chúa và chỉ tin có Thiên Đàng mà thôi! Luyện Ngục và Hỏa Ngục không thể có được bởi vì Thiên Chúa là Tình Yêu (1 Ga 4:16), Ngài không bao giờ dựng nên những thứ khủng khiếp ấy để trừng phạt hay hành hạ con cái của Ngài. Luyện Ngục và Hoả Ngục là những thứ mà Giáo Hội dựng nên để hù dọa người ta mà thôi!

Vì không tin có Luyện Ngục và Hoả Ngục cho nên họ chẳng quan tâm gì đến việc đọc kinh xin lễ, và làm việc hy sinh, hãm mình … để cầu nguyện cho những người đã qua đời. “Tất cả những ai tin vào danh Đức Giê-su và chịu phép Rửa Tội thì chắc chắn được cứu rỗi, vậy cầu nguyện, đọc kinh, tham dự Thánh Lễ, hy sinh cho người quá cố để làm gì? Vô ích! Tốn thời giờ” Họ dùng Thánh Kinh để lý luận như vậy!

Thứ ba là thái độ tin nhưng lờ mờ:

• Những người thuộc nhóm này thì tin vào những lời giáo huấn của Giáo Hội về sự sống đời sau, tin chắc chắn có Thiên Đàng—Luyện Ngục và Hỏa Ngục, nhưng chẳng bao giờ họ hiểu rõ và hiểu đúng về thực trạng của Thiên Đàng—Luyện Ngục và Hỏa Ngục cả. Họ cũng chẳng hiểu Giáo Hội Công Giáo gồm có BA THÀNH PHẦN và sự liên đới chặt chẽ, và mối liên quan mật thiết giữa ba thành phần này trong Giáo Hội.

Trống đánh xuôi, kèn thổi ngược là thế. Ông Giáo Hoàng ở trên cao quá, có lẽ cao hơn Chúa, nên các "đại diện Chúa" ở mỗi giáo xứ không ai nghe thấy gì cả.

Cũng lạ, là bất cứ điều gì Giáo Hoàng đã buộc chặt thì giáo dân Việt Nam nghe hết, và theo răm rắp. Nhưng khi Giáo Hoàng cởi tháo ra thì giáo dân không nghe, không hiểu, không nhớ. Rốt cuộc họ vẫn nhớ cái dây thòng lọng cũ mà thôi, và cứ thế mà truyền lại cho đến đời con đời cháu sau họ.

Thí dụ thứ nhất, ngày xưa giáo hội bắt buộc giáo dân không ăn đồ cúng, lên án chê bai và xa lánh những việc cúng kiến. Cho là việc thờ cúng ma quỷ. Đến Công Đồng Vatican II, Vatican muốn cởi mở để giáo dân Á Châu sống chung hòa mình với dân lương chung quanh. Nhưng ngay bây giờ, nếu hỏi một linh mục câu hỏi ngắn gọn: "Có nên ăn đồ cúng của dân lương hay không?" thì câu trả lời là đi lòng vòng 80km rồi trở về "ngẩn ngơ" chẳng rõ ông ấy muốn nói có hay không! Xem bài NAY ĐỒ DÂNG CÚNG, CÓ NÊN ĂN đăng trên http://gxphuhoa.org/

Thí dụ thứ hai, ngày xưa giáo hội rất gắt gao về việc bắt người phối ngẫu phải theo đạo Chúa trước khi làm lễ hôn phối. Nghe nói sau này, giáo hội "biết tôn trọng" quyền tự do tôn giáo của người khác, nên đã cho phép "đạo ai nấy giữ" (trên nguyên tắc vậy thôi). Thực tế, sự cởi mở này chỉ có trên vành môi một lúc thôi, vì họ buộc người theo CG phải thề hứa "làm hết sức mình" để dạy con theo CG theo Điều 1125 (xem bài HÔN NHÂN HỖN HỢP, KHÁC ĐẠO - JB. Lê Ngọc Dũng).

Thí dụ thứ ba, năm 1949, Giáo hoàng Pio XII đã ban bố một sắc lệnh rút phép thông công đối với bất cứ người Công giáo nào gia nhập các Đảng Cộng sản. Những năm sau này, Vatican không còn đề cập đến quan điểm này nữa, (xem btgcp.gov.vn) nhưng thái độ của nhiều linh mục và các con chiên vẫn kéo dài sự thù nghịch cho đến nay vẫn còn đậm nét. (xem các youtube của lm Nguyễn Duy Tân, Đặng Hữu Nam, Nguyễn Ngọc Nam Phong,...) và những cuộc lấn đất giành đất, biểu tình, gây gỗ,... chia rẽ... đã tràn lan trong từng giai đoạn khó khăn của đất nước.

Lạ một điều là nếu những người theo đạo CG tin rằng nước Thiên Đàng là thật, và dành riêng cho những người tin Chúa, thì tại sao họ lại bám víu lấy quyền lực và vật chất ở nước Việt Nam nhỏ bé này?

Chỉ có ... "Chúa" mới hiểu được những con người tham lam mang tên "Con Chúa". Tôi cam kết, Thiên Đàng là của riêng cho chiên các người, sẽ không một ai muốn giành giật với các người đâu. Nhưng mảnh đất Việt Nam khốn khổ này, xin các người để yên cho Cộng Sản Việt Nam quản lý, vì họ có công giành lại từ tay các thực dân Pháp, Mỹ, Nhật,... Các người bỏ tay ra!

Chào các "người chiên."

Lý Thái Xuân

 

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PHỤ LỤC I

1- Báo Vatican.va: JOHN PAUL II - GENERAL AUDIENCE -Wednesday 21 July 1999

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. When the form of this world has passed away, those who have welcomed God into their lives and have sincerely opened themselves to his love, at least at the moment of death, will enjoy that fullness of communion with God which is the goal of human life.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “this perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity — this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed — is called ‘heaven’. Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (n. 1024).

Today we will try to understand the biblical meaning of “heaven”, in order to have a better understanding of the reality to which this expression refers.

... Xem tiếp=>

 

2- Bài tường thuật của NC Register:- Heaven Is an Intimate Relationship With God, Not a Place, Says Pope.

VATICAN CITY-- Heaven is not a place, but an intimate relationship with God that can be experienced partially on earth, Pope John Paul II said.

Heaven “is not an abstraction nor a physical place amid the clouds, but a living and personal relationship with the Holy Trinity,” the Pope said at his July 21 general audience.

The audience was held the day after the Pope returned from a two-week vacation in the Italian Alps. After the audience, he was scheduled to go to the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. Until September, he will stay at the villa, returning briefly on Wednesdays for the audience.

The Pope's last audience talk before vacation had focused on God's judgment and mercy which, he said, is so great that the only people who will be condemned to hell are those who actively turn away from God.

Picking up where he had left off, the Pope said, “When this world has passed away, those who accepted God in their lives and were sincerely open to his love, at least at the moment of death, will enjoy that fullness of communion with God which is the goal of human existence.”

It is possible to get a taste of heaven on earth, he said.

Through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and through acts of self-giving in charity, the Pope said, one can experience some of the happiness and peace which will reach its culmination in final, complete communion with God.

“If we are able to enjoy properly the good things that the Lord showers upon us every day of our earthly lives, then we have begun to experience the joy which will be completely ours in the next life,” the Pope said.

Pope John Paul said the idea of heaven as a place in the sky came from metaphorical biblical language contrasting the dwelling place of humanity and the dwelling place of God.

But the Old Testament makes it clear that God “cannot be enclosed in heaven,” that he hears human prayers, intervenes in human history and that, “through grace, believers can ascend” to God's presence, the Pope said.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the way to heaven for all men and women. Through his death and resurrection, all who believe in him were made “citizens of heaven,” he said.

“Therefore, after the journey of our earthly life, participation in complete intimacy with the Father passes through the Pascal mystery of Christ,” the Pope said.

Pope John Paul told visitors at the audience that care must be taken when trying to describe heaven because whatever descriptions people come up with “always remain inadequate.” (From combined wire services)

 

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PHỤ LỤC II

1. Bài trích ngắn về Hỏa Ngục của GH John Paul II:

Hell Is the State of Those Who Reject God

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Wednesday 28 July 1999

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our catechesis last week focused on heaven, and this week we consider the reality of hell, the final destiny of those who reject the love of God and refuse his forgiveness.

Hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God, but the condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life. It is the ultimate consequence of sin itself. Sacred Scripture uses many images to describe the pain, frustration and emptiness of life without God. More than a physical place, hell is the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy. So eternal damnation is not God's work but is actually our own doing. Christian faith teaches us that there are creatures who have already given a definitive "no" to God; these are the spirits which rebelled against God and whom we call demons. They serve as a warning for human beings: eternal damnation remains a real possibility for us too. The reality of hell should not, however, be a cause of anxiety or despair for believers. Rather, it is a necessary and healthy reminder that human freedom has to be conformed to the example of Jesus, who always said "yes" to God, who conquered Satan, and who gave us his Spirit so that we too could call God "Father".

© L'Osservatore Romano, Editorial and Management Offices, Via del Pellegrino, 00120, Vatican City, Europe, Telephone 39/6/698.99.390.

This item 1183 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org

Tạm dịch:

2- Ngoài ra, còn có nhiều bài phê bình về việc này, thí dụ trong bài sau:

Tạm dịch:

 

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Đọc thêm:

1- Ba Giáo Hoàng Dẹp Bỏ Thiên Đàng (Ri Nguyễn sưu tầm)

2- Vatican scrambles after pope appears to deny existence of hell

3- Bài tổng hợp khái niệm về Thiên Đàng, Hỏa Ngục, và Luyện Ngục của Giáo Hoàng John Paul II:

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

Authored By: Pope John Paul II

In three controversial Wednesday Audiences, Pope John Paul II pointed out that the essential characteristic of heaven, hell or purgatory is that they are states of being of a spirit (angel/demon) or human soul, rather than places, as commonly perceived and represented in human language. This language of place is, according to the Pope, inadequate to describe the realities involved, since it is tied to the temporal order in which this world and we exist. In this he is applying the philosophical categories used by the Church in her theology and saying what St. Thomas Aquinas said long before him.

"Incorporeal things are not in place after a manner known and familiar to us, in which way we say that bodies are properly in place; but they are in place after a manner befitting spiritual substances, a manner that cannot be fully manifest to us." [St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Supplement, Q69, a1, reply 1]

Heaven is Fullness of Communion with God

Heaven as the fullness of communion with God was the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis at the General Audience of 21 July 1999. Heaven "is neither an abstraction not a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit," the Pope said.

1. When the form of this world has passed away, those who have welcomed God into their lives and have sincerely opened themselves to his love, at least at the moment of death, will enjoy that fullness of communion with God which is the goal of human life.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "this perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed is called "heaven'. Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness" (n.1024).

Today we will try to understand the biblical meaning of "heaven", in order to have a better understanding of the reality to which this expression refers.

2. In biblical language "heaven"", when it is joined to the "earth", indicates part of the universe. Scripture says about creation: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gn 1:1).

Heaven is the transcendent dwelling-place of the living God

Metaphorically speaking, heaven is understood as the dwelling-place of God, who is thus distinguished from human beings (cf. Ps 104:2f.; 115:16; Is 66:1). He sees and judges from the heights of heaven (cf. Ps 113:4-9) and comes down when he is called upon (cf. Ps 18:9, 10; 144:5). However the biblical metaphor makes it clear that God does not identify himself with heaven, nor can he be contained in it (cf. 1 Kgs 8:27); and this is true, even though in some passages of the First Book of the Maccabees "Heaven" is simply one of God's names (1 Mc 3:18, 19, 50, 60; 4:24, 55).

The depiction of heaven as the transcendent dwelling-place of the living God is joined with that of the place to which believers, through grace, can also ascend, as we see in the Old Testament accounts of Enoch (cf. Gn 5:24) and Elijah (cf. 2 Kgs 2:11). Thus heaven becomes an image of life in God. In this sense Jesus speaks of a "reward in heaven" (Mt 5:12) and urges people to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (ibid., 6:20; cf. 19:21).

3. The New Testament amplifies the idea of heaven in relation to the mystery of Christ. To show that the Redeemer's sacrifice acquires perfect and definitive value, the Letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus "passed through the heavens" (Heb 4:14), and "entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself" (ibid., 9:24). Since believers are loved in a special way by the Father, they are raised with Christ and made citizens of heaven. It is worthwhile listening to what the Apostle Paul tells us about this in a very powerful text: "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:4-7). The fatherhood of God, who is rich in mercy, is experienced by creatures through the love of God's crucified and risen Son, who sits in heaven on the right hand of the Father as Lord.

4. After the course of our earthly life, participation in complete intimacy with the Father thus comes through our insertion into Christ's paschal mystery. St Paul emphasizes our meeting with Christ in heaven at the end of time with a vivid spatial image: "Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thes 4:17-18).

Sacramental life is anticipation of heaven

In the context of Revelation, we know that the "heaven" or "happiness" in which we will find ourselves is neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit.

It is always necessary to maintain a certain restraint in describing these "ultimate realities" since their depiction is always unsatisfactory. Today, personalist language is better suited to describing the state of happiness and peace we will enjoy in our definitive communion with God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the Church's teaching on this truth: "By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened' heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ" (n. 1026).

5. This final state, however, can be anticipated in some way today in sacramental life, whose centre is the Eucharist, and in the gift of self through fraternal charity. If we are able to enjoy properly the good things that the Lord showers upon us every day, we will already have begun to experience that joy and peace which one day will be completely ours. We know that on this earth everything is subject to limits, but the thought of the "ultimate" realities helps us to live better the "penultimate" realities. We know that as we pass through this world we are called to seek "the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1), in order to be with him in the eschatological fulfilment, when the Spirit will fully reconcile with the Father "all things, whether on earth or in heaven" (Col 1:20).

To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors the Holy Father said:

I extend a special welcome to the young people taking part in the Forum of the European Youth Parliament, as well as to the St Vincent Ferrer Chorale from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and the Taiwanese Native Folklore Group, accompanied by Cardinal Shan. Upon all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims, especially those from England, Scotland, Korea, Taiwan, Canada and the United States, I invoke the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you have a happy and blessed summer!

Hell is the State of Those who Reject God

At the General Audience of Wednesday, 28 July 1999, the Holy Father reflected on hell as the definitive rejection of God. In his catechesis, the Pope said that care should be taken to interpret correctly the images of hell in Sacred Scripture, and explained that "hell is the ultimate consequence of sin itself... Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy".

1. God is the infinitely good and merciful Father. But man, called to respond to him freely, can unfortunately choose to reject his love and forgiveness once and for all, thus separating himself for ever from joyful communion with him. It is precisely this tragic situation that Christian doctrine explains when it speaks of eternal damnation or hell. It is not a punishment imposed externally by God but a development of premises already set by people in this life. The very dimension of unhappiness which this obscure condition brings can in a certain way be sensed in the light of some of the terrible experiences we have suffered which, as is commonly said, make life "hell".

In a theological sense however, hell is something else: it is the ultimate consequence of sin itself, which turns against the person who committed it. It is the state of those who definitively reject the Father's mercy, even at the last moment of their life.

Hell is a state of eternal damnation

2. To describe this reality Sacred Scripture uses a symbolical language which will gradually be explained. In the Old Testament the condition of the dead had not yet been fully disclosed by Revelation. Moreover it was thought that the dead were amassed in Sheol, a land of darkness (cf. Ez. 28:8; 31:14; Jb. 10:21f.; 38:17; Ps 30:10; 88:7, 13), a pit from which one cannot reascend (cf. Jb. 7:9), a place in which it is impossible to praise God (cf. Is 38:18; Ps 6:6).

The New Testament sheds new light on the condition of the dead, proclaiming above all that Christ by his Resurrection conquered death and extended his liberating power to the kingdom of the dead.

Redemption nevertheless remains an offer of salvation which it is up to people to accept freely. This is why they will all be judged "by what they [have done]" (Rv 20:13). By using images, the New Testament presents the place destined for evildoers as a fiery furnace, where people will "weep and gnash their teeth" (Mt 13:42; cf. 25:30, 41), or like Gehenna with its "unquenchable fire" (Mk 9:43). All this is narrated in the parable of the rich man, which explains that hell is a place of eternal suffering, with no possibility of return, nor of the alleviation of pain (cf. Lk. 16:19-3 1).

The Book of Revelation also figuratively portrays in a "pool of fire" those who exclude themselves from the book of life, thus meeting with a "second death" (Rv. 20:13f.). Whoever continues to be closed to the Gospel is therefore preparing for 'eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thes 1:9).

3. The images of hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted. They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather* than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life andjoy. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the truths of faith on this subject: "To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called 'hell'" (n. 1033).

"Eternal damnation", therefore, is not attributed to God's initiative because in his merciful love he can only desire the salvation of the beings he created. In reality, it is the creature who closes himself to his love. Damnation consists precisely in definitive separation from God, freely chosen by the human person and confirmed with death that seals his choice for ever. God's judgement ratifies this state.

We are saved from going to hell by Jesus who conquered Satan

4. Christian faith teaches that in taking the risk of saying "yes" or "no", which marks the human creature's freedom, some have already said no. They are the spiritual creatures that rebelled against God's love and are called demons (cf. Fourth Lateran Council, DS 800-801). What happened to them is a warning to us: it is a continuous call to avoid the tragedy which leads to sin and to conform our life to that of Jesus who lived his life with a "yes" to God.

Eternal damnation remains a real possibility, but we are not granted, without special divine revelation, the knowledge of whether or which human beings are effectively involved in it. The thought of hell — and even less the improper use of biblical images — must not create anxiety or despair, but is a necessary and healthy reminder of freedom within the proclamation that the risen Jesus has conquered Satan, giving us the, Spirit of God who makes us cry "Abba, Father!" (Rm. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).

This prospect, rich in hope, prevails in Christian proclamation. It is effectively reflected in the liturgical tradition of the Church, as the words of the Roman Canon attest: "Father, accept this offering from your whole family ... save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen".

To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, the Holy Father said.

I am pleased to greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Nigeria, Hong Kong and the United States of America. I wish you a pleasant visit to Christian Rome and I invoke upon you the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

*[Note: The original Italian says, "(Più che) More than a place, hell indicates..." This suggests correctly that although hell is not essentially "a place," rather the definitive loss of God,  confinement is included. Thus, after the general resurrection the bodies of the damned, being bodies not spirits, must be in "some place," in which they will receive the punishment of fire.] return to text

Purgatory Is Necessary Purification

Before we enter into full communion with God, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated and every imperfection in our soul must be corrected

At the General Audience of Wednesday, 4 August 1999, following his catecheses on heaven and hell, the Holy Father reflected on Purgatory. He explained that physical integrity is necessary to enter into perfect communion with God therefore "the term purgatory does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence", where Christ "removes ... the remnants of imperfection".

1. As we have seen in the previous two catecheses, on the basis of the definitive option for or against God, the human being finds he faces one of these alternatives:  either to live with the Lord in eternal beatitude, or to remain far from his presence.

For those who find themselves in a condition of being open to God, but still imperfectly, the journey towards full beatitude requires a purification, which the faith of the Church illustrates in the doctrine of "Purgatory" (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1030-1032).

To share in divine life we must be totally purified

2. In Sacred Scripture, we can grasp certain elements that help us to understand the meaning of this doctrine, even if it is not formally described. They express the belief that we cannot approach God without undergoing some kind of purification.

According to Old Testament religious law, what is destined for God must be perfect. As a result, physical integrity is also specifically required for the realities which come into contact with God at the sacrificial level such as, for example, sacrificial animals (cf. Lv 22: 22) or at the institutional level, as in the case of priests or ministers of worship (cf. Lv 21: 17-23). Total dedication to the God of the Covenant, along the lines of the great teachings found in Deuteronomy (cf. 6: 5), and which must correspond to this physical integrity, is required of individuals and society as a whole (cf. 1 Kgs 8: 61). It is a matter of loving God with all one's being, with purity of heart and the witness of deeds (cf. ibid., 10: 12f.)

The need for integrity obviously becomes necessary after death, for entering into perfect and complete communion with God. Those who do not possess this integrity must undergo purification. This is suggested by a text of St Paul. The Apostle speaks of the value of each person's work which will be revealed on the day of judgement and says:  "If the work which any man has built on the foundation [which is Christ] survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor 3: 14-15).

3. At times, to reach a state of perfect integrity a person's intercession or mediation is needed. For example, Moses obtains pardon for the people with a prayer in which he recalls the saving work done by God in the past, and prays for God's fidelity to the oath made to his ancestors (cf. Ex 32: 30, 11-13). The figure of the Servant of the Lord, outlined in the Book of Isaiah, is also portrayed by his role of intercession and expiation for many; at the end of his suffering he "will see the light" and "will justify many", bearing their iniquities (cf. Is 52: 13-53, 12, especially vv. 53: 11).

Psalm 51 can be considered, according to the perspective of the Old Testament, as a synthesis of the process of reintegration:  the sinner confesses and recognizes his guilt (v. 3), asking insistently to be purified or "cleansed" (vv. 2, 9, 10, 17) so as to proclaim the divine praise (v. 15).

Purgatory is not a place but a condition of existence

4. In the New Testament Christ is presented as the intercessor who assumes the functions of high priest on the day of expiation (cf. Heb 5: 7; 7: 25). But in him the priesthood is presented in a new and definitive form. He enters the heavenly shrine once and for all, to intercede with God on our behalf (cf. Heb 9: 23-26, especially, v. 24). He is both priest and "victim of expiation" for the sins of the whole world (cf. 1 Jn 2: 2).

Jesus, as the great intercessor who atones for us, will fully reveal himself at the end of our life when he will express himself with the offer of mercy, but also with the inevitable judgement for those who refuse the Father's love and forgiveness.

This offer of mercy does not exclude the duty to present ourselves to God, pure and whole, rich in that love which Paul calls a "[bond] of perfect harmony" (Col 3: 14).

5. In following the Gospel exhortation to be perfect like the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5: 48) during our earthly life, we are called to grow in love, to be sound and flawless before God the Father "at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints" (1 Thes 3: 12f.). Moreover, we are invited to "cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit" (2 Cor 7: 1; cf. 1 Jn 3: 3), because the encounter with God requires absolute purity.

Every trace of attachment to evil must be eliminated, every imperfection of the soul corrected. Purification must be complete, and indeed this is precisely what is meant by the Church's teaching on purgatory. The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. Those who, after death, exist in a state of purification, are already in the love of Christ who removes from them the remnants of imperfection (cf. Ecumenical Council of Florence, Decretum pro Graecis:  DS 1304; Ecumenical Council of Trent, Decretum de iustificatione:  DS 1580; Decretum de purgatorio:  DS 1820).

It is necessary to explain that the state of purification is not a prolungation of the earthly condition, almost as if after death one were given another possibility to change one's destiny. The Church's teaching in this regard is unequivocal and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council which teaches:  "Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed (cf. Heb 9: 27), we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth' (Mt 22: 13 and 25: 30)" (Lumen gentium, n. 48).

6. One last important aspect which the Church's tradition has always pointed out should be reproposed today:  the dimension of "communio". Those, in fact, who find themselves in the state of purification are united both with the blessed who already enjoy the fullness of eternal life, and with us on this earth on our way towards the Father's house (cf. CCC, n. 1032).

Just as in their earthly life believers are united in the one Mystical Body, so after death those who live in a state of purification experience the same ecclesial solidarity which works through prayer, prayers for suffrage and love for their other brothers and sisters in the faith. Purification is lived in the essential bond created between those who live in this world and those who enjoy eternal beatitude.

To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors the Holy Father said: 

I am pleased to greet the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today's Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Upon all of you I invoke the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Happy summer holidays to you all!

Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English Heaven: 28 July 1999, 7 Hell: 4 August 1999, 7 Purgatory: 11/18 August, 7

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