The purpose of this post is threefold:
1. To increase our desire for Heaven;
2. To increase our fear and hatred of sin;
3. To increase our love of God; (and thereby to save our souls)
“In whatever you do, remember your last end, and you will never sin” (Sirach 7:36). Jesus preached often about the Last Things, including Hell, which is so often ignored today… The height of folly! He wants our hearts fixed on Him. The following words are not intended to induce fear; even timorous souls will profit from a pious reflection on eternity. Some have been delivered from their scruples by this means!
Our Lord knows that some souls are so hardened (including the lukewarm) that they need to be a little bit shaken. St. Padre Pio (pictured) was often “harsh” with his penitents, but his motive was LOVE: “I act in such a way, because my heart of father wants to recall souls to penance. I can’t bear that they remain in sin… I treat people the way they deserve before God… To rouse certain souls you need cannonballs. Treating them with gentleness is a waste of time.”
That said – here are some reflections on eternity:
1. “No one who loves God above all things will enter into hell.” (Words of “the good spirit” in the Revelations of St. Bridget of Sweden)
2. “Most souls are anxious above all to go to Heaven and to escape Hell. I wish My Spouses to be less anxious about going to Heaven than about occupying there the place I have prepared for them: that is to say, to correspond in every way to My desires.” (Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity)
3. “If they believed in the eternal joy of Heaven and in the horrific torments of Hell, they would desire nothing but Me.” (Jesus to St. Bridget of Sweden)
4. “When eternity shall reveal to every [saved] soul how much I have loved her, the soul will be transported with love for Me.” (Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata)
5. Jesus showed St. Veronica Giuliani “His cross, His precious Wounds, and His Blood, which streamed down on the earth,” saying, “The value of this is infinite; I gave it all for the salvation of souls, but I find few to avail themselves of it.”
6. “…because the will of the lost remains eternally perverse, their sufferings also are eternal…” (Jesus to Bl. Battista Varani)
7. “If when visions are shown to thee, thou wert to see the beauty of the blessed souls or of the holy Angels as it is, thy heart would be broken with excess of joy.” (Jesus to St. Bridget of Sweden)
8. “It would be great audacity to ask why God made his people suffer so much or why there can be eternal punishment, given that a life in sin cannot last forever. It would be as great audacity as to try to reason out and comprehend the eternity of God. God is eternal and incomprehensible. His justice and recompensation is eternal, his mercy is beyond understanding.” (Our Lady to St. Bridget of Sweden)
9. “But so great is the loveliness of even the lowliest citizen of Heaven, that the sensible beauty of the whole world put together can in no wise be compared to it; its brightness far surpasses the meridian brightness of the visible sun.” (Jesus to St. Catherine of Siena)
10. “What are all the sorrows of earth compared with the happiness of seeing God for even one instant!” (Words of a deceased nun, who appeared to Sr. Marie–Catherine Putigny)
11. “An obedient soul has never been lost.” (St. Francis de Sales)
12. “Whosoever wishes Me to come freely to him, must resign to Me the key of his own will. And if it happens to him through human frailty to take back the key he had given up to Me, by doing his own will in anything, let him wipe out the fault by penance, and again give up his will to Me; and the right Hand of My mercy will receive him, and bring him forth with inconceivable honour to the kingdom of eternal glory.” (Jesus to St. Gertrude)
13. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, says St. Paul (Heb. x. 31). If we now dread hell, we shall not have any reason to fear or endure it in the next life. Every one has sufficient grounds for dreading it. The just and holy should fear hell, because they may yet fall into it. So long as they remain on earth, they are surrounded by not only exterior, but also interior, dangers. Outside of them there is the world with its allurements, its scandals and temptations, and human respect. Within them dwell violent passions and a weak will… How many are now in hell, who for a time were remarkable for their piety and virtue, but who gradually grew careless in the service of God, and finally fell into mortal sin and died without having become reconciled with God. Even the great St. Teresa was in danger of damnation, for God showed her the place destined for her in hell, if she did not give up certain faults [because they would have led to coldness of heart and, eventually, a loss of grace].” (Rev. Martin von Cochem)
14. “Knowest thou the shortest way to arrive at Heaven? It is that of confidence in My merits and fidelity to grace.” (Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata)
15. “But although it is true that there shall be no more eating and drinking in Heaven, as we now understand these two actions, you must not infer from this that the sense of taste shall not be gratified in the blessed. It most certainly will be, as well as every other sense of the human body, though not by the corruptible food of the present life… Our tastes shall be so refined that we shall scorn the low animal pleasures which are fit only for our present corruptible bodies.” (Fr. Boudreaux)
16. (Speaking of the Judgement): “But from you, Jew, I exclude all the Jews who are Christians in secret and who serve Me secretly in pure love, a right faith, and a perfect deed. And from you, heathen, I exclude all those who would gladly walk in the way of My commandments, if only they knew and were taught how they should walk and live, and who with their deeds do as much as they know and are able. These shall by no means by judged with you.” (Jesus to St. Bridget of Sweden)
17. “This divine Heart is more and more disclosing to his unworthy slave its vehement desire of being known, loved and honoured by men … HE MAKES KNOWN that this desire is so great that HE PROMISES to all those who consecrate themselves to Him and are devoted to Him in order to render Him and procure for Him all the love, honour and glory they possibly can that He will never allow them to be lost, that He will be their secure refuge against all the snares of their enemies, but especially that, at the hour of their death, this divine Heart will receive them lovingly and make their salvation sure.” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)
18. “Do not be afraid to abandon yourself unreservedly to His loving Providence, for a child cannot perish in the arms of a Father Who is omnipotent.” – St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
[Does the thought of eternity do you more harm than good? If so, Our Lord understands, and it is likely that He wishes to lead you to Himself by a simple (and very sweet!) way, known as “the little way,” which fortunately been traced out for us by “the greatest Saint of modern times,” St. Therese of Lisieux, or “Little Therese” (as she likes to be called), as well as Sr. Consolata Betrone, the holy Capuchin nun. I can think of no clearer expression of the little way, nor a better means of practicing it, than that which was revealed by Our Lord to Sr. Consolata Betrone, as recorded in the book, ‘Jesus Appeals to the World,’ by Fr. Lorenzo Sales:http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Appeals-World-Lorenzo-Sales/dp/0818900695 … In essence, the message communicated to her is that God loves us unspeakably; therefore He desires our love; He desires that we remain united to Him by making frequent acts of love. From my experience, I can say that the simplicity of this approach to the spiritual life is a source of joy, peace, confidence and love.]
Littlest Souls 