The following review by Msgr. Charles Pope appeared September 24 on the Washington, D.C. archdiocese website.
I was very pleased last week to get a copy of Ralph Martin’s new book Will Many Be Saved? The subtitle of the book is What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization.
As the title suggests Ralph Martin explores the modern struggles related to evangelization, showing how many of these difficulties are related to the flawed interpretation of The Second Vatican Council. Critical to the question is the understanding of the Council document Lumen Gentium, in particular L.G. # 16 which deals with the possibility of those who have not explicitly accepted Christ, being saved.
We have discussed before on this blog that one of the chief problems of our modern age is that very few consider the teaching on a hell to be a practical reality. Most today simply presume that the vast majority of people on the planet will be saved, ultimately, no matter what. I have argued, that this position is not only non-biblical, but it also offends against human freedom by rendering our decisions ultimately meaningless, in terms of our destiny.
The practical universal salvation of souls held by most today is ultimately rooted in the dismissal of the biblical teaching of judgment and Hell as simply untenable to modern thought. “How could an all-loving God send anyone to Hell?” goes the modern thinking. Never mind that no one spoke of hell more than Jesus Christ, and no one warned of judgement more vividly than He, who is love itself. The fact is, most Catholics feel very comfortable, and very confident, in simply dismissing Hell is a plausible reality for the vast majority of the human family….
To read entire review, click here.
After a sermon in which a deacon made some questionable remarks, my wife and I approached him at the exit door of church where he was shaking hands. We asked him how many people he thought would go to heaven. He responded “100,000,000,000”. We asked him where that number came from and his response was “that is the approximate number of people who have inhabited the earth since creation and because God is merciful most everyone will go to heaven”. We quoted some bible passages to him and he was very unimpressed. We mentioned a recent sermon on EWTN and he really started to get irritated. Two Sundays ago the Gospel reading had the word “Gehenna” repeated several times. The last time, three years ago, that reading was in the Gospel rotation the priest would not go anywhere near that ‘word’ in his sermon. Two weeks ago the priest danced around “Gehenna” by referring twice to “your eternal reward” in his sermon. Don’t these 2 priests believe in hell or is the problem that they don’t want to be pounced on at the exit door by an irate Mass goer angry at being threatened by eternal damnation? Will these priests be pounced on at their final judgements because they wouldn’t mention the “G” word?
Whether they believe it or not, they better get ready for at least pagatory, due to failure for them to preach what it is that they have received and put souls at risk.
They are liars and their father was a liar from the beginning. Maybe in his case “deacon” is really spelled “demon”. It takes a really hardened heart to strive to distort Scripture. I would not impute much goodness to such a person. They smile and look good but Jesus and St Paul both used the term “whited sepulchres filled with dead men’s bones”, aka stuffed shirts. That deacon likely says what he can to ramp up the feeling he gets from glad handing people, great for business and politics but worthless for anything having to do with Heaven.
Cole,
If I were you, I would find a Catholic Church to attend. The one you are now attending does not sound Catholic!
In several of Her appearances, Our Blessed Mother has decried the fact that souls are going to the Hell they said they did not believe in.
St. Padre Pio was once confronted by a man in Confession who told him he did not believe in Hell. The Saint replied “that is ok, you will believe in Hell when you get there!” No hesitation there!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Cole, tell the Deacon to read the ” Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II”.
He and all Catholics are required to adhere to the CCC.
Based upon what you have stated, the Deacon is a HERETIC and SCHISMATIC.
If he does not correct himself, report him to the Diocese Bishop, and if that does not work to the US Papal Nuncio and the Vatican.
“Hell” is discussed in 16 separate numbered paragraphs in the CCC.
CCC: ” 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.
Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.”
The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs. “
The front steps of the church during Mass exit was probably not the best time or place to engage him on the matter. Take the uninformed deacon to lunch.
God is the creator and human beings are His creations.The fear of God is gone,
A couple of tsunomies that wash away the east and west coasts will fix that in a NY minute.Or a couple of severe earth quakes.
The respect for God is gone.
The age old question remains” Why did God make you?”
The age old answer remains “God made me to know Him,to love Him,….”
It’s true Larry the fear of the Lord is mostly gone from the hearts of the people. I am saddened that most parents don’t even teach their children to be virtuous. I continue to install in my children to live a virtuous life, I am only one but the outside forces are much greater in numbers and so of course it is natural for children to look to their peers and what they learn from peers is not always good. Not many good friends, just ones that enable or mislead others into their sinful choices of rebellion.
The fear of the Lord is a gift, I pray for this generation to once again open their hearts to this gift. I pray for this miracle! It will be hard to undue what the wicked adults of these time have done to our youth by their ill examples but it will not be impossible just so long we turn to God.
Dream on about Tsunami’s, Its not reality
CCC: ” 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.
Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.”
The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
CCC: ” 1037 God predestines no one to go to hell;
for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end.
In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”: ”
The “Particular (individual) Judgement, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell, and the Last Judgement are all explained in the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” starting on page 266.
It includes footnotes to specific passages in the Bible and other Church documents.
hear that PA….hell exists.
well said
It is really not hard to avoid Hell. God the Son in His mercy has given us so many ways to gain Plenary Indulgences, oh I forgot, the modernist don’t teach Indulgences, too bad for them.
By just saying the Prayers at the Foot of the Cross along with the other conditions, we can gain a Plenary Indulgence once a day!
There ars so many ways to gain Plenary Indulgences, if we end up in Hell, it is our own fault!
It may also partially be the fault of those who should have taught us the fullness of the Faith, and didn’t do so.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
I had a good friend tell me that she feels that hell is here on earth because of it’s wicked ways and I said “well if you think it’s hell now, can you imagine how much worst hell really is.”
Abeca,
GOOD ANSWER!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Thank you Mr. Fisher God bless you always.
I don’t recall the year that a good priest was covering this topic of hell. He mentioned that people change and that God is merciful, he allows us time to have a heart of conversion and that the evil one is envious of us. He said that people can go somewhere and then change their mind not to go again or choose to stay or leave….but with hell there is no turning back.
God doesn’t change his mind, you can’t bargain yourself out of hell once you are there. Something like that. The message was good, it really caught our attention and we saw life differently after that awesome message, of course it gave us something to think about and it did not deny us hope. Personally I knew then that I was nothing more than a speck and that I can’t possibly understand all the spiritual life but all I have to do is turn my imperfect self and life to God……trusting him. I am a speck and I infinitely know that I need God.
Apparently, in some circles, the only person that is in Hell is Adolph Hitler!