Let's cut to the chase---HELL EXISTS; and we need to do everything possible to avoid it.

Too many voices try to convince us that there is no hell; that a loving and care God would not condemn anyone to hell; and if there is a hell, it's only the trials and challenges we face each day. We can only agree with these voices on one point: God does not condemn anyone to hell; we condemn ourselves when we turn our backs on His merciful love, commit mortal sin, and refuse to confess and repent of our sins.

Not only does Jesus in the New Testament (NT) tells us that hell exist, but He shows us how to avoid it and, with His grace, spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1033) says, "We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love Him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against Him, against our neighbor, or against ourselves...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."

Remember the scene in Mt 25:31-46, where Jesus sits upon His glorious throne, and all the nations are assembled before Him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, He places the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. He tells us that those on His right, the righteous, treated others as they would have treated Him. But He says to those on His left, "Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me. Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.'"

Some religious faiths, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, preach a temporary hell. They teach that at the end of time, all condemned men and woman and the fallen angels will be annihilated and cease to exist. Not only does Mt 25:31-46 reject this belief, as we just saw, but other NT passages also reject it. Rev 20:10 says, "And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

The thought of spending eternity in hell should frighten all of us. CCC 1035 tells us, "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 punishment of hell, 'eternal fire.'"

The Church has taught the reality of hell for 2000 years, because Jesus taught it, as did the Apostles, and the early Church Fathers.

Saint Justin Martyr, an early Church Father, wrote in A.D. 151, "We have been taught that only they may aim at immortality who have lived a holy and virtuous life near to God. We believe that they who live wickedly and do not repent will be punished in everlasting fire."

The (so-called) Second Letter of Clement of Rome, written around A.D. 150, says, "If we do the will of Christ, we shall obtain rest; but if not, if we neglect His commandments, nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment."

While these early Church writings and CCC 1035 are frightening, CCC 1037 offers us hope, "God predestines no one to go to hell...the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want 'any to perish, but all to come to repentance.'" The early Church Father, Theophilus of Antioch, A.D. 181, also offers us hope. He wrote, "To those who seek immortality by the patient exercise of good works, He will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things."

Do you truly want to avoid hell? Here's the NT's recipe for doing so. Turn away from sin. Repent of your prior sins. Let your faith in Jesus Christ consume your entire being. Let God's grace guide your life. Strive to die in a state of grace by simply living your life in faith, hope, and love.

Listen closely to Saint John's words in his gospel (Jn 3:16-17). "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 393, 1033-1037, 1056-1058, 1861. Also, read the following Bible passages: Is 33:11, 2 Thess 1:6-9, Mt 5:22 & 29, Mt 10:28, Mt 13:42 & 50, Mk 9:42-48, Jude 6-7.