Do you know what Hell is really like?

I mean, do you? Do you think that it's all white hot coals and sulphurous smoke?

Or, maybe you have a more earthly concept for Hell such as being locked in a room full of accountants or estate agents (or Clifford Longley) - pretty terrifying but far from the real thing, I'm sure.

G.E.M. Skues (who he?) had a view as to what Hell was really like and, before I go further let me explain that George Edward Mackenzie Skues was a great and famous authority on fly fishing - a British gentleman, lawyer and author of many books with titles such as 'Minor Tactics of the chalk stream'

Skues was not, as far as I am aware, a Catholic and he died in 1949 at the ripe old age of  91 years.


One tale that he left behind was that of the dry fly fisherman who, having died, went before St Peter.

I shall do my best to recount it from memory but let me first say that the thing that fisherman love most about their sport is its unpredictability.

You never know if you are going to hook a half ounce minnow or an 8lb brown trout.

So the old fisherman arrives in front of St Peter who gives him a warm welcome before consulting his ledger.

"Ah, yes" says St P: "I've found your entry, just follow me if you would be so kind"

"Oh, St Peter, I would be so very grateful if my reward could include a little fly fishing" utters the fisherman.

St Peter halts mid-stride and looks the old chap in the eye and replies that he has exactly that in mind for him.

Throwing open a gate St Peter shows the fisherman a beautiful portion of typically English mellow countryside complete with a swift flowing chalk stream.

"Wonderful, wonderful" cries the old man as St Peter thrusts a 9 foot Hardy split cane rod into his hands - "I can't wait".

"Here, then is your mark" says St Peter, indicating a few yards of bank and, as the angler approaches the spot he sees with great joy, a fish rise near the far bank.

Without further ado he makes a cast to the spot and is instantly into a 2lb trout which he lands with little bother.

Feverishly, he recasts to the same place only to find that, within two seconds, he is fast into another fish.

Landing it he sees that it is another 2 pounder. By now he is in an advanced state of excitement and he casts again only to catch another fish of 2 lbs and this is then repeated all afternoon.

"By Jove" says the old man, "I think I've had enough for one day and I have to say it's getting a bit boring catching exactly the same size of fish over and over again".

"Oho! booms St Peter; "You can't pack up now, the fish are still rising".

Wearily the old man catches a few more before throwing down his rod in a state of exhaustion.

"No more" he cries. "That's it for today"

"But you cannot stop" responds St P, "You have to do this all day and all night"

"What?" Shrieks our brave angler, "You mean that I have to do this continuously for all Eternity?"

"You've got it in one old chap" says the Saint.

"Oh, hell!" said the fisherman.

"Precisely" replied St Peter.

If you are in a state of mortal sin you may wish to memorise this....

.....it will help to guide you......and you there's no need to knock - just   
     come on in!

Rodin's Gate to Hell - a sight to warm your soul!

Picture: Art and Interiors Blog

Welcome to hell - have a nice eternity!

You're enjoying your life, you are successful, have plenty of money, a fast car, house in the stockbroker belt, 3 children and a beautiful wife...pretty damn good eh?

Only trouble is, you no longer practice your faith (well you do go to Midnight Mass at Christmas and you do give the children Easter Eggs) and, to cap it all you have had an affair at the office (over now, of course) and you did have to stick the knife in on Johnson in Marketing  so that he got the push and you got his job - but then, that's business isn't it?
Confession is just a distant memory and the reception of Holy Communion, likewise.

And then, just as you are en route to a meeting that could result in a massive bonus for you - Wham! Crash! Bang! - you have just stepped out in front of an eight ton London Transport Bus and you are mutton, deceased, dead as a parrot.

Now you are coming to...aaargh! blinded by a bright light and then the vision and then...ten seconds later........you are in HELL!

Come on in, things are just hotting up!

Reality begins to set in....you are here for eternity, like forever....longer than forever...and there's no get out of jail card, no plea bargaining, no time off for good behaviour...just eternal fire, demons, souls in agony, torments, tortures....pain, humiliation, degradation, no day or night just sheer hell.

H/T to Fr Z for his one liner on the subject that set my mind racing.
Like most people, my faith is a bit of a struggle at times but I have never wavered from the fear of the prospect of eternal damnation brought down on my own head by my own deeds.

I have weighed up the various options (like missing Mass on Sundays or robbing a bank) but alway, always come to the conclusion that the effort to stay in a state of grace is so well and truly worth it.

What kind of omadhaun would play Russian roulette with a revolver that has all the chambers full?

 Not me.

Regular Confession, Mass and Holy Communion - no worries mate!
 As they say in New Holland.

See also Fr Dwight Longenecker's post

BTW - a typo on Fr Z's post regarding Fr Ray Blake and his attack by the homosexual lobby - the headline reads:
"Fr Blake of Brighton taking flake (sic) from bullies for being Catholic"

'flake' huh?  is that the homosexual version of flak?

I don't go to Mass - does that mean I'll go to hell?

I wish I had a pint of Reverend James bitter for every time that a friend or relative has said that to me. It is uttered more as a provocative challenge than a genuine question.
It would satisfy their sense of defiance to be told: "Of course you'll b****y well go to hell you omadhaun" but, of course, none of us are able to fathom the extent of God's forgiveness and so it is not reasonable to present a response in that manner.

However, the catechism is unequivocal in stating that, a) missing Mass deliberately on a Sunday is a mortal sin and b) anyone in a state of mortal sin will consign themselves to hell. Therefore, if you defy the teachings of Christ and commit a mortal sin you are like one of the millions of snowflakes that are destined to everlasting agonies, as witnessed by St Theresa of Avila.

We know, do we not, that it is legitimate to hate sin because it breaks our link to Almighty God and also to hate it because it has the capacity to send us to eternal fire. Of the two the former is by far the better stance to take but, I have to admit that fear of hell and Satan have always held a particular horror for me and, as a result, I have always opted to endeavour to avoid sin in order to avoid hell, most unsuccessfully I hasten to add.
This is not the best route to take; love of Christ should be our main thrust but..... human frailty and all that.

The choice has been crystal clear to me since I was a small child and I really cannot understand Catholics (CINOs) who apparently cannot see the outcome to 'no Mass on Sundays'.
Try hard to behave and to keep God's law and you may make it to Heaven where we shall no longer experience the fears and sorrows of earth but will be happy beyond our wildest imaginations or......break God's laws and suffer the endless and hideous torments of hell that are so awful they are beyond description (although many of the saints and those who have witnessed visions of Our Lady have captured the essence of that nightmare place pretty well).
Here is Sister Lucia's terrifying account of her own vision as permitted by Our Lady:

"The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals".

Hmm.....I know which road I shall be continuing down; after all, it seems such a piddling price to pay....go to Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation, love God and love your neighbour and you get your stay out of jail card!

Remember too the words of Our Lady of Fatima after she had shown the vision of hell to Sr Lucia.....

To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved. Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.

‘When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.’