How Do You Reconcile God’s Infinite Love and the Existence of a Frightening Hell?
By: Jocelyn Soriano
Tags: Christianity, Philosophy, Spirituality, Catholic, Religion

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!” — Matthew 23:37, WEB-BE

There was once a Prince who fell in love with a young country maiden. In order not to intimidate her, the Prince dressed like a common person and took the opportunity to get to know the maiden. Even though the Prince was in such a disguise, he did not hide his spirit from the maiden. He was his usual self — virtuous, wise, kind, brave and full of compassion. He pursued the maiden by all lawful means allowed so she may have the chance to love him in return. But the maiden’s heart was frozen. And her eyes were set to look only upon the external man. Though she knew that the love of the Prince was true, she sought out other men that could give her the riches and the pleasures she desired. The Prince could not make himself force his way towards her. He doesn’t need her to come to him just because she was afraid of his position or because she fell in love with his riches. No, the Prince wanted to be loved not for his gifts, but for who he truly is.

Can God be any different then? Though King of all, He chose to come down from heaven as a common man. He moved among us, showing us the face of truth, grace and love. It is true that He can give us all the riches our hearts could ever desire, but He does not want to win our affection by bribing us with His gifts. It is true that He can intimidate us with His power, but He does not want us to go to Him just because we have been afraid. What must God do when we choose to look the other way?

Hell is not a punishment that a whimsical and vengeful God imposes. It is simply a self-chosen fate. Even now, in this very world, many choose to turn away from Him. We choose hell each time we choose the darkness. Given eternity, will we ever choose differently? Or shall we only choose ever increasing evils and miseries in which to plunge our souls?

I asked God to help me reconcile the love of God, and the eternity of hell and this is what I have realized: that God’s love is so infinite He is willing to wait for ALL ETERNITY for us to come back and to receive His love.

The eternity of hell could therefore be not only about punishment, but about God’s infinite love. It is also this same love that decides to keep us,rather than annihilate us, even as we spurn His love. It is a love that never gives up.

“Tell them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?’” — Ezekiel 33:11, WEB-BE

“Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil… I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life…” — Deuteronomy 30:15, 19 WEB-BE

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

“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: “He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. 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.’ “ (Catholic Church, 1033)

“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’.” (Catholic Church, 1037)

In a quote from the Revelations to St. Bridget, we can see how God’s mercy is never lacking. Those who will ever refuse heaven (those who will thereby go to hell) are like the devil who cannot accept God’s mercy and love:

Then the Lord answered: “If I am so merciful, then, that I do not refuse pardon to anyone asking for it, ask me humbly for mercy yourself, and I will give it to you.” The devil answered him: “That I shall do by no means! At the time of my fall, a punishment was established for every sin, for every worthless thought or word. Every spirit that has fallen will have his punishment. But rather than bend my knee before you, I would rather swallow all the punishments myself, as long as my mouth can open and shut in punishment and be forever renewed to be punished again.”

God does not wish anyone to be condemned, but neither can He force Himself on anyone who does not want to see His face and be with Him forever. This is what true love is. Love is not manipulation. It can never be given or received by force. This is how much God respects us and loves us.

Some may reply that even if there are people who do not want to be with God, if God’s love is unconditional, He could have provided them with a better place to live in and not have them live in a place where they shall be punished forever. But here we go back to man’s freewill. He can either choose God or choose to be away from Him. God is Light. God is everything that is good, pleasing, holy and perfect. God is beauty and God is joy and peace! To choose to be away from Him is to choose just the opposite of that. It is to choose darkness and every evil and imperfect thing. It is to choose hell itself.

Some may still argue, “What about those who are not Christians?” For this, the Catholic Church has an explanation below. God is just and merciful. He knows those who are truly seeking Him, those who are seeking the Truth. It is in His wisdom that we trust.

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 16 (Paul VI, 1964):

Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God. In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.(Rm 9,4–5). “On account of their fathers” this people remains most dear to God, for “God does not repent of the gifts he makes nor of the calls he issues” (Rm 11,28–29). But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.

Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is he who gives to all men life and breath and all things, (Acts 17, 25–28) and as Savior wills that all men be saved (1Tim 2,4). Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do his will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with his grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life.

Revelations to St. Bridget:

Now, given that I am so merciful, you might ask why I am not merciful toward pagans and Jews, some of whom, if they were instructed in the true faith, would be ready to lay down their lives for God. My response is that I have mercy on everyone, on pagans as well as Jews, nor is any creature beyond my mercy.

With leniency and mercy I will judge both those people who, learning that their faith is not the true one, fervently long for the true faith, as well as those people who believe the faith they profess to be the best one, because no other faith has ever been preached to them, and who wholeheartedly do what they can…

But the ones whose intention and actions were and are for justice and against sin will, along with the less bad Christians, share a punishment of mercy in the midst of sufferings due to their love of justice and their hatred of sin. However, they will not have consolation in the service of glory and of the vision of God. They will not behold him due to their lack of baptism, because some temporal circumstance or some hidden decision of God made them draw back from profitably seeking and obtaining salvation. If there was nothing that held them back from seeking the true God and being baptized, neither fear nor the effort required nor loss of goods or privileges, but only some impediment that overcame their human weakness, then I, who saw Cornelius and the centurion while they were still not baptized, know how to give them a higher and more perfect reward in accordance with their faith.

One thing is the ignorance of sinners, another that of those who are pious but impeded. Likewise, too, one thing is the baptism of water, another that of blood, another that of wholehearted desire. God, who knows the hearts of all people, knows how to take all of these circumstances into account. I am begotten without beginning, begotten eternally from the beginning. I was born in time at the end of times. From the commencement I have known how to give individual persons the rewards they deserve and I give to each according as he deserves.”

For those who may argue that other people may die suddenly to their surprise and may have repented had they lived longer, consider the following quote from Padre Pio:

“I believe that not a great number of souls go to hell. God loves us so much. He formed us at his image. God loves us beyond understanding. And it is my belief that when we have passed from the consciousness of the world, when we appear to be dead, God, before He judges us, will give us a chance to see and understand what sin really is. And if we understand it properly, how could we fail to repent?”

After being given a last chance between life and death — after our eyes have finally been opened as to the true nature of evil and as to the true goodness of God — and we still cling stubbornly to our sin and pride, what value would there be in prolonging our time?