Devotion of the day: knowing hell to avoid it

The remorse of conscience. The Lord did not create Hell for you, on the contrary he paints it as a horrible punishment, so that you may escape from it. But if you fall for it, what a pain the thought alone will be: I could have avoided it! I kept in roan all the means and aids of grace so as not to fall into it ... Other relatives and friends of the same age were saved, and I wanted to damn myself for my own fault! ... It would not have cost me much ... Now I would be with the Angels; instead I live with demons!… What desperation!

Fire. The mysterious and terrible fire of Hell is always lit by the wrath of an almighty God and created on purpose to punish the guilty. They are flames that burn, and do not consume the reprobate!… Flames, in comparison with which our liveliest fire, would be refreshment, or like a painted fire… Wise flames that torment more or less to the extent of sins; flames that enclose all evil! How will you support them who now cannot bear the least pain? And will I have to burn for an eternity? What martyrdom!

The privation of God. If you do not feel the tremendous weight of this pain now, you will unfortunately feel it one day. The damned feels the need of God. He seeks him in every moment, he intends that in loving him, in possessing him, in enjoying him eternally, he would have been all his consolation, and instead he finds God his enemy, and hates and curses him! What a cruel torment! Yet souls rain down there carefree, like snow in winter! And I can fall into it too! Maybe today.

PRACTICE. - Commit all your energy to live and die in God's grace.