Hell: How It Helps Us to Acquire Virtue

This week on From the Housetops, Brother Matthew reflects on the parable of the wedding feast from the Gospel of St. Matthew. In this parable, our Lord reminds us of the pains of hell—darkness, weeping, and the binding of hands and feet—and calls us to think seriously of this unhappy state, for the man without a wedding garment represents the sinner who has soiled the robe of innocence and has not washed it by penitence. The thought of hell presented in the parable becomes a remedy against sin, forming the soul to virtue through humility, courage, and love. It renders us humble, for no one knows whether he is worthy of love or of hatred, and keeps the soul abased in humility before God.

Brother Matthew shows how the thought of hell fills the soul with courage to renounce ourselves, to suffer grief and contradiction, and to practice virtue. The saints, martyrs, and penitents all understood this truth, that either we must burn with the flames of holy love or burn eternally in the flames of divine justice. God, in His love, created hell to frighten our passions and preserve us from sin. His anger has served the designs of His love through the incarnation, the redemption, the sacraments, and His divine patience. Touched by such goodness, we are called to bless and love God and to make our whole life a testimony of gratitude. Join Brother Matthew as he invites you to meditate on these truths and turn your heart to love, humility, and gratitude toward God.