“Dear friends…Jesus does not enter into a theoretical discussion with his interlocutors on this section of Mosaic Law; he is not concerned with winning an academic dispute about an interpretation of the Mosaic Law, but his goal is to save a soul and reveal that salvation is only found in God’s love. This is why he came down to the earth. This is why he was to die on the Cross and why the Father was to raise him on the third day. Jesus came to tell us that he wants us all in Paradise and that hell, about which little is said in our time, exists and is eternal for those who close their hearts to his love.” (Homily of Pope Benedict XVI, March 25, 2007).
Why does hell exist, as Pope Benedict XVI says? The reason is because Jesus mentions the existence of hell in his teaching. In the Gospel today, Jesus tells a Pharisee about the arrogant rich man who died and ended up in “hades,” suffering torments. “Hades” in the New Testament is equivalent to “sheol” in the Hebrew bible. The arrogant rich man in the Gospel is not only enjoying a lavish lifestyle on earth, but his richness hardens his heart to stone as he has no sympathy for a poor man like Lazarus. Basically, the arrogant rich man distances himself from God. In the Jewish context, he cuts himself off from the Law and the Prophets. When one severs his or her relationship with God, there is an eternal torment for the soul. After the physical death, the human soul loses its capacity to return to God and is stuck in eternal misery due to the rejection of God.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius Loyola invites us to meditate on hell. Ignatius encourages imagining the length, breadth and depth of Hell; the great fires, and the souls as in bodies of fire; hearing wailing, howling, cries, blasphemies against Christ our Lord and against all His Saints; the smell of smoke, sulphur, dregs and putrid things. Perhaps you can try meditating on hell during this Lenten season. If this invitation is too scary, at the very least, we can reflect on how the thought of hell can lead us to seek the forgiveness and mercy of God in our life.