Today,
the Gospel raises the theme of the salvation for our souls. This is
the essence of Christ’s message and the “supreme law of
the Church” (in fact, this is also mentioned like that by the
very Code of Canon Law). The salvation of our soul is an actual fact
insofar a gift from God, but for those of us that have not yet
crossed the threshold of death, is only a possibility. To be saved or
to be damned to hell! That is, to accept or to reject God's
everlasting offer of love.
St. Augustine said «the
man who self-annihilated his goodness, which could have been eternal,
deserved the eternal damnation». We have only two possibilities
in our life: either God or the void, for without God nothing has any
meaning. In this sense, when they do not participate of the essence
of God, life, death, joy, pain, love, etc., are just concepts without
any logic. When the man sins, he avoids the Creator's glance to
center it upon himself. God is constantly looking at the sinner with
love, and in order not to force his freedom, He expects a minimum
gesture of been willing to get back to him.
«Lord,
is it true that few people will be saved?» (Lk 13:23).
Christ does not respond to this question. Therefore, it remained
unanswered, just as it is today, for «it is an inscrutable
mystery between the saintliness of God and the conscience of man. The
silence of the Church is, therefore, Christians' only opportune
position» (John Paul II). The Church does not state any opinion
about those who dwell in hell, but —basing itself in Christ's
words— it does state an opinion about its existence and the
fact there will be many damned in the Final Judgment. And whoever
denies this, whether clerical or lay, incurs, without further ado, in
heresy.
We are free to turn the
stare of our soul towards the Savior, and we are also free to stick
to our refusal. Our death will simply petrify our option forever.