Forgotten Truths To Set Faith Afire!

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) "What St. Paul taught was all the truths and precepts of Christ, even the most demanding ones, without silencing or watering down any.   He spoke of humility, of self-denial, of chastity, of detachment from earthly goods, of obedience…And he did not fear to stress that one had to choose between serving God and serving Baal, because it is not possible to serve the two together. He taught that after death all had to undergo a woeful judgment; that no one can bargain with God; that one can only expect eternal life if one has kept God’s laws; that seeking pleasures by breaking these laws one can only expect eternal damnation…Never did the Preacher of truth think he had to omit these things because   they might seem harsh to his listeners, especially in view of the corruption of the times…Since when does a doctor give useless medicine to his patients, being afraid to prescribe useful ones?" Pope Leo XIII    

  (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "I am sure many lost souls in hell right now would cry out to preachers and writers if they could: Oh, why did you not tell us more about the horrors of hell? Why did you not strike such fear into our hearts by your realistic description of hell that we would have made greater efforts to avoid it?...Why did you spare our feelings in a matter of such eternal moment? Oh, why did you not make hell a thousand times hotter than you did, then perhaps we would not be here today?" Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.    [Just one of 1200 soul-stirring quotations for you to ponder Forgotten Truths To Set Faith Afire! ]