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In movies and folktales there is the storyline of someone going to Hell to rescue their loved one, somehow bringing them back from the dead or into Heaven from Hell.
This popular storyline is unfortunately not a possibility in the Christian belief of the afterlife.
Jesus himself explains, through the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, that there exists a “chasm” between the two eternal realms.
“Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.”
Luke 16:26
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also explains how the choice to go to Hell after death is “definitive” and cannot be reversed.
Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.”
CCC 1033
When we choose to go to Hell, we do so willingly and there is no going back from our choice. We exclude ourselves from Heaven and that choice is permanent.
While it may make for an exciting movie or novel, it is impossible to go to Hell in order to bring someone to Heaven.
And today we celebrate...