Throwing Yourself Away, or Yielding Yourself to God, by Peter Kwasniewski, PhD

Above: triptych of the Holy Souls in Purgatory being purified by the fires of divine charity, which comes from Christ Crucified, and comforted by the angels and our prayers. The Dominican church of St Catherine of Siena, New York City. Photo by Fr. Lawrence, OP.

Part I: Hell is Real, and You Could Go There

Purgatory and Hell: Forgotten Destinations, pt. II

The Suicides; Canto XIII of The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri; Illustration by Gustave Doré

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses how each man holds a kind of “inner conversation” with himself, reflecting on what he has already done and thinking about what he will do in days to come. Aristotle observes that a bad man can fall to such a miserable state that this interior conversation becomes too painful to stand; he cannot bear to live with himself anymore, and as a result, does away with his own life. He slays himself because he cannot find anything in himself to love. Aristotle later speaks of the noble or virtuous man as one who finds within himself many causes for rejoicing, whether he thinks of time already past or the deeds that lie ahead; he loves his life intensely for the good in it. This same man, however, is prepared to lay down his life on behalf of his country, his family, or his friends. He may go out to war and know that he is not likely to return alive. And when the moment comes for him to fight, he goes forth on the field and, let us say, there meets his death. …

Continue reading >>>>