“the sun will be darkened”

See also: Link to Liturgy Lesson – Hell (Much of the material is repeated in this lesson)
 
What is hell? Hell is the state of a soul that died in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love and thus is in a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God.[1] There is a growing trend in today’s society to question if hell even exists. Some Christian denominations have even made arguments that hell does not exist. However, the Catholic Church can show in Scripture and Tradition that hell is real. [2]
 
Why is it important to talk about hell? Hell is important to talk about especially if there is a chance that we could be there for all eternity. First, as the definition states, hell deals with mortal sin which is a direct offense against God that someone commits with full knowledge, full consent, and is a grave matter. [3] If we do not repent from our mortal sin(s) our soul is in grave jeopardy.
 
Hell is also important because it was important to Jesus. He spoke about hell more than any other person in the Bible. “Jesus often speaks of ‘Gehenna’ of ‘the unquenchable fire’ reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.” [4] Often times Jesus is portrayed as a pacifist who only talked about love and peace, however He did discuss judgment, justice, and the existence of hell. As mentioned earlier, Jesus gives clear instructions that “we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves.” [5] Jesus warns that if we do not remain in God’s love, we will not be with Him in paradise for eternity. “He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (Jn. 3:14-15)
 
Is hell really made of fire? When we think of hell, fire often comes to mind, but the primary punishment is the complete and eternal separation from God. [6] All of us have done something against another person that we regret. The worst part is if that person does not want to talk to you again or lost all trust in you. I once had a friend tell me, “I have lost all respect for you.” That one sentence cut me deeper than any physical punishment could. People also wonder if there are flames in hell. The answer is no, not literally, at least not right now since only souls are in hell without their bodies.
 
Is hell really a place? If it is, then why did God create hell and why would He send people there? Just like heaven, the exact location of hell is unknown. Hell is primarily a state of being eternally separated from God. It is hard to understand that heaven and hell do have their places but are outside of the time and space of our material world. Saint Alphonsus Liguori answers the question, “‘Is Hell a definite place?’ by saying that Hell is a definite place and that this assertion is confirmed by a passage of St. Luke (16:22): ‘But the rich man also died and was buried in hell.’ The sacred text employs the word ‘buried,’ because burials are made within the earth. Moreover, the rich man himself describes Hell as a ‘place of torment’ (Lk. 16:28), confirming the opinion that Hell is a determined and definite place. In another place it is called a ‘lake’; ‘Thou hast saved me from those descending into the lake’ (Ps. 29:3); and elsewhere, a pool: ‘And the devil who deceived them was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone.’ (Rev. 20:9).” [7]
 
Many wonder why God would create hell and send people there if He is so good. However, God did not create hell. It came as the result of disobedience to God. Just as God did not create sin, mankind did. The Catholic Church teaches that God never predestines anyone to hell. [8] God desires everyone to be saved and be with Him in heaven. [9] However, God cannot force us into heaven because that is not true love, just as a person cannot force another to marry and love them. They freely choose to do so. God has given us free will. St. Bernard said that the second most powerful force in the universe is free will because in it, we can reject God, the creator of it. By freely rejecting His love and mercy, God must honor our request to be away from Him. So it is not God who sends souls to hell, rather the person sends them self. C.S. Lewis wrote that hell is locked from the inside because the soul willed it to be locked from God for all eternity [10]
 
There are many people who do not want to think about or believe in the existence of hell. They wish to find an easy wide path, but Christ told us that we are called through the narrow gate. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Mt 7:13-14) We can stay away from hell by staying close to Christ and keeping on the narrow path. We should do this every hour of every day since we do not know the hour of our death. [11] “O my dear Christian, do not listen to such deceivers; for just on account of their sinful life, they fear hell and therefore they endeavor to free themselves from this fear by denying the existence of hell; but they cannot succeed; for Jesus, the Truth, has told us that there is a hell, and His word remains for all eternity.” [12]

[1] Cf. CCC 1033
[2] Cf. CCC 1035
[3] Cf. CCC 1850, 1858-1859
[4] CCC 1034
[5] CCC 1033
[6] Cf. CCC 1035
[7] St. Alphonsus Liguori, What Will Hell Be Like?
[8] Cf. CCC 1037
[9] Cf. CCC 2822
[10] Cf. C.S. Lewis, The Problem with Pain
[11] Cf. CCC 1036
[12] Goffines, The Church’s Year pg. 441