Love for the people in Hell

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When in Heaven (I hope I'll be there, due to the immense love and mercy of our Heavenly Father) will we be able to love the people in Hell?

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), February 11, 2000

Answers

Hello, Enrique.
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I do not believe that we have an answer to this question in Divine Revelation (Scripture and Tradition).
Therefore, it becomes a matter of theological speculation. I recently heard an elderly (orthodox) priest state that God -- who IS love and loves all of his creation, including every person -- loves even satan. I know that this sounds very strange, but if you think it over, you see some logic in it.

1. God cannot create evil, He cannot do evil, and he does not transform what is good into evil.
2. God created our immortal souls, so they must be good. But we sin. When we do, God does not cease to love us, but seeks to draw us back to Him. If we die in a state of deadly sin, I do not see how that would cause God to begin to hate us or even to withdraw his love.
3. The devil was created as an angel with a good, immortal soul. Therefore, in a primordial way, there is something "good" about the devil, making him lovable to God. But he sinned, rebelling against God and chose eternal damnation, so that he can enjoy no blessings from God. Just as God does not cease to love us when we sin, so it seems that God may not cease to love satan despite his sin. However, it would be an unrequited love that would give satan no benefits.
4. If then, God can love satan, so He (and we) would be able to love those in hell -- but yielding no benefit to them.

Happy day of Our Lady of Lourdes.
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), February 11, 2000.

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