Sermon – They Will Be Cast into the Fiery Furnace (Matthew 13:36-43) – July 28, 2026

The Lord says this about the end of time:

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all that causes sin and all that does evil, and throw them into the fiery furnace.

Christ also speaks of fire, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and eternal punishment (Mt 25:46).

Fire: As mentioned in other parts of the Bible, it is a spiritual fire that torments even the soul (Luke 16:23-26).

Crying and teeth grinding: The pain is so intense that a person not only screams but also grinds their teeth in unbearable agony.

Eternal torment: This torment will last forever, and there will be no escape.

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that there are two main torments in hell: the torment of harm, that is, the inability to see God, and sensory pain, that is, other sufferings such as fire and crying.

But the greatest punishment in hell is not these sensory pains; the most agonizing punishment in hell is having lost God. Even if hell only had the punishment of not being able to see God and no other punishments, that alone would still be hell.

Let us not jeopardize our eternal destiny. We were created to see God and attain heaven. Heaven is seeing God face to face. Let us abandon the sins that distance us from God, especially mortal sins.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary for grace to cease sinning and begin to live our Christian faith correctly.