26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gehenna 

Gehenna is one of the three valleys that surrounds Jerusalem.  

It was a place of fire and child sacrifice. 

It is the valley where Judas hung himself. 

And Jesus uses the image of Gehenna to describe hell,

As a place of fire and punishment, death and despair. 

Is there anyone in Hell or who might be there I do not know. 

It is not my job to determine who is going to Hell and neither is it anyone else’s. 

It is only for Christ, Who will come on the Last Day to Judge the living and the dead. 

to determine if anyone is there or who goes there.

He does warn us though that it exists and is not a place we want to go. 

And that there are certain things that we look at; 

that we run after; 

that we hold onto 

That lead us to the road to Hell. 

The things we look at;

The things we run after;

The things we hold onto;

Where do they lead us?

Anyone who has been addicted to drugs or alcohol will tell you that they were on the road to Hell

And the great sacrifice that it took to turn around and go back. 

Somethings in this world lead us to Heaven 

And somethings lead us to Hell 

And it is important to know the difference between. 

But when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven

There is nothing in this world worth looking for, running after or holding onto

That we should risk the fires of Gehenna for them. 

And until the Lord comes again to judge the living and the dead. 

We should never judge another person,

For if not for the grace of God that could be us.