10 WISDOM QUOTES ON ENTERING THE NARROW GATE
When asked what he thought about modern people who didn't believe in hell, Padre Pio replied: “They'll believe in hell when they get there.”
Matthew 7:13-14 “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.”
After making the painting, Graham Braddock commented: “𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓻 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓬 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓷 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓼. 𝓘𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓵𝔂, 𝓲𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼”
Graham Braddock’s painting is symbolic. Let us reflect on his work of art – even once, in the hope of avoiding our entry into the gate of destruction.
1“I am filled with fear and trembling, and all my bones are shaken at the thought of that unhappy country of the damned.”
2 “I saw the torments of hell and those of purgatory; no words can describe them. Had poor mortals the faintest idea of them, they would suffer a thousand deaths rather than undergo the least of their torments during a single day.”
3 “Poor Judas! Above seventeen hundred years have elapsed since he has been in Hell, and his Hell is still only beginning.”
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
4 “The natural fire that we see during this life has great power to burn and torment. Yet this is not even a shadow of the fire of Hell.”
5 “The wicked bodies of the condemned shall simmer and blaze in those living fires.”
6 “Alas! Of what kind is that place of wailing and of gnashing of teeth… at which even Satan shudders? O Woe! What kind of place is it, where the unsleeping worm dies not? What dread misery to be sent into outer darkness? Of what kind of angels placed over these torments, who pitiless and frightful, punish by casting in there, while at the same time the reproach most grievously? Then shall those already in the midst of the torments cry out with pleading voices, and there will be no one to speak for them to the Lord, and they shall not be heard.”
7 “Let us fancy we see hell and imagine what is worst to behold – a horrible cavern full of black flames. Sulphur, devils, dragons, fire, swords, arrows, and innumerable damned who roar in despair. Imagine the worst you can, and then say, ‘All this is nothing compared to hell.'”
8 “No more is it possible for the evildoer, the avaricious, and the treacherous to hide from God than it is for the virtuous. Every man will receive the eternal punishment or reward which his actions deserve. Indeed, if all men recognized this, no one would choose evil even for a short time, knowing that he would incur the eternal sentence of fire. On the contrary, he would take every means to control himself and to adorn himself in virtue, so that he might obtain the good gifts of God and escape the punishments.”
9 “Alas! I could not bear the sight of them. How could I, as the mere noise of these despairing yells caused me an unbearable horror?”
10 “Do not neglect the grace that is offered to you. The God who offers the sinner pardon, does not promise him tomorrow.”
