Prophets in the ancient world spoke for God. They also served as a reminder to the people of their relationship with the Almighty, particularly when the people turned away from Him.
We have amazingly short attention spans. We need constant reminders of our relationship with God and our ultimate destination. One way we can do this is with the proper use of religious imagery.
Crucifixes, holy cards, pictures of the Blessed Mother, the apostles and the saints, can serve as powerful reminders of eternity, and of what is truly important, in the middle of our busy lives. A picture of Christ at the workplace can remind us that our work is meant to be part of God’s saving plan for our lives. A crucifix or a picture of Mary in the home reminds us that we are part the larger family of God. A holy card on the car dashboard reminds us that all the little trips we take are part of our longer road to the Father’s house.
Hell is the eternal loneliness of separation from God, an existence of complete isolation. You know with certainty that God can no longer hear you.
In the end, our immortal souls will end up in one of two places; eternally blessed in communion with God, as we were made to be, or eternally miserable, isolated and alone in the darkness. The choice is up to us. We can accept the love God offers us or we can reject Him even unto death and find ourselves cutoff from literally everything we ever held dear.
It is said that life is a journey. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the destination.
Pax vobiscum
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time