Sr. Josefa Menéndez's Report on Hell

The following personal witness concerning Hell is taken from Sister Josefa Menéndez, The Way of Divine Love [or The Message of the Sacred Heart to the World and A Short Biography of His Messenger] (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1973) [NIHIL OBSTAT: Patricius Morris, S.T.D., L.S.S., Censor Deputatus]. Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) was a coadjutrix sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Covent of Les Feuillants, Poitiers. Yet, only twenty years after her death, she is known all over the world.

This DECLARATION is seen on at the beginning (i.e., p. ix) of the book: "In obedience to the decrees of Pope Urban VIII and other sovereign Pontiffs, the writer declares that the graces in this volume as witnessing to the sanctity of Servants of God, other than those canonized or beatified by the Church, rest on human authority alone; and in regard thereto, as in all things else, the writer submits herself without reserve to the infallible judgment of the Apostolic See which alone has power and authority to pronounce as to whom rightly belong the character and title of Saint or Blessed." It appears that this book was edited and commented by an anonymous writer, possibly a religious sister in her religious order.

"In an admirable page of her autobiography, Saint Teresa describes the indelible impression left on her soul by a passage through hell. We have many notes written by Josefa under obedience, describing her long sojourn in the abyss of pain and despair. These records, striking in their very simplicity, take us back after four centuries to the classical narration of Saint Teresa. They sound the same note, one of pain and contrition, of redemptive love and burning zeal. The dogma of hell, often disputed, and oftener ignored in incomplete spirituality, to the great detriments of souls, and even with danger to their salvation, is brought out with a clarity that admits of no doubts. Who, when reading these pages of what Josefa saw, heard and suffered, can question the existence of an infernal power attacking Christ and His Kingdom with desperate fury? Who can gauge the value of the long hours spent in that prison of fire? … Josefa, who believed herself shut up in it for ever, witnessed the fierce efforts of Satan to snatch souls from Jesus Christ, and felt the excruciating torment of no longer being able to love." (Ibid., p.141)

"Some extracts from her writings will be useful to souls. They act as a cry of warning to those who have a rough path to re-climb, if they are to recover their friendship with God. Above all, are they not a call from Love to those who make up their minds that they will spare nothing in order to save souls who are in danger of eternal perdition? It was in the night of Wednesday, March 16, 1922, that Josefa made her mysterious descent into hell for the first time." (Ibid.)

"From March 6, soon after Our Lord's disappearance, infernal voices had several times caused her great fear and disturbance of mind. Damned souls, invisible to her eyes, came from the lowest depths, reproaching her for her want of generosity. She was greatly perturbed … She heard cries of despair like these: 'I am there where love is banished … for ever … how brief was the enjoyment … and the punishment is eternal … What have I gained? … hate, and that for ever … eternal hatred!'" (Ibid., pp.141-142)

"'O!' she wrote, 'to know that one soul is lost and to be able to do nothing for it! To know that for all eternity a soul will curse Our Lord and that there is no cure … even if I could suffer every torment in the world … what terrible sorrow … It would be better to die a thousand times than be responsible for the loss of one soul.'" (Ibid., p.142)

"'Then I was dragged along a very dark and lengthy passage, and on all sides resounded terrible cries. On opposite sides of the walls of this narrow corridor were niches out of which poured smoke, though with very little flame, and which emitted an intolerable stench. From these recesses came blaspheming voices, uttering impure words. Some cursed their bodies, others their parents. Others, again reproached themselves for having refused grace, and not avoided what they knew to be sinful. It was a medley of confused screams of rage and depair. I was dragged through that kind of corridor, which seemed endless. Then I received a violent punch which doubled me in two, and forced me into one of the niches. I felt as if I were being pressed between two burning planks and pierced through and through with scorching needle points. Opposite and beside me souls were blaspheming and cursing me. What caused me most suffering … and with which no torture can be compared, was the anguish of my soul to find myself separated from God …'" (Ibid., pp.143-144)

"'It seemed to me that I spend long years in that hell, yet it lasted only six or seven hours … Suddenly I was violently pulled out of the niche, and I found myself in a dark place; after striking me, the devil disappeared and left me free … How can I describe my feelings on realizing that I was still alive, and could still love God! I do not know what I am not ready to endure to avoid hell, in spite of my fear of pain. I see clearly that all the sufferings of earth are nothing in comparison with the horror of no longer being able to love, for in that place all breathe hatred and thirst to thirst to damn other souls.'" (Ibid., p.144)

"'On Sunday, March 19, 1922, which was the third Sunday of Lent, I once more went down into the abyss, and it seemed to me that I remained there for long years. I suffered much, but the greatest of my torments was in believing that I could no longer love Our Lord. When I come back to life I am simply mad with joy. I think my love has increased tenfold and I feel ready to endure for love of Him whatever He wishes. As to my vocation, I esteem and love it to folly! … What I have seen gives me great courage to suffer, and makes me understand the value of the smallest sacrifices; Jesus gathers them up and uses them to save souls. It is blindness to avoid pain even in very small things, for not only is it of great worth to ourselves, but it serves to guard many from the torments of hell.'" (Ibid., p.145)

"On Sunday, March 26, 1922, she wrote again, 'On reaching that abode of horror, I hear yells of rage and devilish exultation because another soul has fallen into everlasting torments … At the moment I am not conscious of having previously gone down into hell; it always seems to me to be the first time. It seems, too, to be for ever, and what an agony that is, for I remember that I once knew and loved Our Lord … that I was a religious, that He conferred great graces on me, and many means by which to save my soul. What was it, then, that I did? How did I come to lose so many good things? … How could I have been so blind? … And now all hope is gone … My communions, too, come back to my mind, and my noviceship. But the most crushing and overwhelming grief of all is the torturing memory that I once loved the Heart of Jesus so dearly. I knew Him and He was everything to me … I lived for Him … and how can I now exist without Him … loveless and with blasphemies and deadly malice on every side? It is impossible to put into words the poignant distress to which my broken and oppressed soul is reduced …'" (Ibid., p.146)

In the APPENDIX: A FEW SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES OF JOSEFA'S ON HELL, we read as follows (Ibid., pp.473-474):

Sister Josefa wrote with great reticence on this subject. She did it only to conform to Our Blessed Lord's wishes, Our Lady having told her on the October 25, 1922: "Everything that Jesus allows you to see and to suffer of the torments of hell, is … that you may make it known to your Mothers. So forget yourself entirely, and think only of the glory of the Heart of Jesus and the salvation of souls."

Some extracts of her notes have been quoted … and a few more are added here:

She repeatedly dwelt on the greatest torment of hell, namely, the soul's inability to love. One of these damned souls cried out: "This is my torture … that I want to love and cannot; there is nothing left me but hatred and despair. If one of us could so much as make a single act of love … this would no longer be hell … But we cannot, we live on hatred and malevolence…" (March 23, 1922).

Another of these unfortunates said: "The greatest of our torments here is that we are not able to love Him whom we are bound to hate. Oh! How we hunger for love, we are consumed with desire of it, but it is too late… You too will feel this same devouring hunger, but you will only be able to hate, to abhor, and to long for the loss of souls … nothing else do we care for now!" (March 26, 1922)

The following passage was written by obedience, though it was extremely repugnant to Josefa's humility:

"Every day now, when I am dragged down to hell and the devil orders them to torture me, they answer: 'We cannot, for her members have undergone torture for Him…' (then they blasphemously name Our Blessed Lord) … then he orders them to give me a draught of sulphur .. and again the reply is: 'She has voluntarily deprived herself of drink…' 'Try to find some part of her body to which she has given satisfaction and pleasure.'" (April 1, 1922)

She records, too, the accusations made against themselves by these unhappy souls: "Where is our loot now? … Cursed hand .. Why did I want to possess what did not belong to me … and what in any case I could keep only for a few days…?"

"Others curse their tongues, their eyes .. whatever was the occasion of their sin … 'Now, O body, you are paying the price of the delights you granted yourself! … and you did it of your own free will ..'" (April 6, 1922)

"I saw many worldly people fall into hell, and no words can render their horrible and terrifying cries: 'Damned for ever… I deceived myself; I am lost… I am here for ever… There is no remedy possible… a curse on me…' Some accused people, others circumstances, and all execrated the occasions of their damnation." (September 1922)

"Today, I saw a vast number of people fall into the fiery pit … they seemed to be worldlings and a demon cried vociferously: 'The world is ripe for me… I know that the best way to get hold of souls is to rouse their desire for enjoyment… Put me first… me before the rest … no humility for me! But let me enjoy myself… This sort of thing assures victory to me.. and they tumble headlong into hell.'" (October 4, 1922)

"I heart a demon, from whom a soul had escaped, forced to confess his powerlessness. 'Confound it all … how do so many manage to escape me? They were mine' (and he rattled off their sins) … 'I work hard enough, yet they slip through my fingers .. Someone must be suffering and repairing for them.'" (January 15, 1923)