Sr. Mary Ephrem's Vision
of Hell
The evening of the 24th of Feb. 1958, as I was composing myself to sleep I underwent a strange and horrifying experience.
As I was not yet
asleep I do not think it could have been a dream. It came suddenly without sign
or warning, and as such left an indelible impression on my mind and heart.
I found
myself on a lonely road one of course, I had never seen or been on at any time.
Before me was a large structure somethin similar to a giagantic cathedral or
castle. It was huge somber and forbiding. I was obliged to walk toward it,
though something inside of me held back in a kind of dread.Then at my side on
the right I felt the strong presence of St. Michael, he did not speak.
We continued on
our journey and at last came to what appeared to be the front enterance to the
strange building. As we drew nearer the two great doors which had the qualities
so it seemed of some sort of glass work, opened of themselves. I saw no one.
The interior revealed an odd indescribable darkness pervaded by a weird sort of
light, which was not really light. We entered and without looking back I knew
that doors had closed inexorably behind us, and that we would never leave the
same way we had entered.
When I said that
the light was not really light, I meant it was more like the distant glow of a
raging fire. What appeared to be openings in this vast and horrible place
looked more like huge windows, painted a vivid red, solid and impenetrable like
an un-breakable wall of fire. Yet they did not have the usual
accompaniments of fire, like flames or smoke. I felt the frightening
certinty of where we were. Just the same I could not help asking my companion,
"What is this place?" Gravely solemnly he replied, "This is
hell." He said this in a way I will never forget.
I wondered that
except for the red openings, there was no appearance of fire anywhere.
Answering these unvoiced thoughts my companion explained, "The fire is in
the souls of the lost, not an outward but an inword fire that never dies.
I did not see
these lost souls, but I knew thet they were all about us, and I thought of the
horror that was theirs and that it would never end.
The silence was
appaling, it was the silence of death without hope. As we continued our journey
there was not a breath of sound. The intense and penetrating silence, or rather
stillness was terrifying beyond description. Yet that very silence screamed
with the undying voice of despair, nothing nothing nothing, lost lost lost,
forever forever forever. I was filled with the most terrible fear that I would never
get out of this dreadful place. And Oh how I missed the light. When explaining
then to my companion,"But there is no light" he made answer,"How
can there be light where God is not" I kept begging St. Michael not to
leave me. Never have I experienced such fear such horror.
As we walked on we
came upon to what appeared to be a large body of water. It looked like an
enormous circular pool. It all but overflowed with some sort of dark substance.
What that was I do not know, but it was not water. I was too terror-struck to
investegate further. Lying about in a rather scattered manner were, what
appeared to be dead objects of some sort. We did not go close enough for me to
see just what they were.
I cannot
imagine anything worse or more horrible than what I felt and saw in this place.
I was told or at least I understood it, that this was the least part of eternal
punishment. What then must the rest be like? I understood that no one could
experience the full sight of hell and live.
When we left this
we came upon another aspect of eternal punishment which made a deep impression
on me. On what appeared to be a wide ledge on the side of a mountain, I saw
many many people going back and forth, searching and searching. They were
surrounded, engolfed in flames of fire. They seemed themselves to be a part of
the fire as though it came from within them. My companion then explained to me
that these were they who had no time for God while they lived upon earth. Now
they were condemmed to spend an eternity seeking Him whom they would never
find. An endless search wihout hope, without ever the joy of finding and
possessing. What a torture this must be! Oh the justice of God!
On the morning of Feb 20,1958,
during Holy Mass the thought of the lost ones, especially the chosen grieved
me. Then Our Lord appearing to me at that moment spoke these words to me:
"Beloved spouse I condemn no one, if a soul is condemned it has condemned
itself." And I knew in my heart this was so, though my eyes filled
with tears.
Sister Mary Ephrem and
The Prayer to the Indwelling Most Holy Trinity
I was suffering a
great deal for I was inconsolable at the thought of my own ingratitude and of
the crimes which sin commits against God. ... I couldn’t keep back the tears
though I am not one to give in emotionally.
This was something
different and impossible to explain. In the midst of it Our Lord said to me:
“Thou art
the daughter of My Heart. In thee My Heart is well pleased.”
But those words,
far from consoling me, made the tears flow more than before. I feel my
ingratitude all the more when He lavishes upon me such goodness and mercy.
Later, Our Lord spoke these words to me while I was praying for the
sanctification of the community I so dearly love.
“Thou shalt be the
light of the Community. Thou shalt follow in My Way and be blest forever.” ...
“Thou art a paradise wherein the Trinity takes its delight. My little
paradise, I thank thee for giving me shelter in thee.”
[She wrote
further...] We are, each one, His paradise, Father, and He takes so much
delight in dwelling in us. How sad, Father, that so few souls know this. And of
those who know, what a small number make use of it. What a mission is ours,
Father, to make souls conscious of God dwelling in them and live a life of
continual adoration. There is so much to be done, time is so short. Yet, what a
consolation to know that even in eternity we can continue this glorious work of
love.
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