What did Bishop Sheen, in the first stage of Canonization, tell us about Hell?

What did Bishop Sheen, in the first stage of Canonization, tell us about Hell?

Eileen Renders

Almost every other day, we hear of someone telling a story of how they died, went to heaven, and spoke with Jesus, then returned to life again on Earth with a message for us. Recently, someone shared a message with me that a man named “Joe” died and found himself in hell, where he saw Hitler and other burning, literally on fire, and many others, caged in separate, clear see see-through boxes.

God is all-loving, merciful, and not vengeful, nor would he decide to burn someone, torture them for eternity! This is not the God I have known and adored.

Also, I have never heard or read in a Catholic Bible that those sent to hell have been reunited with their bodies? We were born with free will; we make our choices in life for either good or evil. Should we be condemned to hell for eternity, it is we who have chosen that path by our decision not to love, respect, or accept Christ into our hearts and our lives.

Recently, I found words from a famous Bishop who is in the process of Canonization. I was so happy to read and feel his words. I want to share this with all my readers as follows;

Bishop Fulton Sheen taught that hell is a real and eternal consequence of rejecting God's love, a state of "pain without love" that is ultimately a self-imposed separation from God. He described hell as a state of "eternal unforgiveness" and the mind being "mad at itself for wounding love". For Sheen, hell is the result of free will taken to its extreme—the final, eternal "no" to God's love, and the source of inner conflict and separation from others. 

Key points on Sheen's view of hell:

A choice, not a punishment: Sheen argued that God does not send people to hell, but that individuals choose it by turning away from God's love. Hell is the natural, final consequence of a life of self-centeredness and separation from the source of all goodness.
The eternal "no" to God: He famously described hell as the "eternal echo of a soul that has said no to God". This highlights the dignity of human freedom, but also its dangerous potential.
"Pain without love": In contrast to purgatory ("pain with love") and heaven ("love without pain"), Sheen defined hell as "pain without love".
Inner conflict and unforgiveness: Hell is also a state of eternal self-hatred and unforgiveness, where souls are eternally "mad at themselves for wounding love" and cannot forgive themselves. This inner torment is reflected in external hatred and conflict with others.
The devil's role: Sheen noted that the devil's greatest trick is convincing people he doesn't exist. He described the devil as a fallen angel, not a cartoonish figure, and his ultimate goal is to convince people that there is no other world and no judgment. 
Sheen's teaching on the last things:

Particular judgment: Sheen explained that at death, each person faces a particular judgment, an evaluation of themselves as they truly are, which determines their eternal destiny: hell, purgatory, or heaven.
Purgatory: He saw purgatory as a merciful cleansing for those who die in God's grace but still have punishment for sins to atone for.
Heaven: Sheen acknowledged that much of heaven remains a mystery, quoting scripture, but he emphasized that it is the complete opposite of hell—"love without pain". 
Fulton Sheen on the Last 4 Things: Love is the Key
 

 Key points from Sheen's teachings on hell

A result of rejecting love: Sheen viewed hell not as something arbitrarily inflicted by God, but as the natural and inevitable result of rejecting His love.
An eternal echo of a "no": His famous quote on the subject is, "Hell is the eternal echo of a soul that has said no to God". This emphasizes that hell is the final state of a soul that has perpetually refused to accept God's grace.
A choice of the soul: He believed hell is ultimately a self-imposed state, where the soul, having rejected God's love, becomes eternally unforgiving of itself and others.
Self-inflicted unforgiveness: Sheen explained, "Hell is the mind eternally mad at itself for wounding love... their hell is eternal, self-imposed unforgiveness. It is not that God will not forgive them, but they will not forgive themselves".
The absence of love: He also defined hell as the ultimate state of "pain without love," contrasting it with purgatory ("pain with love") and heaven ("love without pain").
An "inner hell": Sheen also connected the concept of hell to our earthly experiences, describing it as a state of "inner conflict and contradiction" where a person is at war with themselves, which can manifest as the hatred of others and contempt