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the firmament, as the
appearance of crystal terrible
to behold, and stretched out over their heads
above." (1:22). Explaining these words, one author
says that the damned will have continually
before their eyes a terrible crystal or mirror: with the assistance of some
fatal light, they
will behold,
on one hand, the immense good which they have lost in voluntarily losing
divine grace, and,
on the other, they will view the justly wrathful face of God; and this torment
will surpass by a
million times all the other punishments of Hell.
On this same subject, the author Cajetan makes the following reflection upon the
words of David:
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God." (Ps.
9:18). The Prophet,
says this author, does not here speak of a change of heart, or conversion, but
of the spirit
of sinners.
For just as sinners do not wish to think of God during this life, that they
might not be forced
to renounce their passions, they will be forced despite themselves and by a just
chastisement to
think continuously of God in Hell. They would wish to shut out all remembrance
of God from their
minds, but they will be forced to think always of Him, thus recalling all the
benefits which they
have received from Him, as well as the offenses which they have committed
against Him and by which
they have been separated from Him for all eternity.
The Damned Do Not Forget
Let us now consider briefly the condition of the intellect of the damned in Hell. St. Thomas