Matthew 18:6
But whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck
and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Words of Our Lord Jesus
Christ.
VISION OF SOUL BEING
DRAGGED TO HELL
Volume 1 of The Collected Works of St. Teresa
of Avila, Chapter 38, parts 23 & 24 & 25:
24. At another time something else happened to
me that frightened me very much. I was at a place where a certain person died
who for many years had lived a wicked life, from what I knew. But he had been
sick for two years, and in some things it seems he had made amends. He died
without confession, but nevertheless it didn't seem to me he would be condemned.
While the body was being wrapped in its shroud, I saw many devils take that
body; and it seemed they were playing with it and punishing it. This terrified
me, for with large hooks they were dragging it from one devil to the other.
Since I saw it buried with the honor and ceremonies accorded to all, I reflected
on the goodness of God, how He did not want that soul to be defamed, but wanted
the fact that it was His enemy to be concealed.
25. I was half stupefied from what I had seen.
During the whole ceremony I didn't see another devil. Afterward when they put
the body in the grave, there was such a multitude of them inside ready to take
it that I was frantic at the sight of it, and there was need for no small amount
of courage to conceal this. I reflected on what they would do to the soul when
they had such dominion over the unfortunate body. May it please the Lord that
what I have seen -a thing so frightful!-will be seen by all those who are in
such an evil state; I think it would prove a powerful help toward their living a
good life. All of this gives me greater knowledge of what I owe God and of what
He freed me from. I was very frightened until I spoke about it to my confessor,
wondering if it was an illusion caused by the devil to defame that soul.
Although it wasn't considered to be the soul of someone with a very deep
Christian spirit. Truly since the vision was not an illusion, it frightens me
every time I think of it."
