How do we really know that hell exists?

Surveys have revealed that 30 to 40 percent of Catholics in the United States do not believe in the existence of hell, that place of exclusion from God and eternal punishment for those who die in mortal sin without repentance. One such Catholic called into Mother Angelica Live and told Mother Angelica that she did not believe in hell, to which Mother Angelica retorted, “Well, you will!” It was her direct way of reminding Catholics that hell does indeed exist, and there are a number of ways to posit faith in this Catholic dogma.
 
First, the Sacred Scriptures are replete with references to hell. In the New Testament alone, there are believed to be 162 references to hell, 70 references attributed to Jesus alone. For example, Mark 9:43: “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, to the unquenchable fire.” We read as well in Matthew 25:11: “Then He will say to those on His left hand, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire . . .’” As Catholic Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by His revelation (most definitively relayed to us by way of Sacred Scripture), He has offered us the fullness of truth for our salvation. Not believing in Jesus’ teachings concerning hell is a rejection of His teaching authority as God. It also places the soul in danger of facing eternal separation from God, along with everlasting punishment, after death.
 
Second, the Catholic Church, which continues Christ’s work of teaching the Gospel to all nations, affirms His teachings on hell. The Church fathers, the doctors of the Church, the ecumenical councils of the Church and the Magisterium have all been consistent in upholding the dogmatic belief concerning hell. Perhaps the most direct teaching was offered by the Council of Trent in the Catechism of the Council of Trent: “Hell signifies those secret abodes in which are detained the souls that have not obtained the happiness of heaven. Hell is that most loathsome and dark prison in which the souls of the damned are tormented with the unclean spirits in inextinguishable fire” (1050). As the Church is the “pillar and bulwark of truth” (I Timothy 3:15), she speaks authoritatively for Jesus and must uphold, defend and preach His teachings, including those on hell. The Church does so out of obedience, but more so out of love. As our mother, the Church desires that we be spared the punishments of hell so that we may experience instead the eternal happiness and joy of life with the Blessed Trinity in heaven.
 
Lastly, a number of saints (St. Faustina, St. John Bosco, St. Theressa of Avila, et.al) have received special revelations from God concerning hell to warn souls about the reality of hell. These are private revelations and Catholics can accept or reject them, but we might humbly consider them as gifts from God to preserve us from eternal loss. Saint Theresa of Avila, the 16th century mystic and doctor of the Church, in her mystical experiences of hell, stated in La Vida: “I felt a fire in my soul. My bodily sufferings were unendurable. I have undergone most painful sufferings in this life, yet all these were as nothing in comparison with what I felt then, especially when I saw that there would be no intermission, nor any end to them.” These private revelations concerning hell do not alter, add to or improve upon the public revelations of Jesus Christ and the Church, yet they are helpful tools to help us grow in our faith. If the saints’ warnings about the reality of hell can lead us to a conversion from sin and a turning back to God, then they are great aids to our salvation. 
 
As Catholics, we believe that hell exists, and the Church, always faithful to Jesus Christ, will continue to preach and teach about the reality of hell. This teaching is not meant to lead us to despair, but instead encourages us to pray always, to reject sin and to choose God, to frequent the sacrament of penance, to be devoted to the Holy Eucharist, and to seek extreme unction and viaticum before we die. With the grace of Jesus and the spiritual gifts of His holy Church, we have no need to fear hell because when we love our Savior and order our lives accordingly, then we are assuredly on the way to eternal life with Him in Heaven.