Thursday, January 19, 2012

Hell-Did They Stumble Upon It?

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun in our Solar System. It's also the smallest planet. Since it's closest to the Sun temperatures can reach as high as a scorching 840 degrees Fahrenheit. There are great fluctuations in temperature on and near the planet Mercury but obviously it can get very hot. That got me thinking some "out there," thoughts which I thought would be "fun" to explore.
NASA has a valid explanation (of course) for an unusual occurrence which happened recently. A camera on NASA's Stereo spacecraft caught an image of a wave of electronically charged material shooting out from the Sun and hitting Mercury. The solar flare appears to hit another object. "In one footage, one sees a huge spurt of plasma and other solar ejecta washing over Mercury, the material seems to flare up as it hits another object."
So I wondered if have they stumbled upon Hell? If Hell exists it seems perfectly plausible that it would be "parked" outside of the planet Mercury, but it would be "cloaked or invisible" of course.
UFO enthusiasts have come up with a stranger explanation which I found quite amusing. Obviously they have watched a lot of episodes of "Star Trek," since they're sure that the "mass" is a huge cloaked UFO mothership. Now that's really "out there."
NASA provided this explanation-"The mysterious object is actually Mercury itself. We're seeing in the footage the equivalent of Mercury's wake, where the planet was on the previous day, as it travels through the Solar System."
What does the Church teach about Hell? According to the Catechism, "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035).
When I die I want to be in the eternal presence and light of God. That's one of the reasons I'm going to say Morning Prayer right now and live each moment with Jesus near.
NJA