Concerns About Damnation

Τρεῖς γέροντες παρέβαλον τῷ ἀββᾷ Σισόῃ, ἀκούσαντες τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ  πρῶτος· Πάτερ, πῶς δύναμαι σωθῆναι ἀπὸ πυρίνου ποταμοῦ; Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ δεύτερος· Πάτερ, πῶς δύναμαι σωθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῠ βρυγμοῦ τῶν ὀδόντων, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ σκώληκος τοῦ ἀκοιμήτου; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ τρίτος· Πάτερ, τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ἡ μνήμη τοῦ ἐξωτέρου σκότους φονεύει με; Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ γέρων εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἐγω οὐδενὸς τούτων μέμνημαι· φιλεύσπλαγχνος γὰρ ὤν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐλπίζω ὅτι ποιεῖ μετ' ἐμου ἔλεος. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον οἱ γέροντες ἀπῆλθον λυπούμενοι. Μὴ θέλων δὲ ὁ γέρων ἐᾶσαι αὐτούς λυπουμένους ἀπελθεῖν, ὑποστρέψας αὐτοῖς εἶπε· Μακάριοί ἐστε, ἀδελφοί· ἐζήλωσα γὰρ ὑμᾶς. Ὁ πρῶτος γὰρ ὑμῶν εἶπε περὶ τοῦ πυρίνου ποταμοῦ, καὶ ὁ δεύτερος περὶ τοῦ Ταρτάρου, καὶ ὁ τρίτος περὶ τοῦ σκότους. Εἰ οὖν τοιαύτης μνήμης κυριεύει ὁ νοῦς ὑμῶν, ἀδύνατον ὑμᾶς ἁμαρτῆσαι. Τί δὲ ποιήσω ἐγὼ ὁ σκληροκάρδιος, μὴ συγχωρούμενος εἰδέναι ὅτι κἄν ἐστι κόλασις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· καὶ ἐκ τούτου, ἐν πάσῃ ὥρᾳ ἁμαρτάνω; Καὶ μετανοήσαντες αὐτῷ εἶπον· Καθάπερ ἠκούσαμεν, οὕτως καὶ εἴδομεν. Ἀποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65.397d-399a

Three old men came to see Father Sisoes, having heard about him. The first said to him, 'Father, how shall I save myself from the river of fire?' He did not answer him. The second said to him, 'Father, how can I be saved from the gnashing of teeth and the worm that does not die?' The third said, 'Father, what shall I do, for the remembrance of the outer darkness is killing me?' And answering them the old man said, 'I do not keep in mind the remembrance of any of these things, for since God is compassionate, I hope that He will show me His mercy.' Having heard this, the old men turned away upset. But the elder, not wishing to let them go away troubled, said to them, 'Blessed are you, my brothers; I envy you. The first speaks of the river of fire, and the second of Tartarus, and the third of darkness. Now if your mind is ruled by such remembrances, it is impossible for you to sin. But what shall I do? I who am hard of heart and to whom it has not been given to know whether there is punishment for men? And because of this I sin every hour.' And apologising to him, they said, 'As we have heard, so we have seen.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia