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Cgrover
Guest
Can our deceased loved ones come to us
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PaulfromIowa
Guest
Read the Catechism:
“2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”"
“2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”"
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
If God allows them, they can come because it’s the will of God that they do so.
However, you’re not supposed to try to call them up or get them to come visit you. That’s divination, and it is prohibited by the Catechism and can have many bad effects. God decides whether and when to send them.
However, you’re not supposed to try to call them up or get them to come visit you. That’s divination, and it is prohibited by the Catechism and can have many bad effects. God decides whether and when to send them.
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pianistclare
Guest
What Paul said.
Often, in our grief we dream about loved ones recently passes. But their actually visiting us is likely wishful thinking.
I remember I had a dream about my Father saying goodbye to me before he died, because I was distraught that I was 2000 miles away and unable to travel. It comforted me, but I realized it was just a dream.
If you want to do something positive, pray for the happy repose of their souls.
Peace
Often, in our grief we dream about loved ones recently passes. But their actually visiting us is likely wishful thinking.
I remember I had a dream about my Father saying goodbye to me before he died, because I was distraught that I was 2000 miles away and unable to travel. It comforted me, but I realized it was just a dream.
If you want to do something positive, pray for the happy repose of their souls.
Peace
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
I do not dismiss things so easily as wishful thinking. Padre Pio reportedly saw many deceased people whom God specifically sent to him.
However, I never, ever would try to call up the dead, loved ones or not. As I said - it’s up to God. And you don’t go asking God to send so-and-so either.
However, I never, ever would try to call up the dead, loved ones or not. As I said - it’s up to God. And you don’t go asking God to send so-and-so either.
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Mintaka
Guest
Um, guys…
Actually, Catholic tradition says that the dead can come to visit us – if they are in Heaven or in Purgatory. Anybody who’s dead and in Hell is stuck in Hell. But saintly apparitions and visions definitely happen. The Communion of Saints, through our common membership in the Body of Christ, is something we must believe to be Catholic.
Why do they come? Because God commands them to come, and they are happy to do it. (Of course.)
There are many stories about the dead in Purgatory asking for prayers, or warning the living to shape up. These go back to the earliest Christian times. Many biographies and autobiographies of the saints talk about such things happening.
It’s also traditional that God can get our attention with dreams featuring our loved ones, or with angels visiting us under the appearance of our loved ones.
Finally, there seem to be some weird cases where people aren’t actually there, but some kind of thing is happening that is weird.
Does it happen very often, that the dead visit us? No.
Does it happen? Yes. Ask around. You will be surprised.
Can we command it to happen? No. (And that’s necromancy. The only way necromancy “works” is if some demon shows up, pretending that your necromancy worked.)
Can you ask God for such a thing? Sure.
You’re His kid. He’ll always be happy to hear from you. And maybe He’s just waiting for you to ask, or maybe He’ll say no. How can you tell unless you ask?
God knows who needs a little help and encouragement, and who will be better off without a visit.
If you are really interested in the Catholic theology of weird stuff, there are some books about it from reputable publishers. But they are pretty much all out of print.
Actually, Catholic tradition says that the dead can come to visit us – if they are in Heaven or in Purgatory. Anybody who’s dead and in Hell is stuck in Hell. But saintly apparitions and visions definitely happen. The Communion of Saints, through our common membership in the Body of Christ, is something we must believe to be Catholic.
Why do they come? Because God commands them to come, and they are happy to do it. (Of course.)
There are many stories about the dead in Purgatory asking for prayers, or warning the living to shape up. These go back to the earliest Christian times. Many biographies and autobiographies of the saints talk about such things happening.
It’s also traditional that God can get our attention with dreams featuring our loved ones, or with angels visiting us under the appearance of our loved ones.
Finally, there seem to be some weird cases where people aren’t actually there, but some kind of thing is happening that is weird.
Does it happen very often, that the dead visit us? No.
Does it happen? Yes. Ask around. You will be surprised.
Can we command it to happen? No. (And that’s necromancy. The only way necromancy “works” is if some demon shows up, pretending that your necromancy worked.)
Can you ask God for such a thing? Sure.
You’re His kid. He’ll always be happy to hear from you. And maybe He’s just waiting for you to ask, or maybe He’ll say no. How can you tell unless you ask?
God knows who needs a little help and encouragement, and who will be better off without a visit.
If you are really interested in the Catholic theology of weird stuff, there are some books about it from reputable publishers. But they are pretty much all out of print.
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ahs
Guest
Yep, as covered above by a couple folks. The hard part is knowing whether it’s really a loved one, or a devil in disguise. St. Terese’ is said to have had a vision of Christ that seemed odd to her, because Christ was asking why she kept Him on the cross (having a Crucifix). She began the Divine Praises, and immediately the devil revealed itself in anger. I experienced my share of spiritual world, as have people I know.
My opinion is that, more often than not, it’s either a bad result of going down a path we should not have, or God has allowed some soul to appear because it needs prayer. Of course, it can also just be in our heads or mere dreams. But Church history and the stories of the Saints have plenty examples of visitation from the spiritual world (Marian apparitions, Padre Pio being attacked by the devil…) to know that it’s not all just in the mind.
** I should note that I was strictly warned by a Priest to never attempt to initiate communication with spirits that appear, or to conjure them (which is obviously forbidden).
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JohnnySav
Guest
My wife’s grandmothers visit her frequently in her dreams. Not ghost-like witchy stuff, but only in her dreams.
po18guy
Well-known member
Couple of different scenarios: As PaulfromIowa mentioned, divination is a violation of the soul’s dignity, a distrust of God on your part, and an open invitation to occult presence. BAD. Besides, what if you fear that some sinner is in hell but the spirit lies and tells you they are in heaven? Or vice versa?
Second, if a spirit arrives of its own accord, it must be tested - and not superficially. Apparitions are repetitive and progressive as to the private revealtion. They can and must be tested. A general rule is that any such apparition must bow and worship God at our request. Demons cannot and will not do that, as it represents truth and there is no truth in them.
The spiritual realm is an area in which we need both restraint and direction, as our concupiscence always leads us to do wrong.
But honestly, few of us are humble enough to warrant an apparition.
Second, if a spirit arrives of its own accord, it must be tested - and not superficially. Apparitions are repetitive and progressive as to the private revealtion. They can and must be tested. A general rule is that any such apparition must bow and worship God at our request. Demons cannot and will not do that, as it represents truth and there is no truth in them.
The spiritual realm is an area in which we need both restraint and direction, as our concupiscence always leads us to do wrong.
But honestly, few of us are humble enough to warrant an apparition.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
If you’re from an Irish family, having deceased family members briefly show up after death is not anything that unusual.
But it’s also not something you talk about outside the family, for fear someone will think that YOU are unusual…or delusional.
I sitll think it’s a bit presumptuous for us to ask God to send somebody.
But I’ll cop to asking multiple times if deceased parents were OK and could they let me know, or get God to let me know.
But it’s also not something you talk about outside the family, for fear someone will think that YOU are unusual…or delusional.
I sitll think it’s a bit presumptuous for us to ask God to send somebody.
But I’ll cop to asking multiple times if deceased parents were OK and could they let me know, or get God to let me know.
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midori
Guest
Same goes for the Italians as well. 
You have your family stories… but they’re internal stories that you nurture close to your heart and say “Ahhh” and be happy for the people who got to experience it.
I’ve had several friends and relatives die. The only one that I can really point to firsthand and say, “Ahhhh,” was for a friend who died of cancer. (He and his wife were part of the same social circle in the same hobby, so we bumped into them a lot, and would have dinners together with 20 of our mutual friends, but not the kind of friend that you sit and actually had conversations with.) It was the night before his fourth or fifth anniversary of his death, and I’m convinced that he’s in heaven today.
You have your family stories… but they’re internal stories that you nurture close to your heart and say “Ahhh” and be happy for the people who got to experience it. I’ve had several friends and relatives die. The only one that I can really point to firsthand and say, “Ahhhh,” was for a friend who died of cancer. (He and his wife were part of the same social circle in the same hobby, so we bumped into them a lot, and would have dinners together with 20 of our mutual friends, but not the kind of friend that you sit and actually had conversations with.) It was the night before his fourth or fifth anniversary of his death, and I’m convinced that he’s in heaven today.
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Curious11
Guest
But you can ask God to let them visit you right?
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Cruciferi
Guest
After my grandfather passed, I had two lucid dreams of him. One where he called the house and I spoke with him and another where I saw him in a white room and gave him a goodbye hug 
I know it was him and I knew I was dreaming. He told me I wouldn’t see him for a very long time and that I would go on to lead a good morally upright life.
I know it was him and I knew I was dreaming. He told me I wouldn’t see him for a very long time and that I would go on to lead a good morally upright life.
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ErraticFaith
Guest
God would encourage you to talk to him and ask
anything on your mind. So yes, nothing wrong with it. Just like asking someone out on a date, doesn’t mean you are going to like the reply - or perhaps you won’t even get one like me (lol).
Don’t ask, don’t get! As the children say.
With the deceased, you can guarantee that there are no ends of cons and schemes out there taking advantage of people. Everyone knows that and it helps magnify skepticism. So everyone should approach it that way just to be safe.
That said and I’m being genuinely honest; they are ‘out there’ as it were. I had grown up, assuming that it was impossible myself (despite belief contradicting it). Even had the phase of seeking them out with ‘haunted house’ visits. All nonsense of course bar a few weird ‘unknowns’ I chalked up to placebo but I was young and stupid. Mostly goaded into it by school friends back then.
Then one day. Hmm. Not so much! 100% certain I encountered ‘someone’ on the staircase of my grandmothers house. Nothing scary actually. Very peaceful feeling and an actual physical ‘touch’ on my skin, followed by a thought and sudden warmth (rather than a cold). Not a trick of the light, camera fraud or sensory error on my part or anything like that.
Literally a hand on my hand, with a unmistakeable comforting gesture of the fingers and what seemed like …almost an implanted thought of ‘its all ok’, somehow. Hard to explain. It’s not the first time that she mentioned someone being there in her house but ofcourse she’s old (89!) and I just humoured her. Up until I felt it myself that is.
Just never had an experience so like that. So direct and obvious.
I have no idea why spirits can be there like that in reality. You hear about the trigger happy poltergeists on TV perhaps and think of wire work and cameras etc. Or stories of the ‘angry spirit’.
But in that case, considering my mood was fairly sombre with work that day - it was entirely the opposite. I felt genuinely happy to have encountered them that day.
Gives me hope that other spirits are so enamoured and at peace, despite having no idea why some cross them and so many (the majority?) do not.
What have you got to lose. If it’s possible, which I onviously now suspect it is, then the only boundary between this world and the next - is Gods will.
anything on your mind. So yes, nothing wrong with it. Just like asking someone out on a date, doesn’t mean you are going to like the reply - or perhaps you won’t even get one like me (lol).
Don’t ask, don’t get! As the children say.
With the deceased, you can guarantee that there are no ends of cons and schemes out there taking advantage of people. Everyone knows that and it helps magnify skepticism. So everyone should approach it that way just to be safe.
That said and I’m being genuinely honest; they are ‘out there’ as it were. I had grown up, assuming that it was impossible myself (despite belief contradicting it). Even had the phase of seeking them out with ‘haunted house’ visits. All nonsense of course bar a few weird ‘unknowns’ I chalked up to placebo but I was young and stupid. Mostly goaded into it by school friends back then.
Then one day. Hmm. Not so much! 100% certain I encountered ‘someone’ on the staircase of my grandmothers house. Nothing scary actually. Very peaceful feeling and an actual physical ‘touch’ on my skin, followed by a thought and sudden warmth (rather than a cold). Not a trick of the light, camera fraud or sensory error on my part or anything like that.
Literally a hand on my hand, with a unmistakeable comforting gesture of the fingers and what seemed like …almost an implanted thought of ‘its all ok’, somehow. Hard to explain. It’s not the first time that she mentioned someone being there in her house but ofcourse she’s old (89!) and I just humoured her. Up until I felt it myself that is.
Just never had an experience so like that. So direct and obvious.
I have no idea why spirits can be there like that in reality. You hear about the trigger happy poltergeists on TV perhaps and think of wire work and cameras etc. Or stories of the ‘angry spirit’.
But in that case, considering my mood was fairly sombre with work that day - it was entirely the opposite. I felt genuinely happy to have encountered them that day.
Gives me hope that other spirits are so enamoured and at peace, despite having no idea why some cross them and so many (the majority?) do not.
What have you got to lose. If it’s possible, which I onviously now suspect it is, then the only boundary between this world and the next - is Gods will.
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angel12
Guest
I’ve done the same with my late husband.
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KevinK
Guest
Well they also believe in fairies.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
You can ask God anything, as someone else said, but I would frame it very strongly as a “if it be Your will” and be prepared for him to say “No”. This is just my opinion. But the last thing we need is folks getting mad at God because he didn’t send their deceased father back to say Hi.
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