Do Married Couples Stay Together in Heaven?

[CelticWarlord]

Marriage is a temporary earthly sacrament

I know of some couples, married for decades and faithful to the 'nth degree, who are not interested in maintaining that relationship beyond this life, even if it were offered. I can understand this well. My wife and I, married 39 years this fall, know one of us will eventually be widowed but we both look forward to enjoying again the solitary life we both led prior to being married.

 

[Jen7]

Does it really matter if someone is married in heaven or not? I don’t see how it would make a difference.

It does to me! I love my husband much MUCH more than any other man, know him better, enjoy his company more, and just have an all-around significantly more intimate relationship with him than anyone else in the world. It’s sad to think we might not be best friends and in love with each other in heaven! I like to think what we have in heaven will be unique. St. Therese once said that in heaven everyone will be fully happy - just that each person is a “container of a different size” so their version of “full” will be a different amount of happiness and intimacy with God. Yet it’ll be the fullness of what THEY can contain. Well, I just hope that applies to me and my husband too. We know each other better and love each other more than others. In heaven maybe we will have full love of everyone but with a greater capacity to love our spouse?? It’s my hope!

 

[thistle]

It does to me! I love my husband much MUCH more than any other man, know him better, enjoy his company more, and just have an all-around significantly more intimate relationship with him than anyone else in the world. It’s sad to think we might not be best friends and in love with each other in heaven! I like to think what we have in heaven will be unique. St. Therese once said that in heaven everyone will be fully happy - just that each person is a “container of a different size” so their version of “full” will be a different amount of happiness and intimacy with God. Yet it’ll be the fullness of what THEY can contain. Well, I just hope that applies to me and my husband too. We know each other better and love each other more than others. In heaven maybe we will have full love of everyone but with a greater capacity to love our spouse?? It’s my hope!

Whatever the relationship is in Heaven we know it will not be marriage because Christ told us that and I believe God.
The believers of marriage in Heaven in this thread have still not answered my earlier question about a woman who had been widowed three times. If all make it to Heaven who would be married??

 

[Jen7]

The believers of marriage in Heaven in this thread have still not answered my earlier question about a woman who had been widowed three times. If all make it to Heaven who would be married??

I have no idea. I just shared my hope. I know it might not turn out that way.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

We know each other better and love each other more than others. In heaven maybe we will have full love of everyone but with a greater capacity to love our spouse?? It’s my hope!

I don’t think marriage is neccessary for that.

 

[pnewton]

Not in Catholic teachings:

I don’t know about that. Since it is an allegory, it would make sense the the literal premise has to also be true, otherwise the allegory makes no sense. In fact, I see this allusion to marriage as one argument for the continual love of marriage, in some form, in Heaven. I do not not see the reason in saying marriage is a symbol of the love of Christ for the Church, which ends in Heaven.

Your debate is with the USCCB, not with me.

The passage begins.

While the lovers in the Song are clearly human figures…

To give an example, Jesus said Peter is the rock. That statement makes no sense if we think of a rock as soft and unstable. It only makes sense because a rock is solid and hard. The USCCB presents the allegory of the Song of Songs, but does not deny the literal reality anywhere in this passage.

This is seen in most of the concept of allegory in the Bible. “Emmanuel” is born of a virgin, not only in the New Testament, but of a maiden in the Old Testament as a sign, and a symbol of God delivering Judah from Ephraim and Samaria.

 

[TheLittleLady]

To give an example, Jesus said Peter is the rock. That statement makes no sense if we think of a rock as soft and unstable. It only makes sense because a rock is solid and hard. The USCCB presents the allegory of the Song of Songs, but does not deny the literal reality anywhere in this passage.

And you can go read the footnotes on that passage. The footnotes for Song of Songs is not the same as the footnotes for 1 Corinthians or for Leviticus.

 

[Tony]

Saint John Chrysostom—who has the ecclesiastical trifecta of being a saint, Church Father, and Church Doctor—sought to address this question almost seventeen centuries ago. A friend of John’s had lost her husband after only five, but very happy, years of marriage. To console her, John wrote her a letter, which is known to history as “Letter to a Young Widow.”

Loving your spouse in this life involves the hope of spending eternity with them in heaven.
Marital love requires you to work toward that hope. This is why St. John Chrysostom suggested husbands should say to their wives:

I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us ( Homily on Ephesians ).

But if you wish to behold him face to face…do your best to manifest a life like his, and then assuredly you shall depart one day to join the same company with him, not to dwell with him for five years as you did here, nor for 20, or 100, nor for a thousand or twice that number but for infinite and endless ages).

 

[EndTimes]

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30)

 

[thistle]

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30)

These words of Jesus are crystal clear. No ambiguity or hidden meaning there.
Makes me wonder why people keep asking if they will still be married in Heaven (assuming both spouses make it there).

 

[EndTimes]

These words of Jesus are crystal clear. No ambiguity or hidden meaning there.
Makes me wonder why people keep asking if they will still be married in Heaven (assuming both spouses make it there).

Yes… It’s sort of understandable yet it’s time to change…

People ask all sorts of questions re: Heaven: “Will Fido be there?”

People should come to Fully Believe
that in Heaven there shall be JOY (and no problematic "What Ifs?")

 

[Dlee]

Interesting @TheLittleLady. I’m enrolled in a “Catholic” Bible Class and we just started Song of Songs. The instructor said that Song of Songs most likely is about a combination of: Husband/wife; Christ and the Church/Israel; Christ and our personal relationship with Him. He also referenced the garden in S of S to the perfection in the Garden of Eden. Not wanting to derail this thread - I’ll bring it up next week.

 

[Le_Cracquere]

I don’t mean to poormouth Heaven, God, or the Beatific Vision … but it’s interesting that we don’t seem able to describe Heaven in any terms that doesn’t make it seem much less pleasant than Earthly life. I take it on faith that it’ll be better … but I’ve yet to hear a description of it that doesn’t sound, on the face of it, worse.

That might simply say something about the poverty of my imagination, or of our ideas of the Good. Most likely, ants probably don’t have any means of communication (using pheromones or otherwise) to explain to other ants what’s good about being humanly sapient. God, grant me faith.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

I don’t mean to poormouth Heaven, God, or the Beatific Vision … but it’s interesting that we don’t seem able to describe Heaven in any terms that doesn’t make it seem much less pleasant than Earthly life. I take it on faith that it’ll be better … but I’ve yet to hear a description of it that doesn’t sound, on the face of it, worse.

That might simply say something about the poverty of my imagination, or of our ideas of the Good. Most likely, ants probably don’t have any means of communication (using pheromones or otherwise) to explain to other ants what’s good about being humanly sapient. God, grant me faith.

It doesn’t really matter what’s done, God is omnipotent and can make people happy if He wants. That’s the prinicple I use, so it doesn’t bother me as much, so hopefully it can help you understand a bit more too.

 

[Le_Cracquere]

It doesn’t really matter what’s done, God is omnipotent and can make people happy if He wants. That’s the prinicple I use, so it doesn’t bother me as much, so hopefully it can help you understand a bit more too.

If anything, that makes our ultimate destination seem even creepier and more unsettling. On the other hand, I understand that it isn’t my place to critique what it pleases our Lord to do with us. May His mercy be upon us all.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Imaging the happiest moment of your life. Hold that in your mind.

The joys of heaven will make that day seem pale in comparison

Peter Kreeft’s book “Heaven” and (author name escapes me) “Travel Guide to Heaven” would be two books to pick up .

 

[Ammi]

It took 15 posts to finally get jesus’ answer from Scripture.

Marriage does not continue in heaven.

 

[Inquiry]

Actually it was in the first 10. There was an article by a priest going over that very piece of scripture, and showing it is not as simple as it first appears.

 

[Ammi]

I saw that. Scripture was used in a linked article which was just some pontificating over various aspects of marriage.

The answer is still clear. Marriage does not continue in heaven.

 

[Inquiry]

If you say so. That article and several of the others have some pretty convincing discussions of how, even if some aspects of marriage do not continue in heaven, many do.