E
eyeCalypso
Guest
How can anyone be happy in Heaven when they know that there are people (possibly loved ones from earth) suffering in hell?
How can anyone be happy in Heaven when they know people are in hell?
- Status
B
Binney
Guest
I think all the people in heaven will be happy with no questions to ask. Period.
There will be no questions like that to ask.
Main Entry: ec·sta·sy
Pronunciation: 'ek-st&-sE
1 a : a state of being beyond reason and self-control
2 : a state of overwhelming emotion; especially : rapturous delight
There will be no questions like that to ask.
Main Entry: ec·sta·sy
Pronunciation: 'ek-st&-sE
1 a : a state of being beyond reason and self-control
2 : a state of overwhelming emotion; especially : rapturous delight
T
tuopaolo
Guest
Maybe they will just trust in God’s mercy and love 
, entrusting their loved ones to His care, to His wisdom, to His justice and mercy.
, entrusting their loved ones to His care, to His wisdom, to His justice and mercy.
B
BenRosa
Guest
Hell is what they freely choose…those in Heaven should have no guilt.
B
BLB_Oregon
Guest
Consider that Hell would likely be the place of the *least *suffering possible, for someone devoted entirely to their own will. Someone in Heaven would know the wisdom of God, and could not will anything else or imagine anything more merciful than the Will of God.
Put another way: how could the blessed know and understand and live entirely within the Will of God and wish that reality could be any other way? In their position, a person could not be anything but ecstatic.
You can trust that God will make no mistakes nor spare any mercy. Heaven will be heaven, without qualification. Likewise, the reality of Hell will be no exception to the boundless love of God. His justice and His love are not at cross purposes, nor will they ever be. Believe that.
Put another way: how could the blessed know and understand and live entirely within the Will of God and wish that reality could be any other way? In their position, a person could not be anything but ecstatic.
You can trust that God will make no mistakes nor spare any mercy. Heaven will be heaven, without qualification. Likewise, the reality of Hell will be no exception to the boundless love of God. His justice and His love are not at cross purposes, nor will they ever be. Believe that.
D
dcmac
Guest
God is Truth itself; Beauty itself; Majesty itself; The Creator of everything known and unknown; The Alpha and the Omega.
As God is God, and as Heaven is where we will see Him face to face, there can be no guilt, sadness, loss, misery, suffering, jealousy, hatred, etc. If you see Him that made you, redeemed you, and enlightens you, you can not feel anything but an overwhelming sense of love and completeness. Remember that Heaven is home – not Denver, or New York, or L.A., or Birmingham, or Seattle, etc.
When we are in Heaven we are at home in the company of our God – our father, our redeemer, our enlightener. It is impossible to feel anything of a negative nature.
Think of it this way. A young man comes home from the war. He is home for the first time in over a year. He sees his parents, his grandparents, his siblings, his aunts and uncles, his cousins, and all of his friends. They are so overjoyed by his return home safely that they threw him a big bash on that day in the back yard. Everyone there to welcome him home. At that moment he does not feel any of the sorrow he may have felt while in the war. With God there is no time as we understand it and as such we are perpetually in that moment of bliss where we are home with our loved ones… there is no bad stuff. Not a perfect analogy, but the best I could think of at this moment.
As God is God, and as Heaven is where we will see Him face to face, there can be no guilt, sadness, loss, misery, suffering, jealousy, hatred, etc. If you see Him that made you, redeemed you, and enlightens you, you can not feel anything but an overwhelming sense of love and completeness. Remember that Heaven is home – not Denver, or New York, or L.A., or Birmingham, or Seattle, etc.
When we are in Heaven we are at home in the company of our God – our father, our redeemer, our enlightener. It is impossible to feel anything of a negative nature.
Think of it this way. A young man comes home from the war. He is home for the first time in over a year. He sees his parents, his grandparents, his siblings, his aunts and uncles, his cousins, and all of his friends. They are so overjoyed by his return home safely that they threw him a big bash on that day in the back yard. Everyone there to welcome him home. At that moment he does not feel any of the sorrow he may have felt while in the war. With God there is no time as we understand it and as such we are perpetually in that moment of bliss where we are home with our loved ones… there is no bad stuff. Not a perfect analogy, but the best I could think of at this moment.
J
jeffreedy789
Guest
cs lewis addresses this question beautifully in his book ‘the great divorce’. if you want to read a terrific treatment of the questions of heaven and hell, read that one.
he says that the people in hell can’t ‘hold hostage’ the joy of the redeemed by choosing damnation.
i think, too, that the idea of people not being ‘happy’ in heaven due to those who are in hell underestimates the power of the beatific vision.
also - consider this: are people happy now? how can you be, when people are in hell?
he says that the people in hell can’t ‘hold hostage’ the joy of the redeemed by choosing damnation.
i think, too, that the idea of people not being ‘happy’ in heaven due to those who are in hell underestimates the power of the beatific vision.
also - consider this: are people happy now? how can you be, when people are in hell?
P
puzzleannie
Guest
if my loved one has been away at war, and then comes home, I am so happy to be with him nothing can add to my happiness. I still grieve for those who are separated by war, but my happiness is assured. In heaven, we are assured, we will have everything necessary for our total eternal happiness. That is all we need to know right now.
G
godsent
Guest
I agree,unless your loved one had committed the worst of all sin,god wont punish them as much as you might think,god is merciful and we should trust god in his decisons!!
You have been blessed by godsent
You have been blessed by godsent
F
Fox
Guest
When you see “The Beatific Vision” God Himself, you will be infused with Divine Wisdom and realise that those people deserve what they wrought.
God has nothing to do with where we go, in the sense that he doesn’t force us to follow Him. He has given us the blueprints on how to reach Him. It is us who chooses to follow it or not. We make our final destination happen in the end.
God has nothing to do with where we go, in the sense that he doesn’t force us to follow Him. He has given us the blueprints on how to reach Him. It is us who chooses to follow it or not. We make our final destination happen in the end.
E
ElizabethAnne
Guest
I have had this very same question and have found no answer on this thread that assures me of my happiness in heaven despite the fact that some of my loved ones may go to hell.
It is difficult for me to imagine being happy when I have the knowledge that my husband, children or brother is in hell. It is one of the reason that I pray for the salvation of my fiance and other loved ones. I do not want to be separated from them for all of eternity.
I understand that God is merciful, but I see some of my loved ones willfully disobeying His laws, and I am, of course, very concerned for them.
It is difficult for me to imagine being happy when I have the knowledge that my husband, children or brother is in hell. It is one of the reason that I pray for the salvation of my fiance and other loved ones. I do not want to be separated from them for all of eternity.
I understand that God is merciful, but I see some of my loved ones willfully disobeying His laws, and I am, of course, very concerned for them.
F
Fox
Guest
Our human brains can’t comprehend the “Beatific Vision” or its scope but you will Elizabeth, when our souls reach Him.
B
BLB_Oregon
Guest
Once, when we were driving by a cemetery, my son said, “Mom, I don’t want to be buried in the ground.” To which I replied, “Of course you don’t. You’re not dead yet.”
Likewise, you aren’t in heaven yet. It is your portion today to be beset by anxiety… or rather, it is the temptation you are afflicted with. It is your duty to turn that anxiety into action–praying for others, working to bring the Kingdom of God to them, and trusting that God truly is all-merciful and all-loving.
Don’t worry that you have worries. Didn’t Jesus say, “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How I would love to gather you under my wings as a hen gathers in her chicks!” To be concerned for others is part of your work on earth right now. Worrying about how God will manage to make the blessed eternally happy in heaven isn’t.
Do you remember the prayer at Mass that comes after the Our Father? “Save us from all anxiety, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
It is necessary that we believe that Hell exists. It is necessary that we work to bring all to the joy of living in God. It not up to us to concern ourselves with whether God’s plan is wise enough or to decide exactly who will or will not be damned. Sufficient are the worries that are today’s task. Leave the rest to God… and “wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
S
Steven_Merten
Guest
Hello eyeCalypso,
The Prodigal Son story (Luke 15) reveals God’s pain in the loss of a son to eternal damnation. The reason the father in the story, similiar to God, rejoices at the son’s return is because the son was lost and now found, dead but now lives, on the path to eternal damnation but now on the path to eternal life.
Pain from the loss of a loved one to eternal damnation is pain God Himself shares with us.
Please visit Repentance To Service
Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com
The Prodigal Son story (Luke 15) reveals God’s pain in the loss of a son to eternal damnation. The reason the father in the story, similiar to God, rejoices at the son’s return is because the son was lost and now found, dead but now lives, on the path to eternal damnation but now on the path to eternal life.
Pain from the loss of a loved one to eternal damnation is pain God Himself shares with us.
Please visit Repentance To Service
Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com
S
Scott_Lafrance
Guest
Because they will be with God.
A
Arwen037
Guest
I asked the deacon in charge of RCIA this very question. They way he put it was this “Even when you aren’t with your best friend, can you still be happy?”
B
BLB_Oregon
Guest
There is another possibility that has not been considered. When the time comes, there may not be anyone in the position. It is not our job to worry over who is or isn’t going to be in heaven, or that God isn’t going to make it “heavenly” enough, that the right people won’t get in, or that the wrong people might. It is like worrying before meeting someone new that they might not like you or that you might not like them. Of course you do what you can to make the meeting a mutually agreeable one, but why be unhappy or worry yourself sick about something that has not happened yet and that may never happen at all? Really… do what you can and trust the rest to God.
R
rayne89
Guest
Right now were are imperfect creatures, sinful- with weakness, failings and a limited understanding of God because our mind is simply not capable of the vast perfection of God.
In heaven we will be pure, perfected in Christ -completely inline with the will of God and the “mind” of God, and we will have an understanding now that is simply not possible here on this earth.
In heaven we will be pure, perfected in Christ -completely inline with the will of God and the “mind” of God, and we will have an understanding now that is simply not possible here on this earth.
E
ElizabethAnne
Guest
Thank you very much for putting my anxiety into this perspective. Not only is it helpful to remember that my anxiety can be a call to action to pray for and help my friends and family, but at a certain point it just has to be left up to God. He’s the one who figures out how heaven’s going to work, and I’m glad that’s His responsibility.
W
wcknight
Guest
With God all things are possible. We may not think all of our loved ones or friends are worthy of Heaven, but it is not our judgement to make. It may be that they will have to spend a lot of time in Purgatory.
We can only hope and pray for their salvation and believe that God will do everything in His power to save not only us, but our friends and loved ones as well.
Everyday I pray for my family and friends. They may not believe as I do, but I fully trust in the Lord that some day, they will accept God and we will be united in Heaven.
IF they are leading lives which you think are truly wicked or evil, you have a responsibility to warn them of the consequences of their actions.
I like to think of God as the good parent. IF we, who are sinful creatures, can find it in our hearts to forgive our children of their transgressions, will not God, who is infinitely good and merciful, will He not also forgive His children (namely us, our friends and loved ones) ? My kids would have to do some fairly wicked deeds before I would disown them. And if they were sincerely sorry, I would probably take them back, not without consequeces or reparations, but I would forgive them.
Thank God for Purgatory !!! Constantly pray for your friends and loved ones, and surely they will end up in Purgatory at worst and ultimately be reunited with you in Heaven.
Christ’s Peace. wc
We can only hope and pray for their salvation and believe that God will do everything in His power to save not only us, but our friends and loved ones as well.
Everyday I pray for my family and friends. They may not believe as I do, but I fully trust in the Lord that some day, they will accept God and we will be united in Heaven.
IF they are leading lives which you think are truly wicked or evil, you have a responsibility to warn them of the consequences of their actions.
I like to think of God as the good parent. IF we, who are sinful creatures, can find it in our hearts to forgive our children of their transgressions, will not God, who is infinitely good and merciful, will He not also forgive His children (namely us, our friends and loved ones) ? My kids would have to do some fairly wicked deeds before I would disown them. And if they were sincerely sorry, I would probably take them back, not without consequeces or reparations, but I would forgive them.
Thank God for Purgatory !!! Constantly pray for your friends and loved ones, and surely they will end up in Purgatory at worst and ultimately be reunited with you in Heaven.
Christ’s Peace. wc
- Status