How can you be happy in heaven when?

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My brother a non practising cradle Catholic asked me, you say when you get to heaven it is pure happiness no bad feelings. if you die and go to heaven and you know someone you loved went to hell when they died because of the way they chose to live their life, how can you have complete happiness in heaven when a loved one is in hell?
 
My brother a non practising cradle Catholic asked me, you say when you get to heaven it is pure happiness no bad feelings. if you die and go to heaven and you know someone you loved went to hell when they died because of the way they chose to live their life, how can you have complete happiness in heaven when a loved one is in hell?
The short answer is that, in heaven, your will will be united with God’s. You will understand the justice of God’s judgement and that anyone in Hell freely chose to be there.

God Bless
 
You have to say there is a sense in which “happiness” is not adequate to describe heaven.

We won’t be happy like we would be happy if we could eat ice-cream all the time. Instead, we will be happy as in “fulfilled.”

Imagine the feeling you get from solving a difficult puzzle, finding your lost keys, and being loved all at the same time. The emotions would be complex, and perhaps you might be sad at times, but you would be “fulfilled.”

I strongly believe that God “feels sad” for those in hell. I imagine those in heaven feel the same.
 
My brother a non practising cradle Catholic asked me, you say when you get to heaven it is pure happiness no bad feelings. if you die and go to heaven and you know someone you loved went to hell when they died because of the way they chose to live their life, how can you have complete happiness in heaven when a loved one is in hell?
CS Lewis explained his theory on this question in his fictional story “The Great Divorce”.

Think of it this way: it is unfair to let another person make you feel sad for all eternity because they rejected God. (God gives free will, and free will is good even if people exercise free will to do wrong and reject God.) While sin and sinners can make people unhappy on earth, God doesn’t give sin that power in heaven. *God *takes on the suffering over lost souls. He took up suffering on the cross to free us from sin so we could attain perfect happiness in heaven.

However, if your brother fears that knowing someone is in hell might make those in heaven unhappy, then suggest to him that he go to confession and return to practicing his faith.🙂 There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents. The happiness in heaven would be greater if your brother gets to heaven. Help him return to his faith. :gopray:
 
My brother a non practising cradle Catholic asked me, you say when you get to heaven it is pure happiness no bad feelings. if you die and go to heaven and you know someone you loved went to hell when they died because of the way they chose to live their life, how can you have complete happiness in heaven when a loved one is in hell?
No one here or anywhere really knows. We do know that heaven is our ultimate happiness and while we can apprehend this we cannot comprehend it.

No one knows and that’s the bottom line…God Bless…teachccd 🙂
 
I strongly believe that God “feels sad” for those in hell. I imagine those in heaven feel the same.
I don’t think God can “feel sad”.

By His nature God can not regret anything. It is all according to His plan.

God Bless
 
It begs the question…is happiness the ultimate end? IMHO, happiness is a feeling as is sadness, anger, joy, and a host of other feelings we experience. Heaven is so much more than a feeling. It is a beatific state of being that we cannot begin to imagine. And it may be that once one experiences it, one comes to understand that the person who chose Hell would not have been, for lack of a better word, “happy” in Heaven. After all, if one chooses complete separation from God, would it be just to impose an eternity of communion with God? Would that not be a greater punishment for the soul who prefers self over The Almighty?
 
I don’t think God can “feel sad”.

By His nature God can not regret anything. It is all according to His plan.

God Bless
Read the account of Jesus in the Agony in the Garden.
Matt 26:38 “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death…’”
Jesus felt great sorrow. Jesus is God. God feels sorrow.

Jesus conquored sin and death by His Passion and Resurrection, but it cost Him dearly and he suffered greatly. I realize that as teachccd wrote, we don’t really know the answer to the original post. In His earthly ministry, Jesus said very little about the specifics of how everything works in heaven. Still, I believe that God shares our earthly sorrow and takes it on Himself so that we can share His heavenly joy.
 
CS Lewis explained his theory on this question in his fictional story “The Great Divorce”.

Think of it this way: it is unfair to let another person make you feel sad for all eternity because they rejected God. (God gives free will, and free will is good even if people exercise free will to do wrong and reject God.) While sin and sinners can make people unhappy on earth, God doesn’t give sin that power in heaven. *God *takes on the suffering over lost souls. He took up suffering on the cross to free us from sin so we could attain perfect happiness in heaven.
I totally read that part of “The Great Divorce” last night! It made sense to me in a way this issue had never before.

Basically, C.S. Lewis is saying that if those in hell could make people in heaven miserable, hell would ultimately conquer heaven, which we all know to be impossible.
 
Read the account of Jesus in the Agony in the Garden.
Matt 26:38 “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death…’”
Jesus felt great sorrow. Jesus is God. God feels sorrow.
And he also wept for Lazarus, his friend.

In Christ,
Rand
 
we are in agreement, your beloved brother is a non practicing catholic. for if he was a practicing catholic he would know that everybody’s fate is unknown, we try, but eternal bliss is not guaranteed, for anyone.

faith and works offer some comfort, and they are essential.

ultimately, though, we count on the mercy of the Most Holy.

some offer that judas, himself, continues to this day in purgatory, waiting for the time when the Nazarene comes callling his name.
 
I read somewhere that when a soul goes to Hell the Angels rejoice…Because it is His infinite mercy and justice doing its work. I know it sounds a little weird, but it makes some sense.🤷
 
My brother died a couple years ago from a drug overdose. He was on a bad path. I spent many days crying and worrying over the state of his soul. Then, one day during prayer, I was asking God to watch out for my brother because I love him when all at once I realized that God loves my brother as much as I do and in fact more than I do and I could not be sad anymore about that.

If we as weak mortal beings have the ability to love someone this much, how much more can God love them? And if God loves them so much more he doesn’t want them in hell either, unless they choose to be there.

In the end if we are in heaven with God, we will know his mercy and his love much more blatently and intensely than we do now. That will comfort us because we will know that God gave those souls who remain in hell many chances to be with Him. We will feel and know his mercy and in turn will not feel sad I am certain.
 
I totally read that part of “The Great Divorce” last night! It made sense to me in a way this issue had never before.

Basically, C.S. Lewis is saying that if those in hell could make people in heaven miserable, hell would ultimately conquer heaven, which we all know to be impossible.
The Great Divorce is a great book and presents an interesting point of view about those in heaven and hell, etc.
 
Because heaven is the perfection of our being. There can be no suffering or unhappiness in heaven because we will be forever united to the Lord of all joy. Whatever is God’s will we will rest in that with perfect trust, resignation and contentment. So whatever happens, even the damnation of a dear loved one, we will rejoice that God is glorified even in His justice over the righteous condemnation of a sinner.
 
The short answer is that, in heaven, your will will be united with God’s. You will understand the justice of God’s judgement and that anyone in Hell freely chose to be there.

God Bless
Several weeks ago I was wondering the same question and it kept coming up in prayer. I have many in my family who do not practice the faith and are living lifestyles that are not of God. Just before Easter, in prayer, I received the same answer that you posted. Being united with God will be all that matters and I will understand God’s justice and be totally at peace with it. I will still work to bring my family members to God, but in the end, it is their choice. Sounds harsh, but I trust that God will not have me live an eternity in heaven feeling bad. I just don’t understand it now, but someday will.
 
Happiness does not mean that there is no sorrow for others who are suffering.

The Blessed Mother was seen by the visionaries at Lasallete, weeping for those who offend God and for the souls who ended up in hell.

The Blessed Mother at both Lourdes and Fatima, expressed sorrow for the souls who were lost to hell.

Those who love, will always feel sorrow for others who suffer. Heaven will be no different, because we will love as God loves, and that is what true happiness is.

Jim
 
Because of this idea, we should pray everyday for those dying unprepared, souls who are in danger of going to hell, that by God’s grace, they will repent and have true contrition for their sins, so they will die in God’s friendship.

We don’t want souls to be lost, not even one.

prayers
Lord, for those dying unprepared, I offer you in union with Mary & St. Joseph, all the holy Masses being celebrated today throughout the world.

o Jesus, our Redeemer, through the holy Masses offered this day and through the intercession of Mary(and all the souls in purgatory), assist in your mercy those dying suddenly at this moment.
 
On first glance, I know that the subject heading for this post seems twisted. But it’s not, because when we think of the damned, we think of evil people on Earth. The damned in hell are not the same as evil people on Earth. First I’ll just show what scripture has to say on this topic, and then I’ll explain.

The Bible, Reason and Christian tradition seem pretty clear on this issue.
Daniel 12:2:
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
The fate of those in hell is everlasting contempt. There will be no compassion for them.

Consider also what is written in the Book of Revelation on this topic. In Revelation 18 and 19, we see the reaction of the heavenly multitude quite plainly. While merchants on the Earth wail over the fall of Babylon and weep for its old glory, the heavenly congress react differently.
Revelation 18:19-20:
And [the shipmasters and seafarers] threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.”

Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her.
Revelation 19:1-3:
After this [the destruction of Babylon] I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they said,

“Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”
They gave praise and glory for the destruction of people, including for the torment of those that suffer everlasting torment, according to verse 3. Those on Earth feel sorrow for their demise, but those in heaven praise God for it.

I can’t quite find the place at the moment, but in Revelation there also is a passage that describes the martyrs calling to God, “How long? How long before our blood shall be avenged?”

Tertullian writes similarly of the damned. He rejoiced in the fact that they are punished severely, comparing their suffering to that of gladiators, and saying that the heavenly saints and angels would be like the throng in the ampitheater, rejoicing to see their destruction. Tertuallian had no compassion at all for those in hell. The Early Church Fathers were very clear that those in hell fully deserved it, and I don’t recall any of them expressing sympathy. Tertullian was the most vivid in his non-sympathy.

I think that a big part of this that we need to grasp to be able to fully understand what we’re talking about is that people in Hell have separated themselves completely from God. This mean that they have no virtues left. There’s nothing to love, nothing left to feel sorry for. There’s only bad in the person, at that point, because they’ve rejected all the good that can be had.

The only people who encounter creatures like that on Earth are those that encounter demons. Every human on Earth still has some good in them, something virtuous that is loveable. Because of this, our compassion for the wicked here on Earth is laudable, because we are seeing beyond their cruelty and glorifying God for the good that remains in them. If we loved what is evil, we ourselves would be evil. Therefore we cannot love the damned. Their complete separation from God means that they are 100% evil. Therefore there will be no grief for those in heaven, after the suffering of those on Earth has ceased and the last soul has reached its final destination.
 
Dear Gerron:

I’m not in Heaven (yet) - please, God, someday I will be.
But I’ve had a bit of that sadness. In losing two parents in six months, I suddenly was hit with “where is she?” after losing my Mom. It drove me crazy, since suddenly I found it wasn’t the physical loss that disturbed me - but deep concern for her soul - and suddenly realizing the gravity of it all. Not that she wasn’t a good person - but all of a sudden, it’s over, and there’s nothing you can do but wonder and pray. Wherever her soul is - I won’t know until I’ve passed.

I was once taught that Heaven is the Beatific Vision. Once there, even if we aren’t in the same part of Heaven as a loved one, we will be happy knowing they are there. I don’t know God’s plan but I’m taking a guess that if we attain Heaven, maybe God gives our soul some sort of understanding as opposed to the kind of sadness we know on this earth. I guess we’ll just have to GET to Heaven to find out…and pray we won’t be disappointed over not seeing our loved ones there.
 
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