If there's no time in afterlife, how can the elect in heaven pray for us?

[JoyToBeCatholic]

If there are faithful who have passed on and are already in heaven, then I assume that when someone dies, b/c there is no time in the afterlife, they are immediately at judgment day. If this is the case, then they are at judgment day with everyone else too (including us who were still alive at the time of their passing). If this is so, then how can those who have already passed (from our living, earthly perspective) pray for us, if, in their eternal perspective (where there is no time) we have already passed on too?

Actually, in reading this, I realize that I am p(name removed by moderator)ointing a time in the afterlife by considering judgment day as if it were a specific time.

Hmmm… So, how do those in heaven pray for us? And “when” is their judgment, etc?

Thanks

 

[AndyF]

JoyToBeCatholic:

Yes.

We have this proof in many ways, but one proof is the movement of angels. Angels cannot simply appear in their destination(Aquinas), they must vacate one place to move to another. Although we see this occuring in nanoseconds or even lessor time, it still involves time to do so, albeit a relative heavenly time.

Time in heaven would I imagine sensually pass very quickly. Having much to occupy his life of happiness which includes service to God, time would not be noticed except perhaps more where the involvement includes matters of both worlds, relative time being coordinated to facilitate this, hence your question.

AndyF

 

[JoyToBeCatholic]

JoyToBeCatholic:

Yes.

We have this proof in many ways, but one proof is the movement of angels. Angels cannot simply appear in their destination(Aquinas), they must vacate one place to move to another. Although we see this occuring in nanoseconds or even lessor time, it still involves time to do so, albeit a relative heavenly time.

Time in heaven would I imagine sensually pass very quickly. Having much to occupy his life of happiness which includes service to God, time would not be noticed except perhaps more where the involvement includes matters of both worlds, relative time being coordinated to facilitate this, hence your question.

AndyF

Interesting, thank you. So, there is some sense of time in heaven then. Of course, I don’t expect to have a full understanding of it - at least in this life - but it seemed a little baffling to consider.

Upon further reflection, I also wondered about Purgatory - if there being no time in the afterlife, how would one suffer for a period of purification before entering Heaven. But I suppose there needs to be some way of explaining it to us in our terms.

Thanks

 

[AndyF]

Interesting, thank you. So, there is some sense of time in heaven then. Of course, I don’t expect to have a full understanding of it - at least in this life - but it seemed a little baffling to consider.

Upon further reflection, I also wondered about Purgatory - if there being no time in the afterlife, how would one suffer for a period of purification before entering Heaven. But I suppose there needs to be some way of explaining it to us in our terms.

Thanks

The person will be made to experience the time he has to spend in purgatory relative to himself. For those who this time standard does not apply will experience it in a different way.
Yes, that is roughly speaking how it happens. :heaven:

AndyF

 

[Ridgerunner]

Two assumptions that are not necessarily true cause the problem.

1. That the fact that there is no time in the afterlife immediately puts the person who died at judgment day. The second part does not follow from the first. We do not know that “being outside time” automaticallly puts one at “judgment day”.
2. That everyone else would be at judgment day with everyone else at the same, ah, “time”. There is no premise for this.

But, following along with it, if the persons are in a state outside time, and in which time has no meaning, then the prayers of the first person could have a retroactive effect on the second person, being the cause of the second person’s being there too.

Once we jump outside the parameters of our own understanding, we are limited in our assumptions only by our imagination.

 

[Thaddaeus]

I remember reading about someone who appeared to somebody requesting that that person on Earth say the Rosary so that the other person’s time in purgatory may be shortened. So in the case of purgatory, the dimension of time most likely exists since souls are not in the full presence of God. But as for time in Heaven, perhaps we can’t say for sure. The Beatific Vision of God would undoubtedly cause a soul to be unaware of time, but then again, since it seems that time is also present in Heaven, i don’t know. Well, God created time and thus can take remove it at some or everyplace if it in accord with His Divine Will.
In conclusion, I personally do not know for sure.

Blessed be God in His Angels, in His Saints, and in ALL of His Creation!

 

[bill210]

If there are faithful who have passed on and are already in heaven, then I assume that when someone dies, b/c there is no time in the afterlife, they are immediately at judgment day. If this is the case, then they are at judgment day with everyone else too (including us who were still alive at the time of their passing). If this is so, then how can those who have already passed (from our living, earthly perspective) pray for us, if, in their eternal perspective (where there is no time) we have already passed on too?

Actually, in reading this, I realize that I am p(name removed by moderator)ointing a time in the afterlife by considering judgment day as if it were a specific time.

Hmmm… So, how do those in heaven pray for us? And “when” is their judgment, etc?

Thanks

You must ask yourself this question. Is eternity the end of the existance of time or is it time everlasting?

 

[fdmilkis]

well if I’m here, then I’m not in Heaven (assuming that I go there ). If I reach Heaven many many years later, I’ll be in Heaven but I was not before. Thus if past, present, and future did not exist in Heaven, I would have always been in Heaven wouldn’t I? Or else the past is different from the present and the future and thus time would be needed to measure this change

Only God isn’t bound by time since he is eternal and never changing?

Sorry this is another question rather than answer