Time runs out when you die, but not in purgatory?

[Michael19682]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in the responses is that time does not really run out when you die. Every day people in the Roman Catholic Church pray for the souls in Purgatory. From what I gather in regards the souls in hell, no one holds any hope other than for alleviation of their pain. The prayers and intercession of the faithful unite both Hell and Heaven and Purgatory to earthly time. The prayerful bond between the living souls on earth and those in Purgatory seems key to understanding Purgatory.

 

[cornbread_r2]

Catholics do NOT believe that people (aside from Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary who are physically in Heaven) have their bodies still in Heaven and and Hell. We believe there is going to be a new world at this world’s end and then the people in both Heaven and Hell will get their bodies back–the people in Heaven to be whole again with living bodies on the new earth and those in Hell getting back their bodies back as corpses, which will add to their perpetual suffering. I’m not sure how that would work in the case of Hell, but I think it’s because instead of Hell being timeless, it has greatly intensified time–meaning that time goes agonizingly slow. There is no actual teaching as to time in Hell and I’m not sure if there even is one about Heaven, however if time is required for space than Heaven must have some form of time because physically, Jesus and the Blessed Mother are there. However, I do not believe that time is required for space. If time is defined simply by change than no, there is no time in Heaven or Hell. People who die cannot change.

(my emphasis)

As I understand it, people in Purgatory are said to go from an imperfect state to a perfected one. That’s change and those people are dead.

 

[Michael19682]

Catholics do NOT believe that people (aside from Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary who are physically in Heaven) have their bodies still in Heaven and and Hell. We believe there is going to be a new world at this world’s end and then the people in both Heaven and Hell will get their bodies back–the people in Heaven to be whole again with living bodies on the new earth and those in Hell getting back their bodies back as corpses, which will add to their perpetual suffering. I’m not sure how that would work in the case of Hell, but I think it’s because instead of Hell being timeless, it has greatly intensified time–meaning that time goes agonizingly slow. There is no actual teaching as to time in Hell and I’m not sure if there even is one about Heaven, however if time is required for space than Heaven must have some form of time because physically, Jesus and the Blessed Mother are there. However, I do not believe that time is required for space. If time is defined simply by change than no, there is no time in Heaven or Hell. People who die cannot change.

Do you mean** dead people** cannot change?
Do you mean those who are damned cannot change? as the Lord says about the dead burying their dead?

 

[Lily_Bernans]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in the responses is that time does not really run out when you die. Every day people in the Roman Catholic Church pray for the souls in Purgatory. From what I gather in regards the souls in hell, no one holds any hope other than for alleviation of their pain. The prayers and intercession of the faithful unite both Hell and Heaven and Purgatory to earthly time. The prayerful bond between the living souls on earth and those in Purgatory seems key to understanding Purgatory.

Time runs out at death for a person to change his or her life and avoid purgatory. And maybe hell if he or she has been particularly evil. We don’t know how much our prayers help the souls in purgatory, but at lease they are in purgatory and have avoided hell. Those who go to hell, will be damned forever, though. No amount of prayers will bring a soul from hell to purgatory to heaven. At least that is what I’ve been taught. I pray for my loved ones who MIGHT be in purgatory every day.

 

[Michael19682]

Time runs out at death for a person to change his or her life and avoid purgatory. And maybe hell if he or she has been particularly evil. We don’t know how much our prayers help the souls in purgatory, but at lease they are in purgatory and have avoided hell. Those who go to hell, will be damned forever, though. No amount of prayers will bring a soul from hell to purgatory to heaven. At least that is what I’ve been taught. I pray for my loved ones who MIGHT be in purgatory every day.

Interesting. Was wondering of the effect on you of “contingency prayers”? Purely for philosophical reasons of inquiry.
As I understand it, we can still obtain for the souls in hell things like a lessening of their pain; we can improve their despair, etc., or whatever it is they experience.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Interesting. Was wondering of the effect on you of “contingency prayers”? Purely for philosophical reasons of inquiry.
As I understand it, we can still obtain for the souls in hell things like a lessening of their pain; we can improve their despair, etc., or whatever it is they experience.

Well, yes, I do agree with that.