What do we remember in Heaven?

[rpp]

Sorry. I meant “**had **he repented at the end.”

We appreciate the clarification. However, I do not think that many people would have presumed that you were asserting that you knew what went through Hitler’s mind just before the bullet did.

I have often thought it was unfortunate that the Soviet Army did not capture him. But then I think that it would have just perpetuated the monstrous evil that WWII was. (Sorry “monstrous evil” is inadequate. There are no superlatives in the English to properly describe the unspeakable and horrific crimes committed (mainly) by the Germans, Soviets and Japanese.)

To bring this back to the topic, these are the things that those in my generation will look to with Keen interest during the General Judgment.

 

[larry85704]

Thank you all for your postings. Very interesting. You all seem to point out that we will change in heaven.

We will become immersed in God’s love and that will affect us.

We will have a different body. Jesus, after the Resurrection, was not recognized by people that would have recognized Him if His body would have been the same. Or was His body the same and they were prevented from recognizing Him? I don’t know. Personally, I am paralyzed, so I hope there are a few improvements made to my body in heaven.

Somebody said we are defined by things, like memory. I like that. I wonder if we will remember our death, or our birth. After a thousand years or so, I wonder how memory would work.

There is one sin that will not be forgiven. Only one. Last I checked it was blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. There is great debate as to what exactly that is. I sure would like to know.

But purgatory sounds like a bunch of work gets done there, and it is a good idea. Much stuff will be purged from our soul I guess. Maybe things will also be purged from our memory. So, does our soul, which is the only thing that exists when we are in the purgatory phase, contain out memory? Or, it it someplace else?

So many questions.

Thanks for your responses.

 

[AHapka]

I think scripture states God will “forget” our sins as a way of making it clear to us that He isn’t going to drudge them up every decade or so throughout eternity. It’s God telling us what he will do in a way we understand.

God is all knowing, therefore I don’t believe it is possible for Him to truly “forget” anything, because then He would cease to be all knowing. However, I do believe that while knowing something, He can choose to not actively think about it. I believe that it means that as far as He is concerned, the matter is done with, and dealt with, and doesn’t need to be brought up again.

And if we didn’t remember our past on Earth, I think we would all be a little less thankful of the grace we received…

Andy

 

[Schabel]

If Hitler did somehow repent as the bullet passed through his brain and the cyanide was coursing through his body, then it would not surprise me if he was the one who turned out the lights as he is leaving Purgatory.

I’m glad I wasn’t drinking coffee when I read that! That’s too funny. But humor, to be good, has to have some truth to it!

However, I doubt that that he did repent.

While I agree (unfortunately), I pray for even that … person.

Still, I imagine there will be many surprises.

I’m hoping for that. I’m praying for that. Please, God, stretch your mercy as far as you possibly can.

 

[CentralFLJames]

And what if not everyone you loved are there in heaven? Can you be sad in heaven?

This thought has occupied much of my thought. For example how could a mother of 4 children be happy in heaven knowing that 2 made it to heaven and 2 suffering eternally in hell? How would a man who loved his wife be happy in heaven if that man would have forgiven his wife of any sin against himself just so she could be with him in heaven and she fell to hell? What if that man’s wife who was very unconditionally loved turns out to have had a one time affair or a single lustful thought of another man that she never confessed and was sent to hell forever?

James

 

[CentralFLJames]

Thank you all for your postings. Very interesting. You all seem to point out that we will change in heaven.

We will become immersed in God’s love and that will affect us.

We will have a different body. Jesus, after the Resurrection, was not recognized by people that would have recognized Him if His body would have been the same. Or was His body the same and they were prevented from recognizing Him? I don’t know. Personally, I am paralyzed, so I hope there are a few improvements made to my body in heaven.

Somebody said we are defined by things, like memory. I like that. I wonder if we will remember our death, or our birth. After a thousand years or so, I wonder how memory would work.

There is one sin that will not be forgiven. Only one. Last I checked it was blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. There is great debate as to what exactly that is. I sure would like to know.

But purgatory sounds like a bunch of work gets done there, and it is a good idea. Much stuff will be purged from our soul I guess. Maybe things will also be purged from our memory. So, does our soul, which is the only thing that exists when we are in the purgatory phase, contain out memory? Or, it it someplace else?

So many questions.

Thanks for your responses.

The one unforgivable sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit by dieing impenetent. This is why there is no Mercy available to those who do not repent their grave sins before death since one ignored the incessant pleading of the Holy Spirit to come to God and be healed.

In purgatory all traces of the memory of sin and the inclination to sin and the appetite to repeat any sin we ever committed in life are burned away. While we are forgiven of our sins in confession each time we sin it imparts a memory of that sin that lingers and compels us to repeat that sin again that is much like an addiction. If we do not purge all traces of that while on earth through personal penance (prayers, indulgences, even fasting) then we will have to purge it later in purgatory. All accounts from the saints are its MUCH better to do it now since it is said that even an instant in purgatory is more suffering than a person could bear on earth if he had every physical affliction known to man. The suffering souls in purgatory are sustained in their purification by the equal joy that they know that they are saved. We should pray for them daily (see my signature link).

James

 

[Catherine_S]

I agree. The scripture passages that say that God “forgets” our sins is not using the word in it’s literal sense, I believe. Instead, such passages try to convey the completeness of God’s forgiveness.

I realize the Church teaches that there are two judgments. I guess I am a little unclear as to how they differ.

*This article helped me out! I found it while searching for material for someone who was argueing against purgartory. *
Lent is a good time to ponder these scriptures.
.
Two Judgments
*When we die, we undergo what is called the particular, or individual, judgment. Scripture says that **“it is appointed for men to die once, **and **after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). **We are judged instantly and **receive our reward, for good **or **ill. We know at once what our final destiny will be. At the end of time, when Jesus returns, there will come the general judgment to which the Bible refers, for example, in Matthew 25:31-32: **"When the Son of man comes in his glory, **and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." In this general judgment all our sins will be publicly revealed ***(Luke 12:2–5). **

Augustine said, in The City of God, that "temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment" (21:13). It is between the* particular** and general judgments, then, that the soul is purified of the** remaining consequences of sin:** **“I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper” (Luke ******12:59). ***
Complete article at…
http://www.catholic.com/library/purgatory.asp

 

[larry85704]

I am certainly learning things here.

Some things that bother me.

The Scripture states God forgets our sins. God can do anything He wants. If He says He forgets our sins then I would believe Him. I believe we would be better off if we could forget our own sins when forgiven and the sins of others when we forgive them. God does not know everything. In a world where we have free will, it is logically inconsistent that God should know what I want to eat for dinner tonight. Now you can argue that God has somehow overcome that little problem, but I don’t see how you can do that and not trash the free will concept. But that is all NOT INTERESTING to me.

I guess in stating that God said He forgets our sins, but essentially arguing that He doesn’t what is a person to believe? You folks are making it so it is permissible not to believe Scripture if a bunch of folks agree with you. This is very dangerous. Do you all know that the Christian churches, other than the Catholic Church were started with this reasoning?

God is not human. We cannot limit Him by thinking of Him as human.

I actually respect the Church because it respects tradition, Scripture, reason and contemporary revelation. So, if you are going to state that God remembers our sins back up your statement with Church teachings, not your opinion. I want to learn about the Church. Sadly, the opinions of people on this forum really don’t teach me much about the Church.

Consider this.

Through Adam, sin entered the world and God cast Adam out, a judgment.

Though Jesus, forgiveness entered the world and God allowed His people to go back to heaven. That would be justice as well.

That Jesus came is mercy.

No matter how bad the sinner, I will never say they can not get to heaven. There is the justice of Jesus’s sacrifice setting things right and God’s mercy. And if you read the Catechism, as you all like to do, you will realize what I speak is the truth. No-one is condemned to hell except by the judgment of God. Our sins do not condemn us because we all have them. Some of them we are not aware of, or we forgot about. Do not worry to much about dieing with a grevious sin because you might. I think we should worry more that we love God now. We love Him now, He loves us when the time comes.

 

[CentralFLJames]

I am certainly learning things here.

Some things that bother me.

The Scripture states God forgets our sins. God can do anything He wants. If He says He forgets our sins then I would believe Him. I believe we would be better off if we could forget our own sins when forgiven and the sins of others when we forgive them. God does not know everything. In a world where we have free will, it is logically inconsistent that God should know what I want to eat for dinner tonight. Now you can argue that God has somehow overcome that little problem, but I don’t see how you can do that and not trash the free will concept. But that is all NOT INTERESTING to me.

I guess in stating that God said He forgets our sins, but essentially arguing that He doesn’t what is a person to believe? You folks are making it so it is permissible not to believe Scripture if a bunch of folks agree with you. This is very dangerous. Do you all know that the Christian churches, other than the Catholic Church were started with this reasoning?

God is not human. We cannot limit Him by thinking of Him as human.

I actually respect the Church because it respects tradition, Scripture, reason and contemporary revelation. So, if you are going to state that God remembers our sins back up your statement with Church teachings, not your opinion. I want to learn about the Church. Sadly, the opinions of people on this forum really don’t teach me much about the Church.

Consider this.

Through Adam, sin entered the world and God cast Adam out, a judgment.

Though Jesus, forgiveness entered the world and God allowed His people to go back to heaven. That would be justice as well.

That Jesus came is mercy.

No matter how bad the sinner, I will never say they can not get to heaven. There is the justice of Jesus’ sacrifice setting things right and God’s mercy. And if you read the Catechism, as you all like to do, you will realize what I speak is the truth. No-one is condemned to hell except by the judgment of God. Our sins do not condemn us because we all have them. Some of them we are not aware of, or we forgot about. Do not worry to much about dieing with a grevious sin because you might. I think we should worry more that we love God now. We love Him now, He loves us when the time comes.

Larry there are a number of misperceptions in your beliefs or in the way you stated your belief that are at odds with Catholic teaching. Jesus forgives our sins if we confess them. If we don’t confess them and ask for His mercy they are not forgiven - simple as that. Only Protestants and certain non-Catholics believe that they can be forgiven automatically as they sin simply by the merits of believing “Jesus saves”. It does not work this way and the Catholic Church does not and never has taught this - if that is what you are saying.

What should be INTERESTING to you is your salvation. The Church teaches that we must go to confession often to confess sins, honestly repent with the intention of changing (knowing God will not be mocked by insincerity) and pray, pray, pray!

James

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

I think scripture states God will “forget” our sins as a way of making it clear to us that He isn’t going to drudge them up every decade or so throughout eternity. It’s God telling us what he will do in a way we understand.

God is all knowing, therefore I don’t believe it is possible for Him to truly “forget” anything, because then He would cease to be all knowing. However, I do believe that while knowing something, He can choose to not actively think about it. I believe that it means that as far as He is concerned, the matter is done with, and dealt with, and doesn’t need to be brought up again.

And if we didn’t remember our past on Earth, I think we would all be a little less thankful of the grace we received…

Andy

Dante addresses that last issue in Paradiso, Canto Three.​

I think that the Biblical language of God forgetting sins is a way of saying that God’s “attitude” to sinners is like that of a man who forgets sins; that, to put it another way, human forgetfulness is a faint yet not wholly misleading picture of God’s “attitude”

 

[ChibiViolet]

It’s good to know that no one is sad in Heaven, even about those who have gone to Hell. That means the only person it really affects is the the damned themselves…it is a thought that has at times comforted me, at times made me feel angry and at others sad, but it should be comforting; for it to be anything else is selfish as I’m thinking of myself when I think on this…I don’t mean to say I think I know I’m going to Hell–just that is seems likely…