What exactly is glory?

[Michael251]

Hello everyone, I’m a newbie to this forum, and would love to hear people’s thoughts on a subject I’ve frequently thought about. What exactly does the Church mean when it refers to the “glory” of Heaven ? I recall reading about our Lady speaking to Sr Lucia when she was asked about a certain person who had died, and Our Lady replied that soul “is now in glory”. Also, being in Heaven is often referred to as “sharing in God’s glory”. I struggle to imagine what being in glory, sharing in glory, or enjoying glory actually is like. I understand that we are not meant to know exactly what Heaven is like, from this side of the veil, but can anyone offer some description or likeness that might clarify this expression for me?
Many thanks to all,
God bless.

 

[fhansen]

Yes, according to those who’ve been granted a “glimpse” of God in His immediate presence in the here and now, that experience is incomparably, ineffably, profound and exalting, ecstasy producing, etc, etc, the absolute font of sheer happiness and satisfaction for man. The apex of it all perhaps is said to be the experience-the “knowing”- of love and goodness on an unimaginable scale.

 

[thistle]

Hello everyone, I’m a newbie to this forum, and would love to hear people’s thoughts on a subject I’ve frequently thought about. What exactly does the Church mean when it refers to the “glory” of Heaven ? I recall reading about our Lady speaking to Sr Lucia when she was asked about a certain person who had died, and Our Lady replied that soul “is now in glory”. Also, being in Heaven is often referred to as “sharing in God’s glory”. I struggle to imagine what being in glory, sharing in glory, or enjoying glory actually is like. I understand that we are not meant to know exactly what Heaven is like, from this side of the veil, but can anyone offer some description or likeness that might clarify this expression for me?
Many thanks to all,
God bless.

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

GLORY. The recognition and praise of someone’s excellence. Applied to God, the divine (internal) glory is the infinite goodness that the persons of the Trinity constantly behold and mutually praise. His external glory is first of all the share that creatures have in God’s goodness. Sometimes called objective glory, it is given to God by all creatures without exception, by their mere existence, insofar as they mirror the divine perfections. Formal glory is rendered to God by his rational creatures, when they acknowledge the divine goodness and praise God for who he is and what he has communicated of himself to the world. (Etym. Latin gloria , renown, splendor, glorification.)

 

[Michael251]

Thankyou

 

[midori]

Once upon a time, the husband of a friend passed away from cancer. I had a dream about him about two or three years after he died, and he looked so beautiful, I could have stared at him for hours. And his face looked like it was glowing gold from the inside-- which was amazingly cool, and I’m like, “Ahhh, that’s what artists are trying to paint.”

So, even though it was just a few moments in a dream— it might have been real, or it might have been imagination, I’m not particularly worried about it— but ever since then, it’s affected the way I imagine people who share in God’s glory. Where they’re so permeated with God’s love and power that it transforms them into something greater than what they were when they were on earth, when they were still themselves, but imperfect shadows of what they could be when fully united with God-- and each other, because Heaven is a community.

 

[Michael251]

Thankyou so much. That reminds me of the apparitions of Our Lady, where she invariably appears as though clothed in a beautiful light that dazzles without hurting the eyes. I think the blessed in Heaven must share some of this glorious light, as you saw in your dream.

 

[Vico]

…

1042 At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed:

The Church . . . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ. 631

 

[Bon_Croix]

Agreed. We can’t truly understand it until we experience it.

It is not a lie to say that it is exalting.

 

[Michael251]

Thankyou for the quote. Unfortunately that quote for the CCC doesn’t describe what glory is, ie the experience of being in a “state” of glory. But thankyou for referring to the Catechism.

 

[Vico]

Thankyou for the quote. Unfortunately that quote for the CCC doesn’t describe what glory is, ie the experience of being in a “state” of glory. But thankyou for referring to the Catechism.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that glory is the realized communication of goodness and the “perfection through the benefits which he bestows on creatures” (Catechism 293 from Vatican I, Dei Filius):

294 The glory of God consists in the realization of this manifestation and communication of his goodness, for which the world was created. God made us "to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace ", 138 for “the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man’s life is the vision of God: if God’s revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word’s manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God.” 139 The ultimate purpose of creation is that God “who is the creator of all things may at last become “all in all”, thus simultaneously assuring his own glory and our beatitude.” 140

138 Eph 1:5-6.
139 St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4,20,7: PG 7/1,1037.
140 Ad gentes 2; cf. 1 Cor 15:28.

So of course this occurs in the glorified soul and later, at the resurrection, in the glorified body also. Then truly the person is glorified: body and soul.

 

[Michael251]

thankyou for that analysis.