What will happen to us when we die?

[Catholic29]

I have been meaning to post this question here for a long time, and I am sure this has been on the minds of many who come to this forum. As alot of you have probably experienced a family member or someone very close who has died. And it is something we all share.

What will happen to us when we die?

I know our Catholic faith teaches us that our souls will either go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory after death depending on the level of sanctifying grace we recieve from God in this life, or the number or seriousness of sins we have not repented or recieved absolution of.

But what I wonder is what the dying process itself actually consists of and what we will sense physically between when our heart stops beating and our souls finally exit our bodies. This question is very personal to me as I am sure it is to most of you. And if anyone has experience with death or has any insights into it, I would be very thankful if you could share them.

Thank You and God Bless.

 

[springbreeze]

Catholic29:

I have been meaning to post this question here for a long time, and I am sure this has been on the minds of many who come to this forum. As alot of you have probably experienced a family member or someone very close who has died. And it is something we all share.

What will happen to us when we die?

I know our Catholic faith teaches us that our souls will either go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory after death depending on the level of sanctifying grace we recieve from God in this life, or the number or seriousness of sins we have not repented or recieved absolution of.

But what I wonder is what the dying process itself actually consists of and what we will sense physically between when our heart stops beating and our souls finally exit our bodies. This question is very personal to me as I am sure it is to most of you. And if anyone has experience with death or has any insights into it, I would be very thankful if you could share them.

Thank You and God Bless.

Dear friend

I do not want to go into alot of detail, but I experienced the ‘light-tunnel’ account that many people have attested to.

In this the body was totally forgotten. I do not even remember thinking much about my body at all, the body seemed utterly irrelevant. I did not feel anything physical at all. It was as if I was lying on my back and my feet were before me, I knew I was not in my body, but I could still see who I am and where my spirit residedI could see with my spirit, my body as though I was still in it, but knew I was not.

I seemed to be in total darkness but knew I was moving, this seemed perfectly natural to me, I was not afraid or worried. I moved faster and faster until speed was of no object at all, speed became irrelevant, I was in ‘momentum’ and travelling in darkness. I saw then with my spirit what appeared to be colours in the darkness and they were also moving but in the opposite direction to me. The colours formed into innumerable scenes but I could not clearly make out what the scenes were about nor define them, these scenes moved in the opposite direction to me and the scenes were so many I couldn’t count how many past me.

What appeared to be in the extreme distance was a very small light. The light grew and grew in size. None of this seemed strange to me none of it frightened me, it seemed natural.

Then immediately, before I realised what had happened I was in the light and alone in the light and I was standing now in the light, though I knew I had no body at all to stand with, I was able to perceive I was standing. Immediately and with no warning before me appeared many, many people, too many people to count and of those nearest to me who I could see none of them I recognised, all of them dressed in white robes. They just looked at me. They didn’t say a word, but it was at this point I believed that I was dead and didn’t want to be dead.

I cried out ‘no’ three times and without any journey or return in the light or through the darkness I was back in my body and alive.

I felt no pain, I felt no agony, I felt nothing but peace in this journey and nothing about it was frightening.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[springbreeze]

continued

Since this ‘experience’ I have not been afraid of dying, nor afraid for anyone else dying and I have lost my father, both grandmothers, my fiance and close friends.

Death is a passage and nothing to fear, it is a birth. It may hurt to physically die and it may not it depends on the how of dying, but the actual eventuality of death is nothing to be afraid of.

Sometime ago my mother was very ill and I told her nothing of this which happened to me many years earlier, infact it isn’t until recent times I have spoken about it. She fell to the ground in the night after getting up feeling very ill in the night. She experienced the same thing and approached the light but did not enter into it, my father who was still alive back then, woke and found her gone from bed and went to look for her, he found her collapsed downstairs in the dining room on the floor and talked to her and tried to make her come round, eventually out of fear and frustration he shook her and tapped her, it was at this point she came back from approaching the light.

All my mother said was that it wasn’t frightening and that it was all just very strange.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

You won’t know your about to die. But the moment you do you will come straight before Christ. It will be instantaneous, and you will have your life examined instantaneously. There is no time in the next world. You will see with the eyes of the soul. Much the same as the mystics talk about things such as the flight of the spirit. In which the soul experiences a violent sort of commotion / activity and then hurls away from the body at a frightful rate. And when it stops it sees something. It sees with the eyes of the soul.

 

[Catholic29]

Thank you so much for your testimony springbreeze, it is very inspiring and comforting to read it.

Your experience must of been liberating beyond words to of been temporarily freed of such weighty flesh. Though I must admit it that after one has experienced death themself it is easy for someone to say that there is nothing to fear. However I still have aprehension of it, because I do not know how physically excruciating my own death will be. I just pray it is quick!!!

To be freed of the many limitations pains and discomforts of my flesh is something I yearn for every day, though I know God has put me in this body and in this world for a particular reason of His own design, and I know I have not the right to desire my life ended before the moment of His choosing.

All quite unlike what Michael Schiavo, his attorney and Judge George Greer desire for Terri Schiavo in Florida at this time. Though this is not particularily the subject here, we all must pray that Michael and Judge Greer have a major conversion of heart and mind, and more importantly for the overall well being of Terri.

And again thank you and God Bless.

 

[springbreeze]

John Russell Jr:

You won’t know your about to die. But the moment you do you will come straight before Christ. It will be instantaneous, and you will have your life examined instantaneously. There is no time in the next world. You will see with the eyes of the soul. Much the same as the mystics talk about things such as the flight of the spirit. In which the soul experiences a violent sort of commotion / activity and then hurls away from the body at a frightful rate. And when it stops it sees something. It sees with the eyes of the soul.

Dear friend

This seems to me absolutely correct from what I experienced. Everything of this world was gone, there was no spacial awareness, no awareness of time, no awareness of speed, it was as though I moved and at an amazingly fast rate, but almost as though I was still and not moving, it’s hard to explain.

I did not see with my eyes, rather my spirit saw. I had no body but I still had the form of my body, aware of myself the ‘I’ of who I am but not the ‘I’ of the flesh.

I did not want to go into great detail but your post has urged me to.

You are right in that I did not know I was dying. I did not know until my spirit perceived it before all of those people in white robes and I knew I was going to go and die, I had not died at the point I stood before those people, but at this point I knew I was dying and about to die and I knew I was going to ‘go’, I perceived that I was going to my judgement and to Christ and I saw with my spirit this was what was about to happen and I said no and wanted to live.

Immediately I had cried ‘no’ three times I was back fully in my body and I did not go back through the darkness or the light. It was immediate or rather without any measure of time.

May I ask you John how you come to know all about this which you have written in your post?

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[springbreeze]

Catholic29:

Thank you so much for your testimony springbreeze, it is very inspiring and comforting to read it.

Your experience must of been liberating beyond words to of been temporarily freed of such weighty flesh. Though I must admit it that after one has experienced death themself it is easy for someone to say that there is nothing to fear. However I still have aprehension of it, because I do not know how physically excruciating my own death will be. I just pray it is quick!!!

To be freed of the many limitations pains and discomforts of my flesh is something I yearn for every day, though I know God has put me in this body and in this world for a particular reason of His own design, and I know I have not the right to desire my life ended before the moment of His choosing.

All quite unlike what Michael Schiavo, his attorney and Judge George Greer desire for Terri Schiavo in Florida at this time. Though this is not particularily the subject here, we all must pray that Michael and Judge Greer have a major conversion of heart and mind, and more importantly for the overall well being of Terri.

And again thank you and God Bless.

Dear friend

No-one truly wants to die, they desire to live. Just because death is nothing to fear ( I do not mean dying because as you say it is the dying we fear.) does not mean life, earthly life is not precious.

Life must be preserved, such is the will to live that even at dying I desired to live.

You are of course right, we should pray that all life be preserved as Our Holy Father says ‘from conception until natural death’. You are right in requesting prayers for Terri’s life and I continue to offer my prayers for her.

What I stated here is the truth of my ‘experience’ but in no way would I ever condone anyone taking their own life or that of another, that is a grave sin and against the Laws of God. I would be extremely concerned if anyone read my post and thought then to die was ok, it is not ok to die, it is only ever acceptable to LIVE and to preserve LIFE. Life is a gift and must not be thrown away no matter how much a person suffers. I am disabled and suffer every day, I don’t say that for sympathy, but I would rather sufefr than die…death is a gift from God when He deems death should be gifted not something we take for ourselves.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

This seems to me absolutely correct from what I experienced. Everything of this world was gone, there was no spacial awareness, no awareness of time, no awareness of speed, it was as though I moved and at an amazingly fast rate, but almost as though I was still and not moving, it’s hard to explain.

I did not see with my eyes, rather my spirit saw. I had no body but I still had the form of my body, aware of myself the ‘I’ of who I am but not the ‘I’ of the flesh.

I did not want to go into great detail but your post has urged me to.

You are right in that I did not know I was dying. I did not know until my spirit perceived it before all of those people in white robes and I knew I was going to go and die, I had not died at the point I stood before those people, but at this point I knew I was dying and about to die and I knew I was going to ‘go’, I perceived that I was going to my judgement and to Christ and I saw with my spirit this was what was about to happen and I said no and wanted to live.

Immediately I had cried ‘no’ three times I was back fully in my body and I did not go back through the darkness or the light. It was immediate or rather without any measure of time.

May I ask you John how you come to know all about this which you have written in your post?

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

Hi Teresa,
The flight of the spirit, as spoken of by St Teresa of Avila, is a violent occurence. God doesn’t hurt you, but as if to show you He has accepted your complete surrender to Him he treats you this way. Such an experience is very frightening as the violent commotion caused by the Holy Spirit begins. Then the souls is most fearful as it is hurled at lightning speed. Then it will see something as it stops. The something will greatly impress the soul. Afterwards when it is back to normal the person will be groggy and dizzy for a day or two. These gifts always bring great benefit to the soul.
I am not a mystic. But I did experience this once maybe 11 or so years ago. Never happenned since. Was extremely beneficial to me spiritually, for a long time.

 

[springbreeze]

John Russell Jr:

Hi Teresa,
The flight of the spirit, as spoken of by St Teresa of Avila, is a violent occurence. God doesn’t hurt you, but as if to show you He has accepted your complete surrender to Him he treats you this way. Such an experience is very frightening as the violent commotion caused by the Holy Spirit begins. Then the souls is most fearful as it is hurled at lightning speed. Then it will see something as it stops. The something will greatly impress the soul. Afterwards when it is back to normal the person will be groggy and dizzy for a day or two. These gifts always bring great benefit to the soul.
I am not a mystic. But I did experience this once maybe 11 or so years ago. Never happenned since. Was extremely beneficial to me spiritually, for a long time.

Dear John

How Blessed you are by God, but then that shows in all of your posts.

This ‘experience’ happened after my fiance had committed suicide. That is why I was alarmed by the thought that to have an insight into what death may be like would somehow comfort someone considering suicide.

I was being looked after by my parents. I was 21 years old (I’m 34 now). I lost the will to live out of grief. I went to bed ( two days after my fiance had died) with my mother sleeping next to me and went to sleep in the early hours and sometime during my sleep immediately I was awake, but I did not wake up to life, I woke up dying , which seems an odd phrase. But then people say dying is like going to sleep, it is nothing like going to sleep at all.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[Catholic29]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

No-one truly wants to die, they desire to live. Just because death is nothing to fear ( I do not mean dying because as you say it is the dying we fear.) does not mean life, earthly life is not precious.

Life must be preserved, such is the will to live that even at dying I desired to live.

You are of course right, we should pray that all life be preserved as Our Holy Father says ‘from conception until natural death’. You are right in requesting prayers for Terri’s life and I continue to offer my prayers for her.

What I stated here is the truth of my ‘experience’ but in no way would I ever condone anyone taking their own life or that of another, that is a grave sin and against the Laws of God. I would be extremely concerned if anyone read my post and thought then to die was ok, it is not ok to die, it is only ever acceptable to LIVE and to preserve LIFE. Life is a gift and must not be thrown away no matter how much a person suffers. I am disabled and suffer every day, I don’t say that for sympathy, but I would rather sufefr than die…death is a gift from God when He deems death should be gifted not something we take for ourselves.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

Thank you yet again for your response Teresa.

And yes I agree, Life is something we do NOT have dominion over, whether it be from conception until natural death as our Holy Father has taught. But is the amount of suffering I have a difficult time accepting. How much pain and anguish must a soul endure before God deems that life to be more of an oppression than a gift for that person? I know God is of greater wisdom than any of us with this question, but it has been something I have struggled with.

And I do NOT want to die, however I just am not sure I have enough strength to endure what may be coming. And pray for Our Lord to infuse me with the necessary spiritual strength and will power to accept a great deal of suffering if and when it comes.

As I see you are from the UK, it must be very disconcerting for you to witness how the abortion rate has steadily climbed in your country, and in much of the rest of Europe. Particularily across the channel in Holland where outright infanticide is now permitted by law family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035833.cfm .

You are certainly in a minority with your level of faith and strong pro-life conviction in that part of the world, and I definitely admire and commend you for that.

God Bless and thank you

Dan

 

[antiaphrodite]

i don’t know. but it must be waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy cool!!!

and unless i died in sin ( :bigyikes: :bigyikes: :bigyikes: ) i think i’d be enjoying every minute of it!!!

(especially the meeting God part! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: )

 

[springbreeze]

antiaphrodite:

i don’t know. but it must be waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy cool!!!

and unless i died in sin ( :bigyikes: :bigyikes: :bigyikes: ) i think i’d be enjoying every minute of it!!!

(especially the meeting God part! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: )

DEar friend

What I experienced was extremely solemn. The people in white robes never said a word, but my spirit perceived the seriousness and solemness of what was about to happen. I perceived my ‘self’ and how inadequate ‘I’ am, how very small and the magnitude of where I was and what was about to happen. I wondered, no-one is smiling and I searched their faces and saw with my spirit that none of them were smiling, they just looked at me and I perceived with my spirit how very solemn this is. I felt happy and peaceful to be there, but it was so very solemn.

I did not feel joyous. I did not feel elation or anything like that. I felt sinful and so very small. The sense of the magnitude and enormity of God and what was about to happen was a fear, a rightful fear of God, not the same as being frightened, but I was in rightful fear of the Lord. I perceived myself exactly as I am, sinful. I perceived the absolute goodness of God and in this I felt like nothing, absolutely sinful and I was in fear of God. I did not feel ‘good’ enough to be where I was.

It was all peaceful. But in that immediacy I perceived what was to happen I felt fear of God and fear to go to Him. My spirit trembled at the place I was and the perception of going any further than where I was.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[springbreeze]

Catholic29:

Thank you yet again for your response Teresa.

And yes I agree, Life is something we do NOT have dominion over, whether it be from conception until natural death as our Holy Father has taught. But is the amount of suffering I have a difficult time accepting. How much pain and anguish must a soul endure before God deems that life to be more of an oppression than a gift for that person? I know God is of greater wisdom than any of us with this question, but it has been something I have struggled with.

And I do NOT want to die, however I just am not sure I have enough strength to endure what may be coming. And pray for Our Lord to infuse me with the necessary spiritual strength and will power to accept a great deal of suffering if and when it comes.

As I see you are from the UK, it must be very disconcerting for you to witness how the abortion rate has steadily climbed in your country, and in much of the rest of Europe. Particularily across the channel in Holland where outright infanticide is now permitted by law family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035833.cfm .

You are certainly in a minority with your level of faith and strong pro-life conviction in that part of the world, and I definitely admire and commend you for that.

God Bless and thank you

Dan

Dearest Dan

I am very relieved to hear that although you naturally fear your suffering, you desire life.

No-one wants to suffer, everyone wants physical comfort, but suffering evades no persons life be it physical or mental suffering, some people suffer in their very spirit and when the body suffers the mind does also and vice versa.

Because of my disability I often think of our Sweet Lord’s Jesus’ suffering and His suffering is so very hard to enter into fully when I know that He is God. My heart finds it hard to consider His agony, torture and death. It tears my heart apart. Allsuffering make me feel like this, but our Lord’s suffering strikes at my very spirit.

Jesus Himself prayed to be spared from suffering and death. I too then feel I can in confidence also pray for the same thing, to be spared, but Jesus also prayed for God the Father’s will to be done, so I too must do that and be prepared to make God’s Will, my will also and be obedient and accepting to His Will. Knowing it is God’s Will to suffer and He has purpose for it makes the cross easier to carry, but I do not carry my cross only for myself, but for God and for humanity as does anyone who suffers if they join their suffering to Christ Jesus’.

I saw today on our UK news that Terri’s tube has been removed and this too hurt my very spirit. We must all continue to pray and those of you who can write to your political powers in the USA , please do that.

Yes I am hurt and saddened at the rising abortion rate and a bill presented to parliament to make living wills etc. Worldwide life is being undermined and for those of us that live in life that is Christ Jesus, we must never cease to preserve life …Pray, pray, pray.

Dan, you are Blessed by God to suffer, He only gives to those what they can endure, don’t worry He will not give a cross to you that you cannot endure and He will give you the grace to endure the cross you carry. No-one escapes the cross in life we all carry one and we all have the graces from God to carry it. I try and thank God for my cross, though sometimes I don’t always feel like it. But it is a Blessing and we should be thankful to God for the blessing of sufferance. Suffering is the way of our Lord, it is an honour to share in His suffering by joining ours with His.

Persevere dear friend.

When you remember say a little prayer for me and I will pray for you Dan

God Bless you Dan and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[springbreeze]

antiaphrodite:

i don’t know. but it must be waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy cool!!!

and unless i died in sin ( :bigyikes: :bigyikes: :bigyikes: ) i think i’d be enjoying every minute of it!!!

(especially the meeting God part! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: )

Dear friend

I should tell you as I would lie by silence if I did otherwise.

What I experienced was very solemn indeed. There was no over-joy or silliness. I knew I was about to face my Lord and immediately I felt my sinfulness and the magnitude of what was about to happen.

My spirit perceived God’s absolute goodness and in this realised in my spirit how far and awful I am below this, indeed I felt as I was, nothing, I felt nothing of who I am. I was as nothing.

I cannot express the extreme solemn nature of it , it was so solemn and I knew by this where I was to go.

I felt in my spirit fear of God, a rightful and Holy fear of God.

I have to say your idea of meeting God is not as it is.

I was filled with fear of my Lord knowing I am so very sinful, but still knew in my spirit He loves me even as I am and His mercy is great.

I stood before those in white robes, the heavenly court; and knew of my sinfulness and God’s goodness and my spirit trembled at His greatness. I was trembled in my spirit and felt not nearly good enough to be there. I was in fear of God, a Holy fear of Him, rightfully.

I cannot fully put into words, it is not as you think, it is most solemn, it is fearful of God and His wrath, but consoled by His mercy to the sinner, my spirit felt fear and peace.

My spirit trembled. My spirit knew wherei t was from without regard to faith and it trembled in Holy fear. It trembled for all it’s transgressions. I knew nothing frighterning here, God is mercy and love, but in this state my very spirit trembled.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

I should tell you as I would lie by silence if I did otherwise.

What I experienced was very solemn indeed. There was no over-joy or silliness. I knew I was about to face my Lord and immediately I felt my sinfulness and the magnitude of what was about to happen.

My spirit perceived God’s absolute goodness and in this realised in my spirit how far and awful I am below this, indeed I felt as I was, nothing, I felt nothing of who I am. I was as nothing.

I cannot express the extreme solemn nature of it , it was so solemn and I knew by this where I was to go.

I felt in my spirit fear of God, a rightful and Holy fear of God.

I have to say your idea of meeting God is not as it is.

I was filled with fear of my Lord knowing I am so very sinful, but still knew in my spirit He loves me even as I am and His mercy is great.

I stood before those in white robes, the heavenly court; and knew of my sinfulness and God’s goodness and my spirit trembled at His greatness. I was trembled in my spirit and felt not nearly good enough to be there. I was in fear of God, a Holy fear of Him, rightfully.

I cannot fully put into words, it is not as you think, it is most solemn, it is fearful of God and His wrath, but consoled by His mercy to the sinner, my spirit felt fear and peace.

My spirit trembled. My spirit knew wherei t was from without regard to faith and it trembled in Holy fear. It trembled for all it’s transgressions. I knew nothing frighterning here, God is mercy and love, but in this state my very spirit trembled.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

Hi Teresa,
Very interesting story. I bet it had a profound influence on you. Some people have even died, gone to hell and come back you know. That would be the ultimate deterent to a pagan lifestyle.
I have a friend who has dreams of a religious theme every now and again. But they are only dreams. They have symbolism etc. He’s told me some real good ones. The Lord is very active in this world. Not many people have first hand experience of God like this. It’s a sign of love and friendship by His Majesty. It’s like being invited into His inner circle of friends. A sign of predestination.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon14.gif
Relish the memories.

 

[antiaphrodite]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

I should tell you as I would lie by silence if I did otherwise.

What I experienced was very solemn indeed. There was no over-joy or silliness. I knew I was about to face my Lord and immediately I felt my sinfulness and the magnitude of what was about to happen.

My spirit perceived God’s absolute goodness and in this realised in my spirit how far and awful I am below this, indeed I felt as I was, nothing, I felt nothing of who I am. I was as nothing.

I cannot express the extreme solemn nature of it , it was so solemn and I knew by this where I was to go.

I felt in my spirit fear of God, a rightful and Holy fear of God.

I have to say your idea of meeting God is not as it is.

I was filled with fear of my Lord knowing I am so very sinful, but still knew in my spirit He loves me even as I am and His mercy is great.

I stood before those in white robes, the heavenly court; and knew of my sinfulness and God’s goodness and my spirit trembled at His greatness. I was trembled in my spirit and felt not nearly good enough to be there. I was in fear of God, a Holy fear of Him, rightfully.

I cannot fully put into words, it is not as you think, it is most solemn, it is fearful of God and His wrath, but consoled by His mercy to the sinner, my spirit felt fear and peace.

My spirit trembled. My spirit knew wherei t was from without regard to faith and it trembled in Holy fear. It trembled for all it’s transgressions. I knew nothing frighterning here, God is mercy and love, but in this state my very spirit trembled.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

wow!!! amazing.

thank you for sharing this!

and i apologize if i sounded like i was taking things lightly.

 

[Catholic29]

springbreeze:

Dearest Dan

I am very relieved to hear that although you naturally fear your suffering, you desire life.

No-one wants to suffer, everyone wants physical comfort, but suffering evades no persons life be it physical or mental suffering, some people suffer in their very spirit and when the body suffers the mind does also and vice versa.

Because of my disability I often think of our Sweet Lord’s Jesus’ suffering and His suffering is so very hard to enter into fully when I know that He is God. My heart finds it hard to consider His agony, torture and death. It tears my heart apart. Allsuffering make me feel like this, but our Lord’s suffering strikes at my very spirit.

Jesus Himself prayed to be spared from suffering and death. I too then feel I can in confidence also pray for the same thing, to be spared, but Jesus also prayed for God the Father’s will to be done, so I too must do that and be prepared to make God’s Will, my will also and be obedient and accepting to His Will. Knowing it is God’s Will to suffer and He has purpose for it makes the cross easier to carry, but I do not carry my cross only for myself, but for God and for humanity as does anyone who suffers if they join their suffering to Christ Jesus’.

I saw today on our UK news that Terri’s tube has been removed and this too hurt my very spirit. We must all continue to pray and those of you who can write to your political powers in the USA , please do that.

Yes I am hurt and saddened at the rising abortion rate and a bill presented to parliament to make living wills etc. Worldwide life is being undermined and for those of us that live in life that is Christ Jesus, we must never cease to preserve life …Pray, pray, pray.

Dan, you are Blessed by God to suffer, He only gives to those what they can endure, don’t worry He will not give a cross to you that you cannot endure and He will give you the grace to endure the cross you carry. No-one escapes the cross in life we all carry one and we all have the graces from God to carry it. I try and thank God for my cross, though sometimes I don’t always feel like it. But it is a Blessing and we should be thankful to God for the blessing of sufferance. Suffering is the way of our Lord, it is an honour to share in His suffering by joining ours with His.

Persevere dear friend.

When you remember say a little prayer for me and I will pray for you Dan

God Bless you Dan and much love and peace to you

Teresa

Awww, thank you for yet another heart warming response Teresa.

I have to admit I think you are a gift to your country and the world, and to no lesser degree the Lord. It is very inspiring to see that God continues to cultivate saints even in our highly secularized and scientificaly enlightened age. Even though western society has grown in material wealth and knowledge, it has neglected and to a large extent lost much of its Christian spiritual foundations.

I still have not totally grasped the value of suffering to the level you apparently have, but I am growing in understanding every day. Life and its suffering and tribulations are quite fearful for me and are hard to accept. And if only I could correspond to Jesus as you and I are now. But with much prayer, and perhaps some spiritual direction, I will persevere in this Life. As I know it is the true Catholic Christian way of things, and is what most of its saints have embraced.

Though the USA is a more God fearing country than most others in the west, the Christianity it in large part professes is solidly reformed Protestant, which supposes that Christ’s one time offering of his blood on the cross is all that is sufficient for salvation and all we need to do is “believe”. There is little concept of uniting one’s own suffering with Christ for the sanctification of your soul and that of others. And sadly this idea has crept into much of the Catholic Church here as well.

And YES, I will indeed say a little prayer for you, or maybe two or three.

And may God Bless you as well.

Dan

 

[springbreeze]

John Russell Jr:

Hi Teresa,
Very interesting story. I bet it had a profound influence on you. Some people have even died, gone to hell and come back you know. That would be the ultimate deterent to a pagan lifestyle.
I have a friend who has dreams of a religious theme every now and again. But they are only dreams. They have symbolism etc. He’s told me some real good ones. The Lord is very active in this world. Not many people have first hand experience of God like this. It’s a sign of love and friendship by His Majesty. It’s like being invited into His inner circle of friends. A sign of predestination.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon14.gif
Relish the memories.

Dear John

Yes it has had a profound effect on me.

I saw it as a gift, to come back and do much better in my life, a chance to love God more and improve myself as a Christian.

I didn’t see it as a sign of predestination either as I can still sin and cause myself to be seperated from God. I saw it as a gift to straighten my life up and serve Him and others better.

I do relish the memory of it though, it was truly peaceful and beautiful though hard to fully understand or describe.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

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antiaphrodite:

wow!!! amazing.

thank you for sharing this!

and i apologize if i sounded like i was taking things lightly.

Dear friend

You’ver got no need to apologise. This is only my experience and no-one has to listen to it.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

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Catholic29:

Awww, thank you for yet another heart warming response Teresa.

I have to admit I think you are a gift to your country and the world, and to no lesser degree the Lord. It is very inspiring to see that God continues to cultivate saints even in our highly secularized and scientificaly enlightened age. Even though western society has grown in material wealth and knowledge, it has neglected and to a large extent lost much of its Christian spiritual foundations.

I still have not totally grasped the value of suffering to the level you apparently have, but I am growing in understanding every day. Life and its suffering and tribulations are quite fearful for me and are hard to accept. And if only I could correspond to Jesus as you and I are now. But with much prayer, and perhaps some spiritual direction, I will persevere in this Life. As I know it is the true Catholic Christian way of things, and is what most of its saints have embraced.

Though the USA is a more God fearing country than most others in the west, the Christianity it in large part professes is solidly reformed Protestant, which supposes that Christ’s one time offering of his blood on the cross is all that is sufficient for salvation and all we need to do is “believe”. There is little concept of uniting one’s own suffering with Christ for the sanctification of your soul and that of others. And sadly this idea has crept into much of the Catholic Church here as well.

And YES, I will indeed say a little prayer for you, or maybe two or three.

And may God Bless you as well.

Dan

Dearest Dan

Let’s be clear…I am no saint, I am a sinner.

You are right the ever secular march against Christianity has pervaded our society to such an extent that we are not even humane any longer, but devoid of being human and humane to each other…this society built on the self will fall and will come to an end. This Godless reign will not prevail, Christ Jesus will prevail.

Domine Jesu Christe

God Bless you and much love and peace to you always Dan

Teresa