What will we remember in heaven?

[Mea_Culpa]

I’ve been thinking about what we’ll remember in heaven of our earthly lives. I don’t know how we’d be happy if we remembered all our transgressions. I think we won’t remember our sins and transgressions in heaven. A few scripture passages that seem to back this up are:

Psalm 103:11-12
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east if from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 65:16- 19
So that he who blesses himself in the land
shall bless himself by the God of truth,
and he who takes an oath in the land
shall swear by the God of trugh;
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hid from my eyes.
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy,
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

Revelation 21:1-5
Thin I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more; for the former things have passed away.” And he who sat upon the thone said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

I’m wondering about if we’ll remember people we knew during our passage through this vale of tears. Maybe the ones we truly loved or that truly loved us.

Another interesting passage is Luke19-31, about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is in hell and seems to remember his earthly life, but there is no indication that Lazarus, in “Abraham’s bosom” or heaven does remember.

There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.” But abraham said, “Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”

It seems like one of the curses of the damned is to remember.

 

[Shaken]

I’ve been thinking about what we’ll remember in heaven of our earthly lives. I don’t know how we’d be happy if we remembered all our transgressions. I think we won’t remember our sins and transgressions in heaven. A few scripture passages that seem to back this up…

I guess that means the more good we do, the more we will remember; and the more of a complete person we will be. Better get started on that right away…

 

[LindaSK]

“It seems like one of the curses of the damned is to remember.”

You had many good thoughts. This last statement really struck me. Not being able to forget and let go of past mistakes and regrets is indeed a curse. I do believe that Heaven will be the ultimate ‘letting go’ of the past.

I like this from the CCC:
2843*
Thus the Lord’s words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end, become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which crowns the Lord’s teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these words: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."It is there, in fact, “in the depths of the heart,” that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.*

I believe that, in Heaven, we will forget.

Also from the CCC:
1023

• Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face.*

God forgives the sins we have confessed. In Heaven, it sounds like we will also have forgotten, forgiven ourselves, and remember them no more. Sounds like Heaven to me!

Again, from the CCC:
1024

• This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed—is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.*

And from Isaiah:
“and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

Will we remember people??? If they don’t “come to mind”, and we will be in a “state of supreme, definitive happiness”, we certainly won’t miss or remember anyone we leave behind. That would also seem to indicate that we won’t know what they are doing on earth if we are in Heaven. So, for example, my mother (I hope she is in Heaven!) is not ‘watching me’ (and seeing all the dumb things I do that might make her un-happy), but her spirit could be with me? All relationships are perfected in Heaven, so we will love everyone equally and not gravitate to a particular circle of friends?? I guess, hopefully, time will tell!

 

[GEddie]

I guess that means the more good we do, the more we will remember; and the more of a complete person we will be. Better get started on that right away…

Hopefully, there is more to everybody’s life than “good deeds” and sins!

No doubt, we will retain the bulk of our memory, since memory is the only part of a human life that the person can “take” with them through death. We lose life, we lose our bodies; we gain a Life Everlasting and a Spiritual Body (1 Co15) in exchange, as it were, along with a “Heavenly Mind” (the final “metanoia”) so that we can know our new life. Only our memory can connect us to the life we once had, and the people therein.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[GEddie]

I believe that, in Heaven, we will forget.

So your idea of Heaven involves permanent amnesia?

Hopefully your Heaven and mine are not the same!!!

Like Prof. Zarkov in Flash Gordon, I spent too much effort filling my mind, to ever want it emptied! Besides, what would then be left of me???

If you don’t mean the whole memory, but only “the sins,” well in Heaven we will understand why we felt we needed to sin, and all will be understood and healed and forgiven. No amnesia is needed to avoid “feeling pain” because of it.

Will we remember people??? If they don’t “come to mind”, and we will be in a "state of supreme, definitive happiness

", we certainly won’t miss or remember anyone we leave behind.

I don’t know about that. “Remember” the old postcard cliche, “Having a great time; wish you were here?” You can be very happy and still remember people who are not with you. In fact, the whole culture of saints, and of intercession from Heaven and Purgatory, implies that those who have died DO know and remember their former fellow humans.

Also, going to Heaven is not like crossing the ocean; it is a change of body and life, not a physical dislocation. We cannot see the “citizens of Heaven above;” that in no way requires that Heaven is a remote separation. We don’t see our LORD either, yet He is “nearer than breathing, and closer than hands and feet.”

ICXC NIKA

 

[Cachonga]

**Remember the Alamo! ** (Sorry, native Texan, natural response! )

I don’t think we “forget” anything, but we will no longer remember things (like sin, or those we knew who didn’t make it to heaven). I think God makes it clear in Heb 8:12 & 10:17 that “… their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (KJV). I have noticed that some people seem to be miserable because they continue to remember past hurts done to them, and this could very well continue after death (as with the rich man). But there are other people who always seem to have a smile on their face and a sunny disposition, even in the face of what could be considered a “tragic situation”. In heaven, we will be with others who have made it, but most especially with Jesus, our savior, Lord and God. I don’t see how, given all the joy that would be going on, I could remember anything bad from the past.

To give an example, I’ve been married over 23 years. My wife seems to be misrable all the time, and can recall every person who ever hurt her in any way all the way back to kindergarden (and I seem to have a few items on her list as well). On the other hand, I know she has done things that hurt me over the years, but when I look back, all I remember are the good times. I choose to not remember the hurts, and instead move ahead to make more good memories.

Well, that’s my 2 cents worth. Hope it helps!

Pax!

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I think we will remember everything, but as seen through God’s eyes. We will see how it all fulfilled God’s plan for us and brought us to Heaven.

 

[LongJohnSilver]

I think we would remember our sins as well, because how are we able to be really gracious for the atonement through Jesus Christ if we forgot why that was needed in the first place?

 

[w_stewart]

I think we would remember our sins as well, because how are we able to be really gracious for the atonement through Jesus Christ if we forgot why that was needed in the first place?

If that is the case, then we need also to have remorse over our sins in heaven.

 

[LindaSK]

I think we would remember our sins as well, because how are we able to be really gracious for the atonement through Jesus Christ if we forgot why that was needed in the first place?

1 Corinthians 13:
12
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
13
5 So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

*5"…, love will remain (cf “never fails,” 1 Cor 13:8) even when faith has yielded to sight and hope to possession."

Faith is what got us to Heaven - " yielded to sight".

Hope is realized when we are in Heaven - “possession”.

Love is what remains.

All past hurts will be gone, forgotten. We cannot be truly happy if we hold onto them. We will know we have been forgiven because we are with God. It serves no good purpose any more to remember our sins. If we are in Heaven, God has forgotten our sins. Being created in His image, I have no doubt we will share that grace. We will then be “face to face” with our God and Creator. “At present we see indistinctly.” We cannot even begin to conceive such perfection. Perfect love. Perfect relationships. Perfect souls - every one! Look around. How could we possibly fathom such an existence?

Then we remember from the ‘Our Father’ the line, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We petition to be able to do His will here on earth. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean we give up. We will understand what He wanted for and from us though when/if we get to Heaven. I ‘hope’ my ‘Faith’ will allow me to share in that ‘love’.

 

[Mea_Culpa]

1 Corinthians 13:
12
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
13
5 So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

*5"…, love will remain (cf “never fails,” 1 Cor 13:8) even when faith has yielded to sight and hope to possession."

Faith is what got us to Heaven - " yielded to sight".

Hope is realized when we are in Heaven - “possession”.

Love is what remains.

All past hurts will be gone, forgotten. We cannot be truly happy if we hold onto them. We will know we have been forgiven because we are with God. It serves no good purpose any more to remember our sins. If we are in Heaven, God has forgotten our sins. Being created in His image, I have no doubt we will share that grace. We will then be “face to face” with our God and Creator. “At present we see indistinctly.” We cannot even begin to conceive such perfection. Perfect love. Perfect relationships. Perfect souls - every one! Look around. How could we possibly fathom such an existence?

Then we remember from the ‘Our Father’ the line, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We petition to be able to do His will here on earth. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean we give up. We will understand what He wanted for and from us though when/if we get to Heaven. I ‘hope’ my ‘Faith’ will allow me to share in that ‘love’.

Yes, thank you. The answer is in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, it’s just that we have to look for it. Thank you for pointing out 1 Corinthians 13. It says before the part you quoted,

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

It’s not only our own transgressions we would forget, but the transgressions of others against us (again, perfecting the line in the Our Father - forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.) We strive to do this now, but it will be done in a perfect way in heaven. How could we be in heaven if we were angry or resentful at another soul that was in heaven, or if we were happy that another soul was in hell?

Knowledge will pass away, but love never ends.

 

[Evan]

I think we will remember all in heaven, much better than we remember now. But remembering what we have done makes the forgiveness and love of God that much greater.

The spirit is that part of us that exists forever, traditionally the 3 attributes are the will, the intellect and the memory. If we don’t have our spirit, what do we have???

 

[Gertabelle]

I think we would remember our sins as well, because how are we able to be really gracious for the atonement through Jesus Christ if we forgot why that was needed in the first place?

I’m torn on this one. Like John and a few others, I can see how – in this life – remembering my sins and God’s grace fills my heart with gratitude. But then, I can’t see even the memory of sin having a place in heaven. That my “thoughts” could hold, even for a moment, anything that is anti-God (like sin) in His own Kingdom, well, that just seems completely wrong.

Of course, my own reasoning has been completley faulty before, so I’ll just go with what the Church teaches and allow God to prepare my place as He sees fit

Gertie

 

[thomas_jd]

Last Sunday our pastor commented during his homily that we will know all our sins and all the sins of everyone. Thats a sobering thought.

 

[glenconnor]

I don’t believe that we will forget as in no longer remember things ever again, but the nature of the memory of our sins will change. They won’t be lead weights that remind us of our shortcomings, but instead tiny shadows. They just won’t have substance compared to the all-encompassing love of God that we will be forever immersed in.

Well, it makes sense in my head, anyway.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Last Sunday our pastor commented during his homily that we will know all our sins and all the sins of everyone. That’s a sobering thought.

That seems in line with the Church teaching that all sins will be revealed at the Last Judgment: so that we may see how God used them in His Perfect Plan.

 

[CatholicGuy22]

We will remember everything but we will be looking back on our past with a pure heart.

 

[dranzal]

I think we will remember everything, but as seen through God’s eyes. We will see how it all fulfilled God’s plan for us and brought us to Heaven.

:yup: I agree with this.

 

[peary]

Besides being conscious of God and loved by Him Who also resides in Heaven, I should like to remember all the wonderful things about my life, associate with those I love, have the type of home I always wanted, and be surrounded by the beloved pets I had throughout my life. And - I would like the chance to explore the Cosmos!