Will Heaven be different for different people?

[paramedicgirl]

InSearchOfGod:

But if we want to make our cup bigger while we’re here on Earth, why would we stop wanting it bigger when we’re in Heaven? If the motivation is love, love could only increase infinitely in Heaven.

Because in heaven we only know a state of complete joy and happiness. It is inconceivable to want more that we have been granted. We are filled with the goodness and greatness of God, with no desire for anything else.

 

[Mijoy2]

paramedicgirl:

Because in heaven we only know a state of complete joy and happiness. It is inconceivable to want more that we have been granted. We are filled with the goodness and greatness of God, with no desire for anything else.

I can apprehend this but i can’t comprehend this.
Heaaven is a very difficult concept to imagine (for me). It’s difficult to imagine being totally fullfilled.

never anxious about anything
no worrys about financial security
(here is the most difficult to comprehend) never bored!

I wonder how we can have:

happiness without saddness
excitement without bordom
comfort without discomfort
contentment without anxiety
success without failure

The way I tend to think about is…those who go to heaven aer in for big surprise. A wonderful surprise of course, but a surpise.

 

[paramedicgirl]

Mijoy2:

I can apprehend this but i can’t comprehend this.
Heaaven is a very difficult concept to imagine (for me). It’s difficult to imagine being totally fullfilled.

never anxious about anything
no worrys about financial security
(here is the most difficult to comprehend) never bored!

I wonder how we can have:

happiness without saddness
excitement without bordom
comfort without discomfort
contentment without anxiety
success without failure

The way I tend to think about is…those who go to heaven aer in for big surprise. A wonderful surprise of course, but a surpise.

Hi Mijoy2,
Try going to this weblink and scroll down to “the existence of heaven” newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm
It may answer some of your questions a lot better than I could

 

[InSearchOfGod]

Mijoy2:

I can apprehend this but i can’t comprehend this.
Heaaven is a very difficult concept to imagine (for me). It’s difficult to imagine being totally fullfilled.

Yes, I would say it’s impossible for us to imagine while here on Earth. I’m sure Heaven will go beyond the mere feelings of happiness or sadness that our brains feel. We can’t even imagine what it’s like for the soul to be separated from the body!

 

[InSearchOfGod]

paramedicgirl:

Because in heaven we only know a state of complete joy and happiness. It is inconceivable to want more that we have been granted. We are filled with the goodness and greatness of God, with no desire for anything else.

So . . . is it better to have a big full cup or a little full cup? Or are they the same because they are full? If there are different “degrees” of Heaven, then wouldn’t it follow that some degrees are better than others? It doesn’t make any sense.

 

[Courtneyjo]

What really matters is that Heaven is Heaven. Should we reach Heaven we will be joyful and happy beyond measure. the concerns we now have will disappear. Whatever we imagine Heaven to be, it will be so much more than that.

 

[paramedicgirl]

InSearchOfGod:

So . . . is it better to have a big full cup or a little full cup? Or are they the same because they are full? If there are different “degrees” of Heaven, then wouldn’t it follow that some degrees are better than others? It doesn’t make any sense.

I think the more you dwell on it, the easier it becomes to understand it. The cups are the same. They are all full. But the holiest people have gained the merit to be closer to God.

It makes sense that people like St. Pio of Petrelcina who bore the stigmata of Christ for 50 years and suffered tremendously to share in the passion of Christ for the conversion of sinners have earned a higher place in heaven than people who have been purified through purgatory and lead lives of less merit and holiness.

In this sense, I guess you are right to state that some degrees are better than others. Except we won’t question our assigned place in heaven, because there is only happiness and joy there; no jealousy or unfulfillment. Our souls have different capacities of holiness, and we will each be filled to the utmost capacity. So who could want more?

 

[InSearchOfGod]

paramedicgirl:

So who could want more?

Who could not want more? Is it selfish to want to be as close as you can to God?

Oh well … I’ll never understand in this life. If Heaven is knowing God, I don’t understand how you can know all of God, yet have someone else know more … you know? The very definition of Heaven doesn’t seem to work with “degrees” … that’s like “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (from Animal Farm ).

 

[Courtneyjo]

Mother Angelica says, “We all are called to be great saints. Don’t miss the opportunity.” Perhaps the “more” that it is best to want is to love God more. That in itself is its own reward. If we want more, let us love more. Ultimately God rewards love with love; what more could we ask for?

 

[InSearchOfGod]

Courtneyjo:

Ultimately God rewards love with love; what more could we ask for?

Hmmm . . . does He? Or does He love everyone equally?

 

[Madia]

Or does He love everyone equally?

God loves everyone equally. He gives everyone all of His love. The limitation is on our acceptance of God’s love, not on His love for us.

Let me try to explain heaven this way:

Imagine heaven as a contemplation of God’s love. Now, only God Himself can truly comprehend God’s love. The process of contemplation would be eternal since we could never fully comprehend God’s love. The love He gives would be the same eternally but by continually contemplating His love we would continually discover more and more about the greatness of His love. So while His love would never change, it would not be monotonous since we are always learning something new by contemplating His love.

The “size of the glass” would be our ability to contemplate God’s Love. It seems that only Mary would be able to fully contemplate God’s love. Yet Mary, like the rest of us, will never comprehend God’s love. So heaven would not be “different” for different people; the holier a life a Saint led the greater ability (reward in heaven) he or she will have to contemplate God’s love.

 

[seeker63]

I do hope Heaven will also be something of the “Happy Hunting Ground,” where we can spend eternity doing things we enjoy. I hope to see and do and explore things I never got a chance at during life.I hope it’s not just singing and strumming harps.

 

[paramedicgirl]

Madia:

God loves everyone equally. He gives everyone all of His love. The limitation is on our acceptance of God’s love, not on His love for us.

Let me try to explain heaven this way:

Imagine heaven as a contemplation of God’s love. Now, only God Himself can truly comprehend God’s love. The process of contemplation would be eternal since we could never fully comprehend God’s love. The love He gives would be the same eternally but by continually contemplating His love we would continually discover more and more about the greatness of His love. So while His love would never change, it would not be monotonous since we are always learning something new by contemplating His love.

The “size of the glass” would be our ability to contemplate God’s Love. It seems that only Mary would be able to fully contemplate God’s love. Yet Mary, like the rest of us, will never comprehend God’s love. So heaven would not be “different” for different people; the holier a life a Saint led the greater ability (reward in heaven) he or she will have to contemplate God’s love.

This is very well put. It puts it all into perspective, I think.

Mary, the holiest person who ever lived, has been rewarded the most in heaven. Even the angels consider her their Queen, and pay homage to her as such.

By this, we can see that there are different rewards waiting for us in heaven. None of us can equal the reward of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God.

 

[InSearchOfGod]

Thank you for your continued replies despite my inability to fully understand.

I thought that in Heaven, God’s eternal love that we can not comprehend now would be revealed, and by being revealed thus make Heaven what it is. Therefore our level of comprehension when we die would not be a factor, and Heaven would reward us with all the comprehension we need.

This doesn’t imply that we’d all be like our most Holy mother, Mary, but that all members of Heaven would be able to comprehend God the same: to the fullest. For what makes us different in Heaven will not be the comprehension of God, but the same thing that makes us different on earth: the choices we make while here. We can never be sinless like Mary.

 

[Madia]

I thought that in Heaven, God’s eternal love that we can not comprehend now would be revealed, and by being revealed thus make Heaven what it is.

We can never comprehend God as He comprehends Himself; only God can comprehend Himself.

 

[Viki59]

seeker63:

I do hope Heaven will also be something of the “Happy Hunting Ground,” where we can spend eternity doing things we enjoy. I hope to see and do and explore things I never got a chance at during life.I hope it’s not just singing and strumming harps.

I recommend Peter Kreeft’s book “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven.” He addresses the issue of boredom, of whether our pets will be there, of what there is to do, and many other great ideas.
He says: “Earth seems much more interesting than heaven because there seems to be nothing to do in heaven. . .how can we be happy without creative work? . . .
He postulates three human tasks in heaven: understanding our earthly life ‘by Godlight,’ sharing all other human lives, and exploration into God.”
This is an excellent and encouraging book.

 

[seeker63]

*I recommend Peter Kreeft’s book “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven.” He addresses the issue of boredom, of whether our pets will be there, of what there is to do, and many other great ideas.
He says: “Earth seems much more interesting than heaven because there seems to be nothing to do in heaven. . .how can we be happy without creative work? . . .
He postulates three human tasks in heaven: understanding our earthly life ‘by Godlight,’ sharing all other human lives, and exploration into God.”
This is an excellent and encouraging book.

*I looked up some Amazon reviews on the book and it sounds interesting, though Kreeft is apparently a Thomist and that makes me a little suspicious. I have gotten into some major, major fights on CAF with self-proclaimed Thomists who absolutely, categorically insist that there will be no pets in heaven, that there’s no possible way for that to happen, and as a result they’ve soured me on Thomism as a whole.

I flatly would want nothing to do with a heaven where I would not be reunited with my pets, some cold clinical place where no nature was allowed.The arguments have gotten so nasty I began questioning if I made the right decision converting to Catholicism, since their conception of God was so hard-hearted and legalistic. If God was actually as unpleasant and uncaring as they paint Him, they can have Him, for all I care. Fortunately, I think they’re wrong.

Although Aquinas was brilliant and a doctor of the Church and all, I do like to think we have made some discoveries about the world and nature since the Middle Ages. It took the Church centuries to admit it was wrong about Galileo, and I suspect it will admit it’s wrong about other things as well, including animals. An examination of various catechisms put out over the years is very interesting in regards to this topic.

And for crying out loud, please, you nasty-tempered anti-animal trolls, don’t turn this thread into your soap box, if you happen to be reading this and looking for a fight.

But anyway I’ll see if my neighborhood bookstores have this book.

 

[Pentecost2005]

seeker63:

I flatly would want nothing to do with a heaven where I would not be reunited with my pets

So you’d rather spend eternity in hell? Sounds like you’re a little too attached to creatures. I’m sure that after the Resurrection, if you want your pet back, God will be happy to provide. Why not?

seeker63:

Although Aquinas was brilliant and a doctor of the Church and all, I do like to think we have made some discoveries about the world and nature since the Middle Ages.

And how do those two things go together?

 

[tom.wineman]

The Catholics will be on one side and the Baptist will be on the other side with the Methodist will be in the middle. That way the Baptist won’t know the Catholics are there and the Catholics won’t know the Baptist are there.

 

[seeker63]

Dear Pentecost2005,

I flatly would want nothing to do with a heaven where I would not be reunited with my pets

So you’d rather spend eternity in hell? Sounds like you’re a little too attached to creatures. I’m sure that after the Resurrection, if you want your pet back, God will be happy to provide. Why not?

**About the only joy, the only glimpse of heaven, I’ve had in this life has been courtesy of my pets. If I never see my family and friends again, I can probably handle that, but it would crush me to be parted forever from my pets. I don’t think that makes me “too attached to creatures.” Rather, I’ve been graced to be able to see God’s face in part of his creation. I don’t think God made them just for window dressing.

I will say that while my religion has given me strength, it hasn’t given me a lot of comfort or joy. It has, however, made me feel what a rotten, wretched person I am.**

  Quote:
                                            Originally Posted by **seeker63**
             *Although Aquinas was brilliant and a doctor of the Church and all, I do like to think we have made some discoveries about the world and nature since the Middle Ages.*

And how do those two things go together?

**By this I mean that some people think Aquinas is the be-all, end-all, who answered all the questions for all time, period, full stop. But while I acknowledge his brilliance, I want to suggest that Medieval people–even the educated ones-- were a superstitious lot. They believed cats were possessed by witches, the world was flat, etc., etc. I would not want to give anyone, from that period, no matter how brilliant, the final say.

I think we understand more about science, nature, consciousness, etc., than anyone did in Medieval times. I think as the decades and maybe the centuries roll by we will discover there is more to animals than we had thought previously, and we will hold them in greater esteem and worth.

Only a few centuries ago many Americans regarded black slaves as livestock, without feelings or intrinsic worth, but we know now that is wrong. I submit that one day the same understanding may be applied to animals. It might, and it might not, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it did.**