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I was wondering if you could tell me
what the Catholic faith believes about
our memory after death?
Do we remember our loved ones in Heaven?
Are we reunited with them?
I have been Catholic my entire life but I
am starting to look deeper into my faith.
Any information you could provide
would really help.
Thanks so much,
Kara
{
What do we believe about
our memory after death; will we remember our loved ones in Heaven? }
Mike
replied:
Hi, Kara —
Thanks for the question.
I believe your question falls into
the area of theological opinion;
there is nothing doctrinal in my
answer, so here's my two (2) cents.
We will have no need for our memory
after our death, because we will
see everything as the Lord sees things: eternally. We will see all previous
historical events and all future
historical events.
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: (1 John 3:2; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:4)
By virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, . . .) already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment - and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into Heaven - have been, are and will be in Heaven, in the Heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.
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.
For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.
(St. Ambrose, In Luc.,10,121:PL 15 1834A)
1026 By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has opened Heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his Heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.
1027 This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the Heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his Heavenly glory the beatific vision:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of Heaven with the righteous and God's friends.
(St. Cyprian, Ep. 58,10,1:CSEL 3/2,665)
1029 In the glory of Heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5; cf. Matthew 25:21, 23)
If our loved ones died in a state
of grace and are, indeed in Heaven,
they actively strive to help us carry
our calling in life while on Earth.
They are the Church Triumphant
Those who are saved, yet are being purified, are the Church Suffering, and
Those of us, still on our Earthly pilgrimage are the Church Militant
. . . yet we are
one in Christ Jesus.
Because of this, we can also
ask for their help and assistance.
My father passed away over ten
years ago in 2007, yet I'm always putting
him in charge of praying for certain
things in my life; the same is true
with my non-practicing Catholic mother,
Dorothy, who passed away in 2011.
You said:
Are we reunited
with them?
If your loved ones died in a state
of grace and if we die in a state
of grace, Yes!, We will be united with
them. The Church has never declared that
specific people are in Purgatory
or Hell and remember:
When talking about Purgatory we
have to keep in mind that Purgatory
is a process of purification rather
than complete separation from
the saved, as Hell is.
I call Purgatory the Holy Hospital
of Heaven.
Purgatory has nothing to do with
one's salvation; those in Purgatory are
saved by the Blood of
Our Lord. Purgatory has to do with
one's personal holiness.Revelation 21:27
I would encourage you to strive to live
a sacramental life; getting to:
Sunday Mass each Sunday,
daily Mass, if your schedule allows for it, and
regular Confession on Saturdays.
(at least once a month.)
Jesus established these sacraments
for us. If you are curious about
a certain portion of the faith you
can search the Catechism on-line. This is my preferred resource:
There are over 5,952 web postings with answers to your questions.
Hope this helps,
Mike
Kara
replied:
Mike,
Thank you so much for the response!
It really helped!!
Thanks,
Kara
Paul
replied:
Kara,
I don't know of any official doctrine
on the quality of the soul's memory
after death.
The first thing I'd ask is if you
were referring to our disembodied
state before the general Resurrection,
or after the Resurrection of the
body and the consummation of history.
Speculation leads me to believe there
will be memory in both situations.
If the soul retains memory, then
disembodied souls remember their
former lives and loved ones. After
the Resurrection of the dead, this
earthly life will not be erased,
but fulfilled. If our relatives are in Christ, and we are too, there
could be one happy reunion when a
loved one passes on.
As a fetus inside of his mother knows
really nothing about life outside
of the womb, so too,
we have no experience to base any
hard assertion on what life after
this world will be like.
Paul
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