Judgement day

[MarysLittleFlower]

I've been thinking about this....... I read something about the Judgement Day, and how we'll see all our sins. But what about the sins that we have confessed? Will we see them, but know they're forgiven and God won't punish us for them? how does forgiveness affect Judgement Day?

thanks

[Patricia]

Interesting question and I don't know the answer.  Shin or Brigid will probably be able to answer that.

Even if we confess we still have to repair for them don't we? Either by penance on earth or in Purgatory. But I don't know how our sins are seen on Judgement day. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Shin]

I do not know this particular answer well.. to my knowledge there are two views.. one that because you confessed the sin that it is erased, and will not be known.. my impression is that this is a minority view..

The other view is that all will be revealed to the greater glory of God..

The sins of the saints will only reveal the great glory of God in His mercy for pardoning them.


'I answer that, At the last and general judgment it behooves the Divine justice, which now is in many ways hidden, to appear evidently to all. Now the sentence of one who condemns or rewards cannot be just, unless it be delivered according to merits and demerits. Therefore just as it behooves both judge  and jury to know  the merits of a case, in order to deliver a just verdict, so is it necessary, in order that the sentence appear to be just, that all who know the sentence  should be acquainted with the merits. Hence, since every one will know of his reward or condemnation, so will every one else know of it, and consequently as each one will recall his own merits or demerits, so will he be cognizant of those of others. This is the more probable and more common opinion, although the Master (Sent. iv, D, 43) says the contrary, namely that a man's sins blotted out by repentance will not be made known to others at the judgment. But it would follow from this that neither would his repentance for these sins be perfectly known, which would detract considerably from the glory of the saints and the praise due to God  for having so mercifully delivered them.'

St. Thomas Aquinas

You can read more fully St. Thomas's treatment of the topic in his Summa.

[martin]

I recently read some passages from the writings of Catherine of Genoa and she said that the souls in purgatory are completely oblivious to their own sins and to those of others.
Their sins already having been washed away before entering purgatory are no longer remembered by God or by them. They suffer only the due satisfaction still to be rendered to Gods justice as a result of their imperfect contrition.
I remember vaguely some years ago reading about a certain saint who was downcast because of her past sins. The Lord appearing to her questioned her as to why? When she explained the Lord answered, “I no longer recall these things therefore why do you”?
I think that whether He does or not it will be to His greater glory and to our eternal happiness in heaven.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

[Brigid]

I recently read some passages from the writings of Catherine of Genoa and she said that the souls in purgatory are completely oblivious to their own sins and to those of others.
Their sins already having been washed away before entering purgatory are no longer remembered by God or by them. They suffer only the due satisfaction still to be rendered to Gods justice as a result of their imperfect contrition.
I remember vaguely some years ago reading about a certain saint who was downcast because of her past sins. The Lord appearing to her questioned her as to why? When she explained the Lord answered, “I no longer recall these things therefore why do you”?
I think that whether He does or not it will be to His greater glory and to our eternal happiness in heaven.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

In this area of the country the 'minority' view is definitely the view of the vast majority! Seems to me that if this were not true than how could St. Teresa of Avila and St. Padre Pio tell us to pray and not to worry? If the Church has taught throughout the centuries that confession to a priest rids you of your sins (not of penance!), it needs to be true.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev 20:11-12)

Since Scripture only speaks of those that are dead (as opposed to "asleep") to mean those who are in mortal sin, it seems to me that those in a state of grace at death from their earthly existence would only know of the attachment they still have.

ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (c. 354 - 430 AD) -- Let this be in the heart of the penitent: when you hear a man confessing his sins, he has already come to life again; when you hear a man lay bare his conscience in confessing, he has already come forth from the sepulchre; but he is not yet unbound. When is he unbound? By whom is he unbound? "Whatever you loose on earth," He says, "shall be loosed also in heaven" [Mt 16:19; 18:18; Jn 20:23]. Rightly is the loosing of sins able to be given by the Church... (Psalms 101:2:3)

Yet those who do penance in accord with the kind of sin they have committed are not to despair of receiving God's mercy in the Holy Church, for the remission of their crimes, however serious. (Echiridian 17:65)

ST. AMBROSE (c. 333 - 397 AD) -- But what was impossible was made possible by God, who gave us so great a grace. It seemed likewise impossible for sins to be forgiven through penance; yet Christ granted even this to His Apostles, and by His Apostles it has been transmitted to the offices of priest. (Penance 2:2:12)

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA (c. 428 AD) -- This is the medicine for sins, established by God and delivered to the priests of the Church, who make diligent use of it in healing the afflictions of men. You are aware of these things, as also of the fact that God, because He greatly cares for us, gave us penitence and showed us the medicine of repentance; and He established some men, those who are priests, as physicians of sins. If in this world we receive through them healing and forgiveness of sins, we shall be delivered from the judgment that is to come. It behooves us, therefore, to draw near to the priests in great confidence and to reveal to them our sins; and those priests, with all diligence, solicitude, and love, and in accord with the regulations mentioned above, will grant healing to sinners. [The priests] will not disclose the things that ought not be disclosed; rather, they will be silent about the things that have happened, as befits true and loving fathers [cf. 1 Thess 2:11; 1 Cor 4:15] who are bound to guard the shame of their children while striving to heal their bodies. (Catechetical Homilies 16)

From what I can gather, it seems that our confessed sins may be 'generally' known during the General Judgement due to how they affected the people around us. However no mention is made of them 'being brought up' in our Particular Judgement.

I hope that answers your question somewhat.

[MarysLittleFlower]

thanks for the replies! I guess.. we will see

[Brigid]

Just after these posts, yesterday afternoon, I heard Jim Burnham discuss the end times. This specifically was not mentioned at all. I was hoping it would be.

[Brigid]

All are quotes of Saint John Vianney:

God, at the moment of absolution, throws our sins over His shoulder. He forgets them; He annihilates them; they shall never reappear

Our faults are grains of sand beside the great mountain of the mercies of God.

The good Lord is more eager to pardon a repentant sinner than a mother to rescue her child from the fire.

God's greatest pleasure is to pardon us.

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus said:

All possible crimes, a drop of water thrown into a blazing furnace.

MarysLittleFlower, it seems that He doesn't have anything more to do with showing us our absolved sins (other than showing us our attachments and need for purification).