I know there is a dream thread somewhere, but it is buried so I am starting a new thread. My mom had a dream and I was wondering what people here thought of it. It might have been just a dream, or it might have some meaning. Here goes... My mom had a dream about my dad, who died almost 3 years ago now. She was standing in the kitchen and turned around and my dad was standing at the top of the basement stairs, like he just came into the house. He was much younger than when he died. My mom estimated he was 40 and he died in his 70's. He was wearing a white shirt and dark pants. He was not facing my mom directly, so he turned his head about 45 degrees to look at my mom and he smiled. Then his face got very serious and he turned his head straight and bowed, a full bow from the waist. Then my mom woke up. She was not scared by the dream at all. What sticks out to her was the seriousness and focus on his face to whatever he was bowing to. Her other first thought was dad knows where we live, as she is always asking me if I think that those who have died can see us from heaven or purgatory. Any thoughts on the dream out there?
Whenever people die and come back if they are over about 26 years old, they grow backwards towards 26/ So an 80 year old man , say who died and appeared ten years later would appear much younger, growing backwards towards the 26 mark. In a similiar was if a child of say ten died he would appear much older if her appeared ten years later also growing towards the 26 year mark. So if you were to check out the apparitions of Mary and the guesses folks make of her age it would be probably aorund the 26 mark too. In fact my own guess would have been that Mary , being the Immaculate Conception might well have stayed in appearance aorud this age when she lived. My guess would be your father is abck asking for prayer to jump over the last hurdles of purgatory. I would get masses said. They say the soouls in purgatory can see us when we pray for them. It seems to be common for them to be allowed to spend their last period of time in Churches. I would be surprired if they cannot see us there, certianly from time to time I see them there myself. I also beleive they have more freedom to come back the closer they get to getting out. But sometimes even souls really in pits of the pits get to come back, so you never know. But I would get masses said, I would say your father is jsut about o hte border of getting out, it would not take much to get the doors to swing open. Who knows ? He migth get to come back and say thanks. I will offer my mass tomorow for him. At the end liek this they don't suffer much , just from deire to get on home. Very ,very few souls escape Purgatory, evn saints can wind up getting their pots scrubbed there, at least for a little while.
This is one of the reasons priests should not promise people at funerals their loved ones have gotten right into heaven. This is true of very,very few people indeed and it stops prayers being said for souls that need it, sometimes, very,very much; worse it stops masses for the dead being said, which is far worse.
PotatoSack, while I am sure Padraig knows more about Holy Souls than many of us. What the dream seemed to convey to me, because there is a post somewhere on this forum saying when we see deceased souls in white, it is a sign they are in Heaven. Holy Mass for his soul is always good. My first thought was this soul was permitted to let your mum know he was about to meet Jesus or Mary; because of the deep bow from the waist. A sure sign of him meeting someone very Holy. Merciful Jesus, please cover PotatoSack's fathers soul with Your most precious Blood, that You may purify, cleanse, heal and restore him fully in Your Holy Heavenly Kingdom, if he is not already there. Amen.
PS--I agree...Masses for him. Maybe bowing to Jesus or Mary as heaven is within his sight/reach?? If I can, I'd like some discernment on a dream about my recently deceased mother in law. In the dream, even though we knew she was deceased, my husband's sister found a telephone number with which to call her deceased mother. We all took turns speaking to her on the phone (about what, I don't know). My husband and his sister were so happy afterwards, but I was crying inconsolably. That's where the dream ended. Maybe it means nothing...? I was not overly close with my mother in law and didn't cry after her death. I am fairly certain that I am the only one that prays for her soul regularly and has offered Masses for her. Two weeks ago I heard someone walking around upstairs in our home when no one was upstairs. And the next night I was awakened by someone squeezing my toe as I slept. When I opened my eyes, no one was there. At that point, I said "God, I'm not cut out for this kind of stuff!". A day or two after that, I scheduled a Mass for my MIL and sprinkled the house (more like doused it!) with blessed salt. There's been no more odd occurrences since then.
Again I believe thsi is soul from purgatory though this time quite a bit more in need of help. Sine they really are Holy there is no need for Blessed salt. I would take it is acomliment that it was yu she was allowed to come to and since you already have had masses said she came to the right person. But I would ahve alot more masses said for the poor woman. Prayign for her at mass.
Thanks Padraig! At the time that I sprinkled the blessed salt, I wasn't so sure that it was a "friendly" spirit and not something demonic.
Pray4peace, if you have not had any further noises or anything. Please God your mother in laws soul is at rest now. The dream seems to be saying, you all have communication with your mother in law; but it appears your prayers meant the most to her soul. We often hear that when family are at a loved ones funeral, all the crying and missing ones relative does not help them. We should be praying for them and asking God to have mercy on them. That is what helps them. Our tears are for our own relief and does not help a poor soul.
For Potatosack: Here's my interpretation, but don't take it too seriously. It's a nice dream with a message. Maybe. The way your father is standing at the top of the basement stairs symbolizes his climb from the lower levels of Purgatory to the upper. His smile to your mother is a sign of gratitude. Her prayers and offerings have helped him along the way. When your father turned his head away from her to look straight ahead, and his face became serious, he was gazing across the great divide. This indicates heaven is so close that he can see Jesus waiting for him across the way, hence the profound bow. However, your father is still being purified and not quite ready. Maybe your father was asking for more prayers and Masses to aid him on the last leg of the journey.
Well Padraig what's the craic... Can you tell me what this age 26 thing is all about? I have never come across anything like it.
It comes about from people having studied numerous reports of having seen people who have died. They came to the conclusion that the median age was around 26 and people seemed to grow younger or older after they died towards this point. I beleive it is the perfect age, the Age of our Father and Mother in the Garden of Eden before they ate the apple and sin and the aging process began. That's m theory anyway...this will be our age in heaven, the New Eden.
St Thomas Aquinas thought the perfect age in heaven would be 32 or 33..I think he was thinking of the age Christ died at: http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/38939/how-old-will-we-be-in-heaven All will rise in the condition of perfect age, which is of thirty-two or thirty-three years. This is because all who were not yet arrived at this age, did not possess this perfect age, and the old had already lost it. Hence, youths and children will be given what they lack, and what the aged once had will be restored to them. Aquinas cites Ephesians 4:13 for support: until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ
Thanks for all your insights everyone...and especially the prayers too! My mom told me about the dream a few days ago, but she actually dreamed it about 3 months ago. Given he has a daily mass offered for him every day, and has since he died (actually the first year of his death I believe it was 3 masses per day he was mentioned for that entire year), my guess is he has crossed that final chasm by now there are no guarantees of course, and I continue to pray and offer it all to our lady, who of course keeps a special eye on my family. I had also, through our lady, offered one of my divine mercy indulgences to him and i tried to obtain an indulgence for him on all souls day (although i think i was too attached to sin for the full induleence, i tried anyway). There is so much we can do for our deceased loved ones is amazing!! The first thought that crossed my mind when she described the dream to me was my dad was telling us that times are getting serious and it is time we all turn/bow to the lord. Who really knows?!
I had a dream during a nap today... very different. I dreamt it was winter, and bitterly cold outside. The kind of cold where frost begins to build up on your clothes, your eye lashes, and anything else exposed. And everything had Medals of Our Mother upon them. I went to empty the trash and the locks for the dumpsters had medals on them, the bin had medals on them. The doors had medals on them... like I said medals where everywhere. Once I had finished up around the apartment I began to journey through the cold. During the journey I wore a franciscan habit. But since it was cold I had to put on other warm fabrics I could find laying around. I put a colourful knitted quilt under my habit and wrapped it around my waist. I also wore a white rudimentary tunic that stretched down to my feet to keep me from the cold. Lastly which I found strange I wore a long white hat that pointed straight up, that also covered my head. But I could see through it because there was a cut out of a cross in the front of it. As I journeyed I knew I was going to somewhere important. I traveled along the side of a road that spiralled up a mountain. I trudged through the snow, barely able to see through my head covering for the frost building up on it. Along side of me a car drove by and one of the passengers happily yelled at me from an open window to take off my head covering, that I didn't need it anymore. I considered their request, and after 20 or so steps I took it off. I kept on climbing the spiralling mountain and finally I reached a building. It looked similar to the tower of Pisa. I started climbing the spiral staircase inside, which was very hard to do because the steps were very worn and smooth, and my feet were slippery with snow. I fell a couple times, but pulled myself up on a hand rail. Finally I made it to the third floor, and was greeted by a Franciscan Priest who I know. I was directed to go to mass as it was about to begin, and entered a warm church which I was grateful for. The church was full of people, yet there was an opening for me in the front pew. Once I sat down I was unexpectedly tended to by lay people there. They took my heavy outer tunic and the quilt under my habit and folded them for me, and put them aside. I was very grateful for this, and did not expect such kindness from strangers. Then I woke up
I believe I had my first encounter with Jesus last night in a dream. I will write more about it later. He came to me as a burn victim, I could not see his body under the robes, but his face was disfigured from burns.
