Thanks for posting this very interesting video padraig. About the 20 minute mark the doctor talks about detachment from earthly things and how letting go of earthly attachments including loved ones prepares for death. I feel that this idea confirms the value of the Surrender novena, and also the sacrifice of our will In relation to the Divine will as described by lusisa piccarreta. During the 1990's I worked in a hospice as a nurse on nights and can confirm that those who couldn't detach from the earthly suffered from what Dame Cicily Saunders identified as spiritual pain and there is a great deal of literature on this in hospice care .
Yes, its very like the teachings of St John of the Cross on Detachment. In a sense our entire life is a preparation for death. I notice although the Doctor is a good and honest man with a fairly open mind some things he closes the door too. For instance the idea of death or purgatory he rejects. Because he rejects it he refuses to see the evidence of it. This is sad.
I’ve watched quite of few NDE videos....and I believe they are real. Many do not broadcast their after life trip to hell as it is too embarrassing to them. There are a few. But I’ve yet to see a NDE video that mentions purgatory. Perhaps they are unaware of the state they are in? Many report that they are between death and heaven, but not in heaven....maybe for those individuals, this is their purgatory...? Whatever the case, I love these for the most part...their experience seems real, honest and sincere. My only caution would be NDE accounts whereby the deceased report that there is no judgment in the afterlife....no punishment, no wrong in their life to warrant any kind of repentance. There is a lot of new age sentiment on some of these...so be cautious when viewing these. They can be very impactful for good and for bad. Be discerning.
Although the Doctor says that he sees no evidence for either hell or purgatory, he does acknowledge that the inability to let go of attachments' leads to terminal restlessness, which can also be described as Spiritual pain and has been well described by palliative care experts https://www.chausa.org/publications...nuary-february-2011/addressing-spiritual-pain I don't pretend to be an expert in this area but I imagine this to be a fore taste of purgatory
He quotes the Dalai Lama. I think he is using as a model the Bardo State described in Tibetan Buddhism. The Bardo is the transitional state between life and death: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo I read about it in the, 'Tibetan Book of the Dead' and was interesting it in for comparisons of what Catholic Mystics describe. Especially what St John of the Cross wrote about Detachment. This was many years ago. So I am no expert. Some of the descriptions reminded me of the devil coming close to tempt us at the hour of death and of hell and of Purgatory. (I am not recommending folks get too much into this stuff, its just interesting for comparison)
From what I can tell about Purgatory from the writings of Catholic mystics it appears to be a kind of restricted area in some ways. It reminds me of a child going to school. The parents ant the child to work there, to learn. You see this when the mother takes the child to school on the first day , the mother sometimes cries, the child sometimes cries. It is a parting of the ways if you like. The child is getting its nose put to the grindstone so to speak. It is no ones intention that the child should wander in and out of school at will. The intention is the child should stay and learn. So it is a restricted area..the shild cannot do as it pleases, neither can the parents. Hell of course is even more restrictive. A good model would be a prison. So we get a lot less reportage. Even heaven is a way is restrictive, for , as Jesus said 'There is a Great Gulf placed between them and us. Sometimes folks are allowed to jump the fence , so to speak for a little while, but there is a great wall between them an us. This si because we are meant to live by Faith.
I have watched many NDE accounts but this one deeply affected me. This account is given by a man who is clearly guileless and is seeking nothing from his hearers except their conversion. God bless him. (A pity that the Catholic chaplain's response was so dismissive).
Oh my goodness this poor man, so few believed him. What a riveting and detailed account; straight from the heart. A simple man sharing the Truth.
5 short testimonies of Near Death Experience, https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/ga...ent-to-heaven-and-lived-to-tell-about-it.aspx
...very heartfelt testimony. It all gets so confusing, to me, though. As Catholics, we believe in and go to confession. Yet others, in other faiths, simply confess to God. I believe in confession, but I guess I remain at a loss as to how to explain why I think the Catholic way is better, even though I do subscribe to it. It also seems that, with every single thing we've said or done being something we are accountable for, It seems almost impossible to reach Heaven. I struggle with some sort of depression, and yet just as much guilt for not wirking and supporting my family. I can be outgoing, with a sense of humor. So am I depressed, or will I be guilty of sloth? I have a relative, much younger, who has some form of schizophrenia. It's very complicated, and I had to basically yell at him, via letter, and told him to stop contacting me, because his letters were so full of demands, insults and paranoia. Was I justified? Or will I be judged for temporarily stopping all contact with him , when he only has his mother, who has a restraining order on him... so has no contact with him? There are othr areas of my life like this, where right and wrong are so confusing, due to the complicated nature of everything. Though you wouldnt know it beecausse I have a slim build, I am overweight. Despite staying fit, sometimes I binge eat to the point where I feel I cant stop. Food becomes like a drug for stress. So am I guilty of gluttony? It's all so, so confusing. Thank God for the escapism of some old tv shows I like, like Mash, The Munsters, The Rockford Files, etc......but that probably makes me guilty of wasting time. I tell you I can't win
When such thoughts and contradictions plague us i think that is when we try to become very little and shelter with Our Abba in heaven. He does not want us endlessly spooling our fears and worries in our temporal or spiritual lives. Focus on His Love for us. That's what I try to do.
Yes, it's very complicated. As Catholics it can be difficult to detach from feelings of guilt. There are times when your own personal cross is heavy, and you need to distance yourself to focus on your own spiritual and physical well being. When I am unable to be present to support someone, I pray for them. If you do this, and turn it over to God, those feelings of guilt will disappear. God knows that it is impossible for us to always be available to take everyone under our wings.
Nothing we do warrants heaven, it is only through the Mercy and Love of God that we spend eternity with Him. Having said that I also think we must be careful of becoming scrupulous. Thankfully I have found my priest who I’m able to speak openly and honestly about all of my foibles, fears and sins. Sometimes I’m sure I sound utterly ridiculous and stupid and he laughs at some of my comments, but I am so happy that I found such a guide in my priest. My Father, however, knew and loved His lost child and knows I’ve been desperately and fearfully trying to find the Way home. May He continue to send His help and support as I often seem to stray.
Another fascinating testimony from a cardiologist. The site seems to have more testimonies in it. https://freechristianteaching.tv/dr-maurice-rawlings-explains-near-death-experiences
This is a wonderful example of what happens when we die and the real and valuable wisdom that may be acquired, and passed on through them. I needed to hear this. He Died, met Jesus and saw Purgatory -- Near Death Experience | Kennedy Hall - YouTube
Thank you Steve Very edifying. I've posted Jim Woodfords NDE below, it adds another dimension to this very personal experience, that Jesus seems to give to each of His loved creation which individually touches them.
Interestig,Eh?! Thought-provoking for those who think only (Latin-mass) Catholics go to heaven. God wants ALL His creatures to be with Him. Of course, those hard-core traditional-style Catholics will say this was the deceit of the devil. Is that pride speaking?! I TOTALLY believe we have the fullness of Faith and the SACRAMENTS [as well as indulgenced devotions]. Indeed, potentially we can go directly to heaven, as at Divine Mercy Sunday. I also see the lack of the theology of purgatory in this NDE I am impressed with the mention of aborted babies [at 36m] I ALSO acknowledge that, having the fullness of Truth, we are held more accountable. However, God turned Saul, a persecutor of Christians, into maybe the greatest evangelizer. Clearly, God is using this non-Catholic into a promulgator of His Love. In this forum we nit-pick Catholic/Orthodox prophets, but God acts through who He wants, HOW he wants, for the benefit of ALL his creatures! Only HE knows how to reach ALL. The series "Touched by an Angel" doesn't even mention "Jesus" and implies everyone who dies goes to Eternity with God. In the end, surely this is true [after Purgatory] The series obsessively (?) speaks of God's Love, which remains no matter how we sin! [Do Catholics, having sinned, give up?] This testimony (and that in that of SteveD above #8) suggests (correctly, I believe) that the greatest sinner, calling upon God for help in the face of death, is making the final choice, the acknowledgement of an infinitely loving God-in-control, is making a free-will choice. Yes, maybe they will need a long purgatory (God only knows) but they end up in His presence. Total PERFECT CONTRITION (as with martyrdom) gives immediate access to heaven for anyone. We must pray for all non-believers, living and decseased, that they reach eternal Salvation. Only the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother, using our prayers, can achieve that end for all.
I learned long ago not to second guess God or who receives His mercy. " His mercy is above all His works" But having said that I think we ourselves must adhere very closely to what the Church teaches and " work out our salvation in fear and trembling".
If you want to read a great book that addresses all your concerns about heaven, penance, scruples etc. “Everything is Grace” about St Thérèse. She found out the elevator to heaven and how to get there. Anyone can be a saint, and the fact you are even thinking about it means you are being called. This book is amazing.
