Skip to main content

Communion for all? How about Confession for all!

Image
By
+
JMJ

Why be selfish and share only Holy Communion with Adulterers and Protestants? We should also share the Sacrament of Penance!





SantCompostela25" by Georges Jansoone - Self-photographed. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons.


The Synod of the Family is finally over and it appears that the Church has exchanged "Unity of Faith" for a combination of "Unity in Ambiguity" and "Unity in Diversity".

Following the Synod's quest for "Unity in Ambiguity", Pope Francis is reported as saying, "All the Divorced who ask will be admitted [to Communion]" (Rorate-Caeli).

Also, in the quest for "Unity in Diversity", the U.S Conference of Bishops committee on ecumenical and inter-religious affairs has issued an ecumenical declaration in which we find the following:


The conclusion invites the PCPCU and the LWF to create a process and timetable for addressing the remaining issues. It also suggests that the expansion of opportunities for Lutherans and Catholics to receive Holy Communion together would be a sign of the agreements already reached. The Declaration also seeks a commitment to deeper connection at the local level for Catholics and Lutherans. (USCCB)

What is curious is the single-mindedness of Church prelates in sharing only Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist.  This ecumenical outreach, in all fairness, should extend to the proper preparation for and reception of other Sacraments, especially that which is essential to a Catholic's spiritual life, namely the Sacrament of Penance.

This Sacrament ...

... confers sanctifying grace by which are remitted the mortal sins and also the venial sins which we confess and for which we are sorry; it changes eternal punishment into temporal punishment, of which it even remits more or less according to our dispositions; it revives the merits of the good works done before committing mortal sin; it gives the soul aid in due time against falling into sin again, and it restores peace of conscience. (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

In sharing this Sacrament with our separated brethren all that is required is that they:
  • Be sorry for all their sins,
  • Confess these sins to a Catholic priest,
  • Submit themselves to the guidance and merciful judgement of the priest who sits in the place of Christ.
  • Accept and perform the penance prescribed
  • Recite an act of contrition
Of course, if the Protestant would like to sincerely approach the sacrament of penance in the Catholic Church they would need to make a Profession of Faith and Abjure the Protestant errors.

There is a common element in all of these requirements: Humility.

Is this not truly what is needed in the Church today, humble submission to the Laws of God and His Church?

In this age where man places himself above God and His Laws, if the lines to the confessional were longer than the lines for Communion, would that not be an indication of greater self knowledge, humility and charity?

A final and stronger argument can be made that, in one respect, the sharing of the Sacrament of Penance is superior to the reception of the Holy Eucharist: because one who receives this Sacrament in a state of mortal sin, is transformed and leaves in a state of grace.

Whereas, one who receives the Holy Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, remains at enmity with God as ...
... he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:29)

So would not the sharing of the Sacrament of Penance for all be truly merciful?

Relevant Links Courtesy of SSPX.ca:
de Mattei
Bishop Schneider
Failed Synody
Bishop Fellay's declaration
SSPX Synod Report
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Father, Should I Attend That Mass?" Advice on Attending Non-SSPX Latin Masses

By
 + JMJ I see that the 'resistors' are in a tizzy because Fr. Robinson used them as an example instead of the sedevacantists. What is interesting is that you can apply the exact same reasons against going to a sede mass as that of the 'resistors'. Namely: On the other extreme are those situations where an SSPX priest knows that a certain non-SSPX traditionalist venue is a grave danger to the faith . Frankly, most, if not all, of the Resistance Masses would fall into this category. In many cases, the behavior of these priests has been and continues to be scandalous, by their (A) spirit, their (B) preaching, and their indiscriminate conferral of the (C) priesthood and (D) episcopacy. To attend a Mass with such ongoing scandals poses a serious danger to the souls of the faithful. Yep, looking at A,B,C and D the shoe fits. On this basis the "resistors" = "sedevacantists". P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org   A companion article to a recent "Questions with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Correcting Caricatures of the SSPX

By
 + JMJ Introduction First, a little background on the FSSP St. John Vianney Chapel in Mission Hill Kansas.  After the 1988 consecrations and the foundation of the FSSP there was a consistent trend of Dioceses allowing the SSPX to run chapels and churches near SSPX locations. As with any 'organizational change' there were those who didn't agree with the change and no longer sought the sacraments from the SSPX. I heard from friends that in that era there was a lot of anger and tension (on both sides) between the St. Mary's SSPX and Mission Hill FSSP.  Second, there have been caricatures of the SSPX position (some are evident below) in which personal opinions of SSPX priests and laity are taken as the official position or conflated with those of sedevacantists or 'resistance'. Recent Perspectives of the SSPX Position In the shadow of the consecrations a fever pitch accusations and opinions how surfaced - many of which include caricatures of the SSPX positions, of w...
Post a Comment
Read more

SSPX: Why Is the SSPX So Criticized?

By
 + JMJ As long as you are ok with what happens in other Catholic Churches, Traditional Catholics will be left 'alone'.  This is a paraphrase of words spoken by an Archbishop to Traditional Catholics (with a sprinkling of SSPX) who had requested the Traditional Latin Mass under Summorum Pontificum. This reflects that attitude of the Church towards anyone who takes issue with some of the ambiguities of Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium.  If you reject the papacy but are ok with V2, the New Mass, and what Rome has stated since 1965 - then you are welcome. Question some of the more abiguous statements and ask for Rome to realise that a circle is not a square - then you are in for a world of hurt. This is where the SSPX exists and has existed from almost its very first moments. Pointing out contradictions with previous magisterium is not acceptable - under any condition. Why? Because it will cause the whole V2 house of cards to fall. I guess only when the contradic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 8 - Convention Centre Chapel

By
 + JMJ I came to Tradition a few years after they had bought a chapel. My wife told me of the earlier years when Fr. Normandin would come to town and Mass would be held in a room at the convention centre.  He'd start by blessing the room and then proceed with Mass. This went on for a while before the one of the faithful found a small hall that would suit just fine. They pooled their money and bought the building.  Then came the work as the retiree's refinished the floor, setup the sactuary. Oh, did I mention that I heard that the hall had been used by a motorcycle gang? The floor needed a lot of work.  I remember seeing pictures of the founders working to make the hall into a fitting place for the Sacrifice of the Mass. That little chapel would be a refuge like many others serviced by Fr. Normandin.  From Thunderbay, Ontrario to Nanaimo, British Columbia - the SSPX chapels are all the results of Fr. Normandin's missionary work in those desperate times. Without h...
Post a Comment
Read more

How many more must die for the throne? or How to combat FUD!

By
 + JMJ How many more must die for the throne? (Movie Quote: Prince Caspian) The Spread of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt I've seen a lot of FUD spreading across the intergnat on various stats etc.   So let's put this in context ... especially the perspective of those people in positions of authority who need to make decisions to protect the lives of their citizens. Yep, this is going to be that type of post.  Like it or not the leaders of our governments have their authority from God.  So, as Catholics should know, you need to have a very good reason to deliberately disobey the orders of their superiors. This is basic St. Thomas Aquinas ... so don't blame me for discussing things from a Catholic perspective. The leaders of our countries have taken action to protect the vulnerable of our countries.   As much as the young and not-so-young may whine and complain - I have to ask how many more of our elderly have to die? What the armchair virologists and ec...
10 comments
Read more