Communion for all? How about Confession for all!

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

A Look Back: A short history of the SSPX

+ JMJ I started a timeline a while back but never finished it. Fortunately, here's one that brings us up to 1994!!! P^3 http://archives.sspx.org/SSPX_FAQs/a_short_history_of_the_sspx-part-1.htm A short history of the SSPX A presentation given by Fr. Ramon Angles in Kansas City, MO, on the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the SSPX and reprinted from the January 1996 issue of The Angelus . Part 1 The history of the Society of St. Pius X begins, of course, in the mind of God. But do not believe that its temporal origin is to be found solely at the time of the post-conciliar crisis. The Society of St. Pius X was made possible ...

Hermeneutic of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - sspx.org

+ JMJ Since I'm looking at the 'four things', I thought this article would be good. Unfortunately, with the new SSPX.org website, I've been unable to locate the original article. This is a copy the I emailed to myself. This is an article that, I believe, was written in response to a conference given by Msgr. Pozzo. P^3

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (de fide) - Expanded Listing: Answer for Reader

+ JMJ A reader asked the following question in the 2015 version of the article on the Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (link) : 117: "In the state of fallen nature it is morally impossible for man without Supernatural Revelation, to know easily, with absolute certainty and without admixture of error, all religious and moral truths of the natural order." Where can you find this in the documents of the Church? ( Link to comment ) Here's the reference from Ott: The citation that Ott provided was Denzinger 1786 and the source document is Dogmatic Consitution Concerning the Faith from the First Vatican Council (Papal Encyclicals - link) : Chapter 2 On Revelation, Article 3: It is indeed thanks to this divine revelation , that those matters concerning God, which are not of themselves beyond the scope of human reason, can, even in the present state of the human race, be known by everyone, without difficulty, with firm certitude and with no intermingling of error. Here's ...

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