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

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

By
 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too thin
Post a Comment
Read more

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

By
+ 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
Post a Comment
Read more

What the heck is a congregation of "Pontifical Right"

By
+ JMJ In a discussion with a friend the question occurred to me that I didn't actually know was is involved in being a religious order of 'pontifical right'. I had a vague notion that this meant they reported to Rome as opposed to the local diocese. I'm also aware that, according to the accounts I have heard, the Archbishop received 'praise' and the written direction to incardinate priests directly into the SSPX.  This is interesting because it implies that the SSPX priests were no longer required to incardinate in the local diocese but in the SSPX. This is something that belongs to an order of 'pontifical right'. Anyway here's some definitions: Di diritto pontificio is the Italian term for “of pontifical right” . It is given to the ecclesiastical institutions (the religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by the Holy See or approved by it with the formal decree, known by its Latin name, Decretu
Post a Comment
Read more

Thirty Days Prayer to Our Lady -

By
+ JMJ Providence has cast this prayer in my path twice in the last week.  I decided to post it here in order to have a copy handy. P^3 Prayer Penance Patience Source Intro Prayer With the condition of affairs in the cultural, political and physical world in a state of disarray we enter Lent - Ash Wednesday - February 25th - 2004 - more compelled then ever to pursue, diligently and faithfully, our personal road to holiness. It is a long, difficult path each of us treads, however, we do know the journey can be sweeter and more blessed if we travel it with others. Jesus has told us: "Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am with you." And there are many other biblical passages, as well, that urge us to love and help one another. A 'Thirty Day Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary ' was said by many Catholics during troubled times in their lives up until Vatican II. While looking through old stored away boxes, I came across a small white prayer b
4 comments
Read more