Posted on 03/14/2005 9:40:26 PM PST by Salvation
Date: 2005-03-14
Those in Mortal Sin Can't Go to Communion, Says Pope
In a Message to Priests at Course on "Internal Forum"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 14, 2005 (Zenit.org).- In keeping with Church teaching, John Paul II issued a reminder that no one who is aware of being in a state of mortal sin can go to Communion.
The Pope confirmed the traditional teaching of the magisterium in a message published by the Holy See on Saturday. The message was addressed to young priests who attended a course last week on the "internal forum" -- questions of conscience -- organized by the tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
The Holy Father dedicated his letter, signed March 8 in the Gemelli Polyclinic where he was hospitalized, to the relationship that exists between the Eucharist and confession.
"We live in a society that seems frequently to have lost the sense of God and of sin," writes John Paul II. "In this context, therefore, Christ's invitation to conversion is that much more urgent, which implies the conscious confession of one's sins and the relative request for forgiveness and salvation.
"In the exercise of his ministry, the priest knows that he acts 'in the person of Christ and under the action of the Holy Spirit,' and for this reason he must nourish [Christ's] sentiments in his inner being, increase within himself the charity of Jesus, teacher and shepherd, physician of souls and bodies, spiritual guide, just and merciful judge."
The Pope continues: "In the tradition of the Church, sacramental reconciliation has always been considered in profound relationship with the banquet of the sacrifice of the Eucharist, memorial of our redemption.
"Already in the first Christian communities the need was felt to prepare oneself, with a worthy conduct of life, to celebrate the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, which is 'Communion' with the body and blood of the Lord and 'communion' ('koinonia') with believers who form only one body, as they are nourished with the same body of Christ."
Because of this, the Pontiff recalls St. Paul's warning to the Corinthians when he said: "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27).
"In the rite of the Holy Mass," notes the Pope, "many elements underline this exigency of purification and conversion: from the initial penitential act to the prayers for forgiveness; from the gesture of peace to the prayers that the priests and faithful recite before Communion."
"Only someone who is sincerely conscious of not having committed a mortal sin can receive the Body of Christ," states the papal message, recalling the doctrine of the Council of Trent. "And this continues to be the teaching of the Church also today."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the difference between mortal and venial sin in Nos. 1854 to 1864.
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Not jesting at all. My point had to do with priests then serving communicants who they know to be involved in mortal sin. I'd think those priests had some level of responsibility to deny the eucharist to those they know to be in mortal sin.
Catholic Church is not a club. Among the first heresies the Church confronted and confidently put down was donatism, a belief that the church should restrict its membership to suffucuently holy people.
A continual call for conversion of all, to the unchanging dogma of all ages, is the essence of Catholic Church.
Why does the matter of how many mortal sins Catholics are guilty of fascinate you so?
I have to laugh at a Protestant who tut-tuts over Catholic improprieties, when he, himself is also guilty of such improprieties (no belief in the Eucharist).
I mentioned the "unchanged dogma of all ages", did I not?
The church can, and must, excommunicate her enemies. Her sacraments, nevertheless, are available to all capable of receiving them. For example, anyone can complete the rite of initiation and become Catholic, and anyone already Catholic who defies the dogma can confess, repent, and receive communion. Nothing places a sinner permanently outside of the church.
Viva il Papa
Those are usually not the same people. There aren't very many people, for instance, who are simultaneously (a) knowledgeable; (b) overtly loyal to Papal authority; (c) contracepting; and (d) insistent that they aren't sinning by doing so.
Three out of four, yes; all four, no. People who are contracepting and think they're knowledgeable typically claim that the prohibition on contraception is "not infallible" and is therefore a matter of conscience. That mostly just means they aren't very knowledgeable; a teaching can't just be ignored because it's not infallible, and the language of Casti Connubi is close to that of an infallible statement anyway.
I salute your integrity in leaving the Church, but I stand with Martin Luther in telling you that contraception is a sin whether you're a Catholic or not.
This has happened more than once in Cathollic history. And, yes, it should trouble Catholic leadership.
BTW, the 1992 Gallup poll you cited on "transubstantion" was proven to be faulty, and, a later poll, asking about the belief in the Eucharist without using the term "transubstantion," showed that the vast majority of Catholics really do believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Yes. When he is done with the Rite, you will no longer deny it.
I would not. The thing of integrity is to understand and struggle to accept the teaching that is diffucult for you. This path involves much work and much penance. Telling Christ "I disagree, -- you won't have another church for me, would you?" is a sin greater than contraception.
You did the right thing. The teachings of the Catholic Church are based on solid biblical teaching. It can be difficult to accept these teachings, in which case, denial or disagreement predisposes an individual to examine their own conscience and make a decision. The reverse is true for those who seek refuge and comfort in such solid doctrine. These tenets of faith are unshakable, if poorly communicated. Ironically, there is a large number of protestant ministers who are now entering the Catholic Church, precisely because of her stable teachings. In their view, the Holy Spirit, as promised by our Lord, Jesus Christ, continues to guide the Church established by Christ Himself. Please keep these ministers in your prayers. They have chosen to abandon the heterodoxy of their protestant denominations and embrace historical teaching. In so doing, they have had to forego their sole source of income. Some have had to sell their homes and other possessions as a means of support for themselves and their families. It is a long and difficult struggle but one they fully embrace, with utter trust in God.
By saying I salute armydoc's integrity in leaving, I was comparing him to those who disbelieve, but remain anyway. To quote Marcus Grodi, the difference between a dissenting Catholic and a Protestant is that the Protestant has integrity.
I was a bit facetous. The Rite of Initiation involves an examination of conscience and discernment of the teaching of the church. So, either the process completes and you resolve your doubts, or it does not complete and the intiation fails.
True. So, the proper thing to do is to struggle to understand the teaching, and possibly refraining from Communion in the meanwhile
Can you point me to the "venial sin against knowledge" part? I just went over a passage of the Summa for another reason, where, I think, he was clearly implying that not going to church is a grave sin (as an example of a sin of omission).
I'll pit my pastor against yours, any day!
At Penance services, he asks that we pick one thing, the big thing, to confess, and talk about why we think we do that.
Well, you are right Our pastor takes his time, as much as is required for us to confess "all" our sins. Because he knows us so well, he becomes the veritable 'loving father' (Abouna in the Maronite Rite). He lovingly guides us through confession asking introspective questions. And, when you think you are finished, he asks: "Anything else?" (with a slight nod towards his understanding of our personal situations).
It makes the lines move quicker, but it also makes people think of what motivates them.
Well here's the difference. Our parish is filled with saints ;-D. The only sinners are the organist, the parish administrator, the lectors and acolytes, the parishioners who cook, clean, dust, vaccuum, and teach Religious Education. Lol! He commends us each time we show up. We make him proud! His homilies are direct and to the point. God bless and reward him abundantly. In this age of secularism where no one errs, Father assists those of us who are still "in error".
The following hymn opens the Reconciliation Service in the Maronite Church. It has moved me to tears on more than one occasion.
I yearn for your pardon, O Lord
give me peace to repent in this season of Lent
Lord have mercy.
I yearn for your favors, O Lord
For your mercy I thirst, for your kindness and love
Lord have mercy.
Against you, O Lord, I have sinned
In the cry of my voice, turn your ear to my prayer
Lord, forgive me.
O wash me O Lord from my guilt.
Purify me and I shall be whiter than snow
Lord forgive me.
O Jesus, our Lord and our God
You have saved all your flock, in your mercy and love.
O Good Shepherd
You came to return all the sheep
Who have wandered and strayed from the love of our God
O Good Shepherd.
1. You're behind a screen; total anonymity
2. You could always drive to a far off church where no one knows you
3. The priest may be a far worse sinner than you've ever been.
4. If he's worth his salt, the priest should be overjoyed to hear your confession.
*1. You're behind a screen; total anonymity* - Here in upstate NY, that is not always the case. The more 'common' practice is to sit across from the confessor.
*You could always drive to a far off church where no one knows you *
Yes, that is possible but the 'stranger' is just that - someone who is prescribing a penance based on a lack of understanding of your personal situation The better solution is to seek out a confessor who understands your personal situation and can provide spiritual guidance.
*The priest may be a far worse sinner than you've ever been.*
Lol! When I returned to confession, this was indeed the case. The priest was also the pastor, bent on introducing liturgical dance to his parish, something that had been banned by the bishops.
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