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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HA! That'll make me smile every time time I think of it.
This comes to me as a pleasant surprise, that the Holy Father would revert to the term, "mortal sin." Ever since the 60's this term has been set aside, and "serious sin" or "grave matter" were used in its place. This is a good sign. Perhaps he is beginning to see that there was a real value in some of the more traditional terminology.
People 30 and under who have attended local parochial schools know very little about the Catholic faith, unfortunately. I know of a catechism teacher who has been leading classes in a large parish in Orange County where 100 students per class is the norm. He has never heard of the perpetual virginity of Our Lady. Never heard of it? How does he qualify for being an instructor? If he doesn't know about it, how can he teach the students about it?
This is all too common nowadays. It stems from a planned obsolescence of doctrine, per se. I went to a Renew 2000 course to become a "facilitator" and the man the parish brought in from New York to teach us said several times during the class that we should avoid the topic of dogma in Renew 2000 meetings. Whenever the discussion group touches on Church teachings, we were specifically told, we were to use these techniques they showed us to steer the group away from the discussion of doctrine.
I would also add that confession is to God, not to the priest. Nor is the priest to be confused with a therapist. It is helpful that any disruptive element be avoided, -- for example, face-to-face confession may feel uncomfortable to some, and behind-the-screen confession -- to others. But ultimately, the environment and the disposition of the priest do not matter, like with any sacrament.
Great analysis.
**I made my first confession last Saturday, and I am absolutely elated. The feeling of the lifting of dread and despair goes way beyond what I had expected.**
Your story brings tears of joy to my eys. May the Lord, indeed, be praised.
Bump, you are so right, annalex!
And I certainly could not tell you. That would be up to the penitent and the priest with whom he/she was talking/confessing. I sure questions would be asked to determine the depth of the problem.
John Kerry and other pro-abortion politicians get alot of ink on the communion issue. Another issue to consider is their involvement in secret societies like Skull&Bones or the Masons. That also puts them in a state of mortal or grave sin therefore ex-communicating themselves.
Membership in the Skull and Bones is the equivalent of belonging to a fraternity. There is no moral prohibition against being a member.
Catholics are discouraged from belonging to the Masons due to their anti-Catholic stance. Being a member is problematic, and could be sinful.
That is very wise. I long ago stopped listing all my sins. The worst obstacles to my relationship with God are the ones I discuss, and I tell the confessor so right up front. I am never asked to elaborate about the rest.
It used to be most everyone knew this and abstained out of love and respect until they received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Only if interpreted through the lens of the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, which as an evangelical I do not hold. II Timothy 3:16-17 does not proscribe or prescribe extra-scriptural sources of doctrine, it simply addresses the value of scripture to the believer. Here lies the chasm between the Catholic and the Protestant and Reformed church.
It's necessary because some Catholic priests (new age type and frauds who infiltrated the Church during the Sixties) ignore the teachings and knowingly permit a person to be out of the state of grace and still receive the Sacred Host.
Never said it wasn't.
I must disagree. A confessor is a judge, not a therapist. The penitent accuses himself. Priests have graces by virtue of their Holy Orders to understand your personal situation based on what you tell him. The only barrier to that grace would be a willful concealment on the part of the penitent.
Again, I never suggested the priest be a therapist. You totally misinterpreted what I said.
Again, you're not chained to any one confessor. When you find a great confessor, you'll realize it was worth the search, and the commute.
That was my point.
Only if interpreted through the lens of the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, which as an evangelical I do not hold.
Well, I, and all Catholics, do interpret it that way. That's Tradition with a capital T.
I once told a Director of Religious Education at our Parish that my homeschooled children were using catechism books that were structured in a similar fashion (question/answer) to the Baltimore Catechism. You would have thought I committed a mortal sin. His reaction was stunningly cruel and ultimately made us seek another parish. So many DREs ridicule the Baltimore catechism to the point that the mere mention of the name can cause your children to be punished by being refused the Sacraments. What they wanted me to use was very poor catechetical materials with poor art work and even poorer theology. The great dumbing down of catechism is what is harming the Church in this country. Feeding the flock (from 1st grade on ) euphemistic pap is a mortal sin in my opinion!
Are you a practicing Roman Catholic?
I believe the pope has no business playing god. God will not be fooled. Who is he, the pope, to judge a heart?
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