The Seal of Confession and The Virtue of Religion

The Hermeneutic of Continuity ^ | 8/17/11 | Fr. Tim Finnigan

[marshmallow]

So why is the seal of confession inviolable? Why does the seal bind under such a grave obligation that the Church excommunicates any confessor who directly violates it? (See: The seal of confession: some basics)

There are two principal reasons why the priest must preserve the seal: the virtue of justice and the virtue of religion. The motive of justice is evident because the penitent, by the very fact of entering the confessional, or asking the priest to hear his confession (we’ll deal with “reconciliation rooms” another day) rightly expects that the priest will observe the seal. This is a contract entered into by the fact of the priest agreeing to hear a person’s confession. To mandate the violation of the seal is in effect to prohibit the celebration of the sacrament of Penance.

Much more grave than the obligation of justice towards the penitent is the obligation of religion due to the sacrament. The Catholic Encyclopaedia gives a brief explanation of the virtue of religion which essentially summarises the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas. (Summa Theologica 2a 2ae q.81) Religion is a moral virtue by which we give to God what is His due; it is, as St Thomas says, a part of justice. In the case of the sacrament of Penance, instituted by Christ, Fr Felix Cappello explains things well [my translation]:

By the very fact that Christ permitted, nay ordered, that all baptised sinners should use the sacrament and consequently make a secret confession, he granted an absolutely inviolable right, transcending the order of natural justice, to use this remedy. Therefore the knowledge which was their own before confession, after the communication made in confession, remains their own for every non-sacramental use, and that by a power altogether sacred, which no contrary human law can strike out, since every human law is of an inferior order: whence this right cannot be taken away or overridden by any means, or any pretext, or any motive.

The penitent confesses his sins to God through the priest. If the seal were to be broken under some circumstances, it would put people off the sacrament and thereby prevent them from receiving the grace that they need in order to repent and amend their lives. It would also, and far more importantly, obstruct the will of God for sinners to make use of the sacrament of Penance and thereby enjoy eternal life. The grace of the sacrament is absolutely necessary for anyone who commits a mortal sin. To mandate the violation of the seal is in effect to prohibit the practice of the Catholic faith. Some secular commentators have spoken of the seal of confession as being somehow a right or privilege of the priest. That is a preposterous misrepresentation: it is a sacred and inviolable duty that the priest must fulfil for the sake of the penitent and for the sake of God's will to redeem sinners.

A possibly misleading phrase in this context is where theologians say that the penitent is confessing his sins as if to God "ut Deo." (You can easily imagine secularists deriding the idea that the priest makes himself to be a god etc.) In truth, the penitent is confessing his sins before God. The priest acts as the minister of Christ in a sacred trust which he may not violate for any cause - precisely because he is not in fact God. By virtue of the penitent’s confession ut Deo, the priest absolves the penitent and, if mortal sin is involved, thereby readmits him to Holy Communion.

There will be more to follow on the sacrament of confession. As I mentioned in my previous post, this series is not intended as a guide for making a devout confession but rather as an introduction to some canonical and theological questions regarding the sacrament which have become important recently. (For a leaflet on how to make a good confession, see my parish website.)

I have been told that the threat in Ireland to introduce a law compelling priests to violate the seal of confession has been withdrawn, at least for the time being. Nevertheless, I will continue with these posts because I think that the Irish proposal will be picked up by other secularists and may pose a problem for us. Further posts will look at the proper place, time and vesture for hearing confessions, one or two more particular crimes in canon law, the question of jurisdiction and the much misused expression “Ecclesia supplet”, and, of course, what to do if the civil authority tries to compel a priest to break the seal.

[Natural Law]

"We become children of God by his grace through faith."

Let me guess, you believe that grace is irresistible. If it is God's desire that all be saved and that all are called to salvation (his offering of grace) why is it that not all are saved?

[Natural Law]

God created English too.

[smvoice]

Amen.

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved:) and hath raised us up together and MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:4-6).

That's where we are, spiritually.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.." (2 Cor. 4:7).

As long as we are on this earth, we are in our earthly body, awaiting Christ's coming for us, to change our vile bodies, like unto His own.

On our best day on earth, we are in this frail vessel that houses the priceless treasure of power that dwells in it. It cannot be seen by man, but it is known by the believer. And on our worst day on earth, it remains the same. Our outer man is housing God's grace to each believer. We don't have halos on our heads, we don't shimmer like diamonds, we don't walk on water. Because it isn't about us, the outer man. It is about God "the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us". (2 Cor. 4:7).

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined IN OUR HEARTS, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6).

Why can't a non-believer see, or hear, or understand these things? No matter how much we explain, how many Scriptures we quote, how often we go over and over the same things in God's word?

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." 2 Cor. 4:3-5).

We don't possess anything that can be 'magically' changed into something else. We don't have weeping statues or visions of Mary to pray to,or rosaries to go to for relief, or men to tell us we have been forgiven.

We have the knowledge that all we need, all we will ever need, we already possess. Not in a beautiful outer vessel that we can boast about..But in spite of our outer vessel...

[Uri’el-2012]

OBTW if the RCC priests' names
are not Levi, Levy, Levitt,
Cohn, Cohen or Kohen
they are charlatans or worse.

charlatan |ˈ sh ärlətən; ˈ sh ärlətn|
noun
a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud.
ORIGIN early 17th cent. (denoting an itinerant seller of supposed
remedies): from French, from Italian ciarlatano, from ciarlare
‘to babble.’

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[Natural Law]

"therefore there is no need for "boys" running around in dresses pretending to be priests."

Does this mean that "Pastor Cathie" wears the pants?

[metmom]

2 Corinthians 5:1-8

1For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1:21-24

21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

[smvoice]

'to babble'. Which comes from Babylon. Which is the origin of their religion.

The noose of deception tightens..

[boatbums]

This is another case of crybaby Protestants who think it completely acceptable to lump all Catholics together based upon the actions of a few wayward Catholics, or ignorant or poorly catechized Catholics but whine and wring their hands over being painted with the same brush as their compatriots who posted the obscene keywords. When the shoe is on the other foot they suddenly have a blister. Its pretty telling that not one of them has condemned the actions or manned up and admitted it.

Actually, it an example of the typical hyperbole we non-Catholics have come to expect from those who "paint" everyone BUT them with the same brush. No one was "crying" about the silliness, just pointing out the hypocrisy.

Lastly, how do YOU know it was one of us? Are you the new moderator?

[Natural Law]

"OBTW if the RCC priests' names are not Levi, Levy, Levitt, Cohn, Cohen or Kohen they are charlatans or worse."

So which of the following are charlatans; Simon, who is called Peter, Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

How about Matthias who took the place of Judas, or Paul of Tarsus, Barnabus, or Andronicus and Junia who were "of note among the apostles? What about Silas, Apollo and Timothy? Were these charlatans too or is the real charlatan the one who stares back from your mirror?

[Uri’el-2012]

Uri'el-2012>therefore there is no need for "boys" running around in dresses pretending to be priests.

Does this mean that "Pastor Cathie" wears the pants?

You have reached a new low in being rude and crude.

No; She ministers to woman who have been abused.

Read her blog:

Help For Struggling Christians

or

Help For God's Hurting People

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[CynicalBear]

>>You are right. We should all heed the heavenly teachings of Jean Calvin<<

That looks to me like another trend toward replacing scripture and Christ with the teachings of a mortal. That seems to be intrinsic in the RCC mind set. It’s apparent to me that you are well entrenched in the thought pattern that if you don’t follow one mortal man then you must follow a different mortal man.

I don’t follow Calvin, Zwingli, Luther or any other so called “church father”. Calvin had a hand in the burning of Michael Servetus at the stake. The way it was arranged and done should tell anyone that Calvin certainly wasn’t someone to trust or follow.

People need to stop following the teachings of someone other then Jesus and the original inspired writers of the scriptures. Insinuating that I in any way follow Calvin, or any other, was a rather weak attempt to justify your own dependence on an earthly source.

[boatbums]

The same slapdiqs that

The rest of us can post comments without resorting to nasty and crude insults, why can't you?

[Uri’el-2012]

The noose of deception tightens..

Amen !

But some are so proud
that they are willingly self blinded.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[Natural Law]

"No; She ministers to woman who have been abused."

No doubt she does good works, but we are told repeatedly on these forums that works are like filthy rags. By your own standards her ordination makes her a charlatan. I am not rude and crude, I am just applying what you say to real life examples.

Christian isn't some role you get to play anonymously on the internet. Nor is it some verbal gotcha game where you get to invent your own history to justify your prejudices. With your duplicitous baggage (see (1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14) and the very specific insults you have made about Catholic clergy, whom I have as family members, you have no room to complain about rude and crude.

[metmom]

People need to stop following the teachings of someone other then Jesus and the original inspired writers of the scriptures. Insinuating that I in any way follow Calvin, or any other, was a rather weak attempt to justify your own dependence on an earthly source.

It's all they have. Condemn others for the very thing they do themselves.

It certainly appears that Catholics are incapable of anything more than projection when it comes to others spiritual beliefs. They just can't seem to think outside the box. No freedom.

[MarkBsnr]

I see that you are twisting and turning in the wind of your own posts. I posted the entire passage of the Great Commission in Matthew 28. You abridged it and melded it to the original commission - call it practice - in Matthew 10 which might be read as one and the same. These are separate and distinct. They occurred years apart and without one of the original players - Judas. Might you be caught out in your own posts?

Are you being dishonest, or you just don't know scripture...

I am not so dishonest as to pull snippets of one event in an attempt to make them part of another event.

It doesn't bother me that you seem to know so little scripture but coming to a public forum apparently acting like a real authority on the bible is more than we can just stand by and let you get away with...

Well you have already admitted that you are Christian - your spurning of the Nicene Creed is evidence enough. What need has the Church of Iscool of the Bible, anyway? At least be honest enough to admit that prooftexting is exclusively utilized by the Church of Iscool.

[Alex Murphy]

....the very specific insults you have made about Catholic clergy, whom I have as family members....

Were they clergy/family in 2004, when you posted that you didn't accept Papal and Magisterial infallibility? Or that you didn't accept the Catholic practic of venerating saints, that the saints do not intercede from Heaven, and that such a belief was a holdover of Roman polytheistic worship?

[Uri’el-2012]

Uri'el-2012> No; She ministers to woman who have been abused.

No doubt she does good works, but we are told repeatedly on these forums that works are like filthy rags. By your own standards her ordination makes her a charlatan. I am not rude and crude, I am just applying what you say to real life examples.

Christian isn't some role you get to play anonymously on the internet. Nor is it some verbal gotcha game where you get to invent your own history to justify your prejudices. With your duplicitous baggage (see (1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14) and the very specific insults you have made about Catholic clergy, whom I have as family members, you have no room to complain about rude and crude.

Works are to be done, however they will not provide salvation.

I think you are reaching for Isaiah :

Isa 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities,
like the wind, take us away.

Strong's H5708 - `iddah
1) menstruation
a) filthy rag, stained garment (fig. of best deeds of guilty people)

Salvation is not earned; if you have been "called out", you have salvation.

Good works are a result of being saved by accepting the blood of the Lamb
to cover your sins.

You seem to conflate being a RCC Priest and being an ordained Minister.
We are all Priests as per Peter.
Some are singled out as those who minister to the hurting.

I on the other hand preach the WORD of Elohim. Some folks take issue with the WORD
and prefer the RCC Catechism and man-made tradition to the WORD of Elohim.

There is NO support in the WORD of Elohim for a set-apart un-married Priest.
That is syncretic amalgam with the paganism of Babylon.

The Hebrew Priests were commanded to be married.

Please forgive me if I have hurt you or yours feelings
by preaching the WORD of Elohim.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[MarkBsnr]

You poor, poor people. Following the religious teachings of an earthly organization has blinded you. We aren’t in this flesh “pure enough” nor will we ever be.

That's what boatbums said in the post that you replied to. Who is wrong, you or her? Based upon what authority?

When we stand before the throne of the Father we go “in Jesus name” and the Father sees Jesus, not our earthly filth.

I see. So this is a mock trial and the Judgement proclaimed by Jesus and Paul and Peter is a sham. Interesting Gnosticism.

We have already been forgiven of all of our sins and He has removed them from us “as far as the East is from the West.

In other words your belief is the same as these guys:

They believed that they would be taken up to the gods guaranteed if they had their hearts ripped out when they were still alive. You guys believe that your salvation is guaranteed by having Jesus pay the price and the limo ride will just pull up to your door. What a neat idea. It is not Christian but neat.

Once you who profess faith in the RCC realize the peace and freedom a true Spirit filled follower of Christ has you will understand the joy.

We've been realizing what truly following Christ means for 2000 years. It isn't what various Protestants invent every year or so.

[MarkBsnr]

You are right. We should all heed the heavenly teachings of Jean Calvin who said: "Build a man a fire and you warm him for a day. Light a man on fire and you warm him for the rest of his life".

Not all heresies begin below the belt, as Calvin showed all of us, including the good burghers of Geneva.