LOL.
Eternity is a
LONG TIME
TO FEED ON BITTERNESS, RESENTMENT AND HATRED.
Posted on 08/18/2011 7:18:16 AM PDT by 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.
Now that you've cleared that up, tell us what it does mean...
That's the capstone...That's the cork in the bottle...
No one offers up an acceptable sacrifice and no one offers up Jesus Christ...And it doesn't matter whose ritual we are talking about...
Gettin' it a little mixed up aren't you??? You guys claim heaven is a state of being...So where ever you are at, you are in heaven...
So if you ain't leaving earth for heaven, heaven is on earth, for you guys...
You speak for me as well. Paul wrote Scripture, as did Peter, John, James and Luke.
But worshiping people is idolatry. Recognizing the inspiration of Scripture as God breathed and holding it authoritative for that reason, is NOT worshiping the writer.
Me getting mixed up???? LOL It's a freaking song, moron!
(lectio divina)
In our view the deliberate sinners are those most in need of God's mercy and our prayers. Rejoicing at the downfall of others, whether deserved or not, is not a source of pleasure.
It is good that God's justice triumphs. It is true that at the end the smoke of the torment of those who worship the beast will rise forever.
It may not be for the reasons you state, but I am confident I deserve to be mocked and laughed at. For that reason, I take no delight in much derision of others. God, of course, may laugh as He will, and every one of His acts is Love.
But that is not true of this sinner, and so I do not deride those who fall, whatever their deserts.
You laugh , if you like, at the misfortunes of others, whether deserved or not. I will pray for them.
Spinning to suit your man made teachings - how novel/s
What anger and eagerness to judge there is among those who call themselves saved!
Simple. Look at John 2:16. See what is said of the Temple? Jesus in chapter 14 is talking about the heavenly Temple, the Heavenly Jerusalem. Not a place of soil, bricks, and alley ways, but a perpetual dwelling with God in heavenly and worshipful splendor. See Rev. 4 and 5; and 21:1,22; Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22-24.
As the letter to Diognetus says, we live her like pilgrims, away from our native land. Consequently many of us are not entirely bound to one native tongue.
Have you never read the book of Acts?
What about this,.....
Galatians 1: 11For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Galatians 2
7On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
*******************************************************************
And please provide any Scriptural or historical evidence that Peter ever went to Rome.
Even Jesus talked about events in relative time for us.
Lazarus, who reclined in Abraham’s bosom, did so before Jesus died.
When Jesus died, He entered Hades and led captivity captive. That was outside the material space/time universe we find ourselves in and yet those who were the redeemed before Jesus died did not have direct access to heaven until that point.
Being a Christian we are to imitate Christ and He allows us to join in His sufferings-there is nothing lacking in Christ's suffering but Christ loves us so much He allows us to join in union with Him in the love for others for those who are even willing to even give our lives for our friends.
It is this great denial of self that we find in the lives of Saints-even their pain is joined with Christ for the good of others and reparation of sin that offends God and fellow man
"Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends"-John 15:13
Jesus Christ made satisfaction for sin by shedding His precious blood. Why then does the Catholic magisterium prescribe fasting, and other human efforts, as additional means to make satisfaction?
Because by the incredible grace of Christ, our death is anticipated as is our resurrection so that we have, so to speak, one foot in the world of trial and another in heaven, and one motivation which is human and another divine.
So there are two way so looking at reparation. The little one is that we learn to be penitent, to understand the truth of our sinful nature and of what sin is..
But the other is that we are invited (Col 1:24) by the life of the Risen Lord in us to share in his sufferings, even if it's only the most trivial of ways.
For us, to share in Christ is to share in every aspect of Him including in His work.
Yes, it's a great claim. Why not? It's a great Gospel!
Act 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
OK Sun Day school teacher...Tell us what it means...
If that's the best they can do, just add it to another reason to not be involved with the Catholic church.
I'll take the New Jerusalem, thankyouverymuch.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is pretty weak on heaven, but here are some links.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1A.HTM
Paragraph 5. HEAVEN AND EARTH
325 The Apostles' Creed professes that God is "creator of heaven and earth". the Nicene Creed makes it explicit that this profession includes "all that is, seen and unseen".
326 The Scriptural expression "heaven and earth" means all that exists, creation in its entirety. It also indicates the bond, deep within creation, that both unites heaven and earth and distinguishes the one from the other: "the earth" is the world of men, while "heaven" or "the heavens" can designate both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our Father in heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the "place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.186
FWIW, NL has previously stated that he does not believe in hell, in spite of the clear teaching of Scripture and the Catholic church on the subject.
I therefore would not expect him to acknowledge the reality of heaven either.
That conclusion is also held by many evangelicals who also are opposed to Rome due to its many errors.
I left because I recognized the Gospel was not taught and it was so evident, I KNEW I had no reason to stay. My husband, on the other hand, can pinpoint the exact moment he left in spirit and never had any desire to return as an adult. He was only about nine or ten years old, visiting a Catholic Church that his older cousin attended, when a nun in full terror-invoking, head to toe, black habit first stopped him from entering and, looking down on him, sternly said, "You don't belong here!" That was it, he never looked back. I have a feeling, by the tone some here take, they could have BEEN that nun. Sad. Really sad.
Galatians 2:4-5
King James Version (KJV)
4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.