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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???? refused the Sacraments for using the Baltimore Catechism? Unbelievable.
"Sola Scriptura ...is expressly forbidden in II Timothy."
"Only if interpreted through the lens of the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, which as an evangelical I do not hold."
Really, it goes beyond that. Sola Scriptura is a self-defeating idea. It is arguing in a circle. It goes beyond common sense and history, as well. If you look at Church history, you will find that all heresies look to the Scripture to verify their viewpoints. Without a living body (in our nation, the Supreme Court) to interpret the written word (in our nation, the Constitution), where would we be? We, 2000 years removed, wouldn't know anything for sure about salvation or God.
How can a pastor of the Assembly of God REALLY be sure that his interpretation of Scripture is correct, over the pastor across the street at 1st Baptist?
Regards
The entire 2 Timothy teaches the importance of oral tradition, -- "the things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men who shall be fit to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). Desdemona did not restrict her post #25 to verses 15-16. 2 Timothy 3:15-16 taken in isolation indeed does not prescribe extra-scriptural sources, because it prescribed them in Verse 14: "But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned and which have been committed to thee. Knowing of whom thou hast learned them". These are the things talked about in Chapter 2, -- knowledge taught orally, and powers "committed" through the laying of hands.
Now, what is the "all scripture" of Verse 16? Verse 15 says, it is what Timothy learned from his infancy. That is the Old Testament -- most if not all of the New Testament was not written at the time Timothy, now an adult, was a child, and, of course, none of the New Testament was canonized in St. Paul's or Timothy's lifetime. If 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is to be taken as an argument for sufficiency of scripture, it would disqualify, at the very least, latter Epistles and the Revelation.
Unfortunately MAny Catholics today have to be reminded about the BAsic truths of the Catholic Faith...hundreds of thousands as a matter of fact, especially the youth!!! Soooo many don't even know how to say a rosary...or what the Sacraments are about !!!
Good post!by the way. The holy Father is 100% right on this.
No Catholic is permitted to be a member of Freemasonry, ever. Nothing has changed. It's not that it is discouraged; it's disallowed.
From a letter of Pope Leo XIII on December 8, 1892 to the Italian people:
"Let us remember that Christianity and Freemasonry are essentially incompatible, to such an extent, that to become united with one means being divorced from the other. Let us, therefore, expose Freemasonry as the enemy of God, of the Church and of our Motherland."
Leo XIII's 13th of October 13, 1884 vision of the future of the Church occurred exactly 33 years prior, to the day, to the miracle of the sun at Fatima.
Some bishops have allowed membership in the Masons. In those cases, the Catholics who join because their bishops approve, the bishop is at fault, not the Catholic who sought out the opinion of his bishop.
Look up "catechism" in the dictionary. It is commonly recognized that what makes a catechism different from other books is that it is in a question-and-answer format.
Years ago when I decided to read Pascendi Dominici Gregis by Pope St. Pius X, 1907 ("On Modernism" is the English title usually used), the material was just too hard to understand. Then one day I found a book written by one Fr. Lemius, named "The Catechism on Modernism." A quick glance at the contents told me I had to get this one. And boy, was I glad I did! The fact that it asks a question first made all the difference. By asking the question, I was able to think about what my answer would be. In this book, the questions were very difficult to answer unless you had studied and understood Pascendi. Therefore, the questions being asked went directly to my weaknesses by not having assimilated the material.
It is like programming a computer or running a filing system. The first thing you do is create mail boxes in which you can store data. The catechism asks questions and thereby creates mailboxes so you can keep the information at hand and useable.
The longstanding prohibition for Catholics against being members of the Freemasons is much deeper than the name of the organization. Catholics are prohibited from joining any "secret society" because of the moral implications.
If modern bishops were to get their act together on this, it would be a benefit to many areas of society. Children would become aware that joining a "gang" is not tolerable as a Catholic because making secret promises to be subject to the moral guidance of someone whose interest is opposed to the Church's teaching is inherently a risk in such gangs.
It also applies to "professional associations" inasmuch as they are secretive about their rules and requirements, and demand of members a moral commitment without regard for the teachings of the Church.
Someone who joins a club that secretly demands that he commit sin is morally obliged to leave all association with that club. If his bishop doesn't explain that to him, the bishop is at fault, but the Catholic is also responsible to think for himself. If he has a doubt about whether he got good advice, he ought to go about looking for better guidance. He could come here to FR, for example, and see that there are other opinions going around, and by reading them he might find that he wants to know more.
Especially, Bishop Sean O'Malley; he's been winking his eye at John Kerry and the Paulists ever since his installation Mass.
Has he?
THE MASONS ARE ALSO A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION. Organizations that are shrouded in secrecy as well as having an obligation to them before the church are forbidden. Skull @ Crossbones is such an organization.
Humanum Genus
Skull and Bones is a fraternity. You are woefully ill-informed.
"Catholics are discouraged from be onging to the Masons due to their anti-Catholic stance. Being a member is problematic, and could be sinful."
COULD be sinful??? Membership is problematic??? The 1917 code states membership in a Lodge is explicitly penalized by excommunication (canon 2335. Excommunication is implicit in the 1983 code (canon 1374). Shortly before the 1983 code was promulgated, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement indicating that the penalty was still in force. This statement was dated November 26, 1983 and may be found in Origins 13/27 (Nov. 15, 1983), 450.
How many times does the church have to teach it is a mortal sin and an incurrs automatic excommunication for you to get it? See the other posts for quotes from popes. Not "could be problematic or sinful", but IMPOSSIBLE to be a Catholic and a Mason. What part of the word "impossible" don't you get?
I'm not even Catholic, and I know you don't take Communion before you confess and do your penance.
Only if one is aware of being in the state of mortal sin. It is not a requirement to go to confession at all if one is not in the state of mortal sin.
I'd think that most sinners are aware they're sinning. They just rationalize it and pretend it's not so bad.
That's something I always wondered - whether you have to go to confession at a specific interval, or just when you have something to confess. Thanks for setting me straight on that!
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