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To: SMEDLEYBUTLER
I think you are going overboard. I don't see why she is obligated to take sacraments from a particular priests. There could be valid reasons for doing this, even though the sacraments are valid. I think it's also naive on points of human psychology. As humans, we have weaknesses, and we must protect ourselves against them.
39 posted on 09/10/2002 12:30:26 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
...Another great saint who lived in a tremendously difficult time can help us further. The great St. Francis of Assisi lived in the 1200s, which was a time of terrible immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting horrible example. Lay immorality was even worse. St. Francis himself while a young man even gave some scandal to others by his carefree ways. But eventually he was converted back to the Lord, founded the Franciscans, helped God rebuild his Church and became one of the great saints of all time.

Once one of the brothers in the Order of Friars Minor asked him a question. The brother was very sensitive to scandals. "Br. Francis," he said, "What would you do if you knew that the priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?" Francis, without missing a beat, said slowly, "When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the Sacred Body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands."

What was Francis getting at? He was getting at a tremendous truth of the faith and a tremendous gift of the Lord. No matter how sinful a priest is, provided that he has the intention to do what the Church does — at Mass, for example, to change bread and wine into Christ's body and blood, or in confession, no matter how sinful he is personally, to forgive the penitent's sins — Christ himself acts through that minister in the sacraments.

41 posted on 09/10/2002 4:58:07 AM PDT by american colleen
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To: nickcarraway
I think you are going overboard.

You can think what you want but this individual is embracing heresy and that's a fact. After being called "Chief Inquisitor, clueless, rude, unChristian, little pea brain" and being accused of "casting stones" for pointing it out, I really don't care if you or anyone else thinks I'm overboard in defending Christ.

43 posted on 09/10/2002 5:31:21 AM PDT by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: nickcarraway; SMEDLEYBUTLER; goldenstategirl
I think you are going overboard. I don't see why she is obligated to take sacraments from a particular priests.

I didn't see where Smedley, (aka "pea brain") said this. He was just correcting an incorrect, no make that heretical, understanding of the faith by goldie. Christ is the Priest who works through His ministering priests to effect His Grace in the Sacraments. Goldie, we all want holy priests, but yes, as a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit CAN work through evil, sinful, even wicked priests to give Grace to the recipients of His Sacraments. If you have a choice and don't want to receive the sacraments from a particular priest preferring another one over him, fine. Just don't deny the validity or efficacy of the Sacraments coming from any priest, even a wicked one. Please read Smedley's posts' to you more carefully - he's trying to help you! Heresy is no small matter, and this particular one so sad, since, as Smedley pointed out, it was dealt with by St. Augustine so many centuries before.

52 posted on 09/10/2002 6:26:22 PM PDT by TotusTuus
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