after reading Fr Z’s blog entry today(there are several)decided to bring up the topic myself.Background :Woman goes to confession.Priest asks if she was married.Answer:YES. In the Sacrament of Matrimony,that is in a Catholic church.Answer;no by a pastor outside the Church. Capital C.

Priest replies that she is in grave, mortal sin.

We can definitely feel sympathy for this woman. On the other hand it would be the same as a single woman ‘shacking up’ with a man and asking to receive the sacrament of confession with no intention of giving up the illicit relationship. NONE.

The priest could not absolve her and confession would be pointless. When we make our act of contrition it is with the firm purpose of not committing sin anymore. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again. It does mean we can’t deliberately continue to live in sin with an unwillingness to give up the mortal(sin unto death)sin we’re committing. Priest was correct and was looking out for the woman by telling her the truth. Fr Z was right-maybe he should have explained it better but he was truthful.

When we go to a priest we should remember their first responsibility is to be a shepherd. They cannot confirm us in our sins.

They want  us to get to heaven. That’s their vocation. People leave angry sometimes when a priest doesn’t seem to see things their way. Sometimes a priest can be tired or frustrated like all human beings. For that reason maybe the confessor was a little short with the woman. On the other hand a priest who is truthful and looking out for our souls is not someone to be angry with.

Perhaps when we do feel that way we can try to find humility and grow in our faith. The priest offered to pray for her. It reminds me of Catholics who persist in using birth control or who support abortion or both(which is usually the case). It’s a grave matter. We may not like Church teaching but we can do two things; inform our faith and try to understand Church teaching.Two:accept it in obedience and remember that Christ Himself was obedient unto death.  That’s what being a Catholic is all about.Dying to self. We may not do it in leaps and bounds. It’s difficult. It’s a daily struggle. We may only be willing to give up a little bit sometimes and struggle to give up more. Everyone is at a different place on the journey and i make no claim to have arrived.(Trust me,’ hubbs’ would concur).

Again,if it’s a mortal sin no priest is going to shepherd his flock to hell.

This is an opportunity for the woman to make things right with God and the Church. Unfortunately from the sounds of her letter her husband wasn’t too willing to co-operate. Perhaps we can ALL pray for her AND for her husband to have a change of heart.When we go to a priest we may have to be prepared not to get the answer we’d like but we should respect them for having to give us the tough answers sometimes.Also,pls remember they are human. Every priest has a different personality. Every priest has a bad day just like us. Give them some breathing room.Henry the VIII wanted the Church to grant him a divorce. Thomas More lost his life over this and the Church of England became a state church. So if the Church isn’t going to ‘bend the rules’ for a King it’s been my feeling they are not going to bend them for anyone.

P.S. Be sure to frequent Fr Z’s blog 🙂 not like confession but you get the drift.

 

ASK FATHER: Marriage problem, bad confession experience train wreck.

 

Obama has left Israel out to dry. Terrible President. Kerry should resign and not a min too soon.

The time to be aware is before it hits.Don’t wait until after a tornado(severe weather)to decide that you should be aware.I’m glad some ppl realize how dangerous it is after they’ve been hit but better to be weather aware all the time.You may not get that 2nd chance.Here’s a repost.You will be in my prayers and thoughts today. too

 

Pls take these warnings and watches seriously. Have a plan.

Severe Threat NOT Over http://www.weather.com/video/severe-threats-not-over-46100?

First, check weather daily if not days ahead.

The CONVECTION report-in spite of the meteorologist jargon-is a good resource. They send their reports to the NWS. This way you will have some idea days ahead. Do not assume because your weather is sunny and beautiful that something is not on the horizon.Storms can blow up rather quickly depending on conditions.

Here is the CONVECTION report and believe me there is enough info to have a darned good idea of what’s up whether or not you understand all the terminology. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/

Next i would use the weather channel to get a daily outlook. They even have a service that can alert you. If you don’t get the weather channel via cable  you can get it on the internet. The main thing is this:BE WEATHER AWARE

 Don’t confuse the 2 terms. A WATCH means exactly that, WATCH OUT. Be alert.Be on your toes,stay tuned to your weather reports via radio or cable. The conditions are favorable at this point.

A WARNING means exactly that. It’s happening and it’s probably already too late. Take cover fast. DO NOT BE IN A MOBILE HOME OR CAR. In fact if there were any chance of being in either a mobile home or vehicle I would be out of there during the watch.Once the warning goes up you don’t have but seconds ..if that. PLS PLS heed the weather reports,check the convection report often and at the least have the plan in place before the watch comes up;at least during the watch.Better late than never but like a fire escape plan, a weather escape plan could be a life saver. Once the warning is up it’s a little late to be devising a plan.Above all make plans NOT to be in a mobile home or vehicle if they’re calling for severe weather/tornadoes. You are not safe and they’re 2 of the worst places to be. You are not protected. A mobile home or a vehicle is a toy to a tornado.

It’s not that tornadoes target mobile home parks. NOT AT ALL. It’s that when a tornado hits a mobile home park there is nothing left. I have never seen a mobile home park survive. They cannot withstand  a tornado. PERIOD.Have a plan and plan includes get out waaaay ahead of time.The Convective Outlook,at the NOAA Convection report site, is a good one to read. When spring/summer rolls around I’m there!

Know that my prayers are with you.At the same time PLS have a plan.PLS heed all watches/warnings. Pls take weather seriously.

BUILDING YOUR OWN TORNADO SHELTER. http://www.ehow.com/how_2098944_build-tornado-shelter.html

 

 

 

 

Should have been in bed a long time ago but things came up …and here we are.

Stay safe.Will keep you in my prayers especially those in the areas of severe weather this week. Hope you read the 2 entries i left and take them to heart.

For now

Confessor, Marian devotee, and founder of the Sisters of Divine Wisdom He was born Louis Maie Grignon in Montfort, France, in 1673. Educated at Rennes, he was ordained there in 1700, becoming a chaplain in a hospital in Poitiers. His congregation, also called the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, started there. As his missions and sermons raised complaints, Louis went to Rome, where Pope Clement XI appointed him as a missionary apostolic. Louis is famous for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. In 1715, he also founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. His True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin remains popular. Louis died at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre. He was canonized in 1947.
Source: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4306

I’m sorry that deep in your heart you have such a loathing for the Catholic Church that  you would write an op ed titled John Paul II aint no saint. A sad piece for someone who received the Pulitzer Prize. It’s that way in the world these days.Your hatred of Catholicism and all that she stands for is not our problem. It’s your problem.

When did the NYT ever destroy the murderous Communist regime. When did the NYT ever have the courage to take a bullet for what it believes-John Paul II could have been shot for being a priest. John Paul spoke to young people and gave them hope in a world that tells them to live hedonistic lifestyles and that immorality is no longer a sin. When did the NYT ever attempt this?

John Paul II was shot and nearly killed were it not for the intervention of the Blessed Mother.
BTW. I am NOT one of those ‘neocon’ Catholics you mentioned in your oped. I’m Catholic.Period.Neocon is political jargon. Catholicism is funny that way.  You’re either Catholic or you’re not.

Saints are people who have lived a life of heroic virtue .It doesn’t mean they did everything perfectly. It doesn’t mean they lived infallible lives either. It doesn’t mean they never made mistakes. Saints are not flawless human beings. Nor was John Paul II but he was faithful till the end and suffered greatly in service.He did the best he could do with God’s grace. That’s all God asks. It doesn’t mean every attempt will be successful but God wants loyalty-in the end He has the last word.

I understand his weaknesses in some of the decisions he made. I have to guess that in his heart he felt he was doing the right thing.After all Jesus died on the cross for the worst of sinners and that is the core of Catholic beliefs. If John Paul II changed the doctrine of the Church to suit some you would not have written this scathing piece.

“The church is giving its biggest prize to the person who could have fixed the spreading stain and did nothing.”

First of all sainthood is NOT a prize.Second of all it’s not the Church’s prize. God gives us saints.Third, i wouldn’t say he did nothing.

“John opened up the church to the world and J.P. II began to close it down again, make it into a more restricted community, putting boundaries up.”

Yes,there were so many boundaries that people from countries all over the world attended his funeral and canonization both. Millions. They must have been awfully thin boundaries.

“John Paul may be a revolutionary figure in the history of the church, but a man who looked away in a moral crisis cannot be described as a saint.”

 I see a lot of this;people who don’t have the time of day for morality suddenly discover it when it suits them.

He did not look away. That is an unfair charge.Take the blinders off and do your homework.

Could he have done more and handled it better. Definitely. Is this an impediment to sainthood? God raises saints. Canonization is the Church’s recognition of what God has done.

 “The buck, or in this case, the Communion wafer, doesn’t stop here. “

You’re a Pulitzer Prize winning writer and you came up with this?

You’re not angry over the failures of John Paul II. You’re angry because of your personal feelings about the Catholic Church. You’re angry because John Paul II had the courage to speak in defense of the unborn,aged and ill. You’re angry because he wasn’t the Pope to change doctrines(you’ll have a long wait). None of this anger over the scandal fools me. Deep down it’s Maureen Dowd with her own anger at the Catholic Church and an agenda that the Church stands in the way of. I don’t expect you to be honest enough to admit it publicly but consider being honest with yourself.

 

“IT’S weird to be jealous of your car.”

Yes it is and  thank God my husband and i don’t own one.