I absolve you...

Recently I found a lump at the base of my jaw. The doctor looked it over and told me that I had a tumor in my parotid gland. He wanted to biopsy it to see if it were malignant or benign. I asked what the difference was.

A malignant tumor will kill you if left untreated. A benign tumor will not. The doctor recommended having both types of tumors removed. I asked if a benign tumor wouldn’t kill you why would someone have it removed. The doctor explained that if left untreated a benign tumor would continue to grow and would eventually become disfiguring. A benign tumor could also turn malignant at any time. It is best to remove it when it is small.

I had the tumor removed and it was benign. I am now left with a hardly noticeable scar and a divot at the base of the jaw where the tumor was removed. Praise be to God.

Like the tumor there are two types of sin – mortal and venial. Ask a priest what the difference is and he will tell you that a mortal sin will kill you, a venial sin will not. He will also agree with the doctor that both types of sin should be removed. A venial sin, if left untreated, will continue to grow and become disfiguring. A venial sin can lead to mortal sin. It is best to remove it when it is small.

“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” – John 20, 19-23

Jesus understood the fallen nature of man. Baptism washes away the stain of sin but man is a weak creature and will sin again. Like a tumor, sin causes the death of the soul. Someone living in sin has been separated from the full love of God by their own choosing. Jesus knew that he had to provide a way to remove this tumor and allow us to come into full communion with God in this lifetime. Full communion with God is the only path to true happiness and God wants his children to be truly happy in this life and the one to come. Jesus gave his authority to forgive sins to his disciples and the Sacrament of Reconciliation was instituted.

Priests are doctors of the soul. They have the authority of Jesus, passed down through apostolic succession, to truly forgive a person of the sins in their life. A mortal sin is one that fully separates a person from the saving grace of God. Almost all of the mainstream Protestant denominations believe in “once saved, always saved”. This basically means that Jesus died once for all sins, past, present, and future, and that once you accept him as your Lord and Savior your place in heaven is assured. In this belief there is no punishment for sins committed after your acceptance of Christ. If there is no punishment there is no reason to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You are free to commit any sin that so pleases you and as long as you have accepted Christ you are safe.

Does this concept work in your family? Is your baby boy free from punishment for anything he does just because he loves you and accepts you as mommy or daddy? If he is you have some long nights, gray hair, and probably an ulcer or two ahead of you come the teenage years.

It doesn’t work in God’s family either. Jesus did die once for all and redeemed all of mankind for the price of sin both past and future. But one thing that God respects above all else is the free will he gave man and the angels. He will forgive us our sins and bring us into full communion with him or he will allow us to separate ourselves through sin. It is our choice. God does not condemn anyone to hell. He finds us there. We choose hell when we choose ourselves over God.

The only sin that God will not forgive is the sin we do not ask forgiveness for. Again, God respects our free will. If we choose to retain our sins he will allow us to retain them and then bear the punishment for those sins. If the sins are mortal we have fully separated ourselves from God and the punishment for those sins is death and an eternity in hell. Venial sin does not fully separate us from God but does severely restrict the saving grace God will give us. If you die with a mortal sin on your soul you go to hell. If you die with a venial sin on your soul you go to purgatory when you are purged or perfected and the sin you have is burned away like the chaff of wheat.

God wants us in full communion with him and he is ready to pour out saving grace to us. He has provided us a way to restore our soul or wipe the slate clean so to speak. We can receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, better known as confession, and be healed.

Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest? Can’t I just go to God directly? The simple answer is that Jesus told us to do so. If it weren’t necessary he wouldn’t have gave that authority to man to begin with. If we could simply go to Jesus with our sins that would have been the instruction he left. Tell my children to pray to me privately and forgiveness will be theirs. But that isn’t want he said. He gave his disciples the authority to bind or loose sins and then he instructed them to tell people to confess their sins to each other.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” James 5, 16

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the two sacraments of healing. We can confess our sins to a priest who stands in the place of Jesus. They act as a conduit connecting heaven and earth allowing the healing forgiveness of Jesus to flow down and restore our broken relationship with God. The priest can do this because he has been given the authority to do so by Jesus through the apostolic succession of the bishops. No other man or woman has been given this authority. This makes the priest the only doctor who can remove the cancer eating away at our souls. Tumors should be removed as soon as they exist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the greatest treasures the Catholic Church has.

Holy Orders

“When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;  for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” – Luke 22, 14-20

“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” – John 20, 19-23

Jesus is the Great High Priest. He came to establish his Church here on earth. Knowing he was to return to the Father Jesus handed down his authority to his chosen twelve apostles. They were to continue his ministry and teaching making disciples of all nations. He laid hands on them and breathed on them, passing on to them the Holy Spirit and all authority he had received from his Father in heaven. He appointed one to be head of all, not to rule them but to serve them.

“And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 16, 17-19

The word in the original Greek was “petros” meaning “rock”. "Peter" was more of a title than a name. Simon the Rock. It was the faith of Peter after Pentecost that Jesus built his Church upon. Ironically, about fifteen feet below the teaching chair of the Pope in the Vatican you will find the grave of St. Peter. Upon his bones rests the head of Christ’s Church on earth. The Church is quite literally built upon Simon the Rock. Upon this Rock I will build my Church.

To Jews numbers had specific meanings. Seven means to swear or take an oath. Forty means to test. Any time you see the number twelve in the bible it refers to government; the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve judges, the twelve apostles. When Jesus chose twelve to be his inner circle disciples he was establishing the governmental leadership for his church. Jesus handed his authority down to them and they in turn handed their authority over to replacements before their deaths. Thus was established the hierarchy of Church leadership.

When we hear the word “hierarchy” we think chain of command. The Pope controls the bishops who control the priests, etc. This isn’t exactly how the hierarchy of the Church works. The word hierarchy has its roots in, you guessed it – Greek. Hierarchy = ιεραρχίας which is the combination of the Greek words ιερό σκοπό which when translated means “Holy Orders”. Heir-Archy = Holy-Orders. Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony make up the Sacraments of Service and are directed towards the salvation of others. People who receive the Sacrament of Matrimony are called to serve their spouses and children with the primary responsibility to get their families to heaven. Men who receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders are called to serve all of the people of their parishes, Catholic or not, with the primary goal of getting them to heaven.

There are three different types of holy orders in the Catholic Church. They should not be looked upon as levels or ranks like what we have in the military. A General in the army can order around any private on any base he visits. A bishop cannot order around any priest anywhere he goes. The Catholic hierarchy is not a chain of command in that fashion.

The first level of Holy Orders is the deacon. A deacon’s ministry is three fold. As the minister of the Word he is the herald of the Gospel and peaches and teaches in the name of the Church. As a minister of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services. As a minister of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshals the Church's resources to try and meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to work toward eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. For more information on the deacon please read my previous blogpost: What is a deacon?

The second level of Holy Orders is the priest. All priests are first ordained as deacons and remain deacons for the rest of their life. In addition to their responsibilities as a deacon they have priestly responsibility to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and distribute the sacraments of reconciliation and healing. They can be assigned to a parish or a religious community or they can serve in some other administrative or executive role within the Church. When assigned to a parish the priest is actually the stand in for the bishop. Because the bishop cannot be at every parish every day the parish priest represents the bishop when saying Mass and conferring the sacraments.

The third level of Holy Orders is the bishop. When Jesus ordained his twelve disciples he made them bishops. When they handed that authority over to their replacements they ordained new bishops. As the Church grew so did the need for bishops. New bishops were ordained to fill the need. The Catholic Church has an unbroken line of succession going all the way back to Jesus himself. This is what is known as apostolic succession. The bishop is both the head deacon and the head priest and is responsible for all souls within his diocese. Authority to teach, preach and distribute the sacraments come from the bishop and the bishop is the only one who can distribute the Sacrament of Confirmation.  

Peter was the first Pope, a word simply meaning “Father”. The Pope is the head of all bishops but this does not mean that he rules over them. He is called to serve and lead them. The bishops in union with the Pope is known as the magisterium and is tasked with the responsibility to teach what Christ handed down and to ensure what is taught by his Church stays true to what he taught.

As with all Sacraments, Holy Orders are an oath to the death. Like with baptism, when a man is ordained his soul is indelibly marked for eternity. Once ordained, always ordained even if one goes astray. Just as you cannot unbaptized someone you cannot unordain someone of their Holy Orders. Their faculties can be removed but the indelible mark on their soul is there forever. For a man to be ordained and then teach something contrary to what Jesus taught, or in other words something against the official Church teaching, that would cause the man to renege on his oath and cause him to fall into mortal sin. All who accept Holy Orders are bound by their oath to be obedient to the teachings of Jesus even when they don't personally understand the teaching.

Because they are shepherds to Jesus' flock a great responsibility is placed upon them. Extraordinary grace is granted to them to help them through their ministry. Pray for your clergy. They are the frontline foot soldiers against the evil one and darkness engulfing our world.

Until death do us part.

Marriage is the oldest of all of the sacraments. It was instituted by God in the twilight of the sixth day of creation.

“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

The man said,
            “This is now bone of my bones,
            And flesh of my flesh;
            She shall be called Woman,
            Because she was taken out of Man.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” – Genesis 2, 18-24.

God authored marriage and therefore is the ultimate authority as to what marriage is, who it is between, and how long it lasts. Man has never been good at acknowledging or respecting God’s authority in anything. Changes to God’s plan started with Moses, the law giver. Moses’ people turned their backs on the law and demanded the ability to divorce. Moses eventually gave in to the pressure and allowed his people to divorce. The type of divorce Moses allowed is not the same as how we define divorce today. Read my previous blog post for a deeper dive into biblical divorce – Biblical Divorce.

When tested by the Pharisees, Jesus reaffirmed God’s definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman for life. The people preferred their definition over God’s and made themselves the ultimate authority on what marriage is, who it can be between, and for how long it lasts.

“Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 19, 3-9.

God defines marriage as being between one man and one woman for life. Marriage is called to be open to life – procreative, one flesh union. Two becomes three in unity. The family is the foundation of all society and marriage is intended to furnish the stable base where all human interaction starts. We are all called to be brothers and sisters living together in love.

This definition is too restrictive for man to follow. We have taken it upon ourselves to continue in the footsteps of the people of Moses and redefine what marriage is. We have three basic kinds of marriage among Christian people today.

The first is the civil marriage. It is a marriage defined and performed by the state. Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling who can be married in the United States is now open. No longer is marriage strictly between one man and one woman. Same sex marriages are now recognized. It is still between one person and one person but the door has been opened to legalize polygamy and multiple marriages in the near future. Civil marriage is a contractual marriage. A contract is the free exchange of goods and/or services for an amount of time. They are not lifelong. A civil marriage can last for a lifetime, and many of them do, but they can be terminated at any point in time by a simple divorce. The divorced pair are then able to marry someone else without restriction. Sadly, in a recent poll, this is the type of marriage over 56% of Catholics support. There are groups within the Church who are demanding that the Church get with the times and accept this as the definition of marriage. She is in the same position that Moses was after the exodus.

The second type of marriage is the blessed marriage. This is a marriage that is fully recognized and approved of by the Church, which for one reason or another does not rise to the level of a sacramental marriage. One of the elements of a sacramental marriage is missing and therefore this type of marriage does not receive the full measure of sacramental grace that is received when one is in a sacramental marriage. This often happens when a Catholic marries without the proper form or matter or marries someone who is not baptized or of another faith. A couple can have their marriage blessed by the Church only if some element that keeps the marriage from being considered sacramental is missing and there is nothing that can keep it from becoming sacramental exists. A Catholic woman who marries an unbaptized man can have her marriage blessed. A Catholic woman who marries a divorced man cannot. An unbaptized man can always become baptized. A divorced man can never really become “unmarried” as we see a marriage being for life. If the divorced man’s wife dies he then becomes free to marry again and then that marriage can be blessed and even become sacramental.

The reason a person should have their non-sacramental marriage blessed is so they can receive the other sacraments. A couple who has a blessed marriage can receive the Eucharist (if the requirements to do so are met). They can receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Healing. Those living in an unblessed civil marriage cannot receive these sacraments.

The third type of marriage is the sacramental marriage. This is the type of marriage all Catholics who are called to the vocation of marriage are called to. Marriage is one of the three sacraments that are universally accepted as a sacrament among the mainstream Christian religions. The main difference between the Protestant sacrament and the Catholic sacrament is that Protestants can divorce and end the marriage. For a Catholic a marriage is for life.

This series on the sacraments centers on how they are “oaths until the death”. The Catholic Sacrament of Marriage is probably the easiest of the sacraments to see how this principle applies. Catholics believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, open to the creation of new life, for as long as both people are alive. A Catholic marriage is a covenantal marriage, not a contractual marriage. A covenant is the total giving of one’s self for the total receiving of another for life. The only thing that can end a covenant is the death of one who has entered into it.

The Baltimore Catechism defined a sacrament as, “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." This is the main difference between a blessed marriage and a sacramental marriage. God gives grace to couples living marriage as he defined it, not as man defined it. There is nothing we cannot accomplish with the grace of God. A sacramental marriage living with the grace of God is a good and holy thing that all marriage should be modeled after.

If you are an American Christian do not fret over the recent Supreme Court ruling considering the definition of marriage. Man has been trying to redefine marriage since the time of Moses. It only deals with a civil marriage. For a Catholic, marriage is so much more. For us, marriage was instituted and defined by God, the ultimate authority in all things. Supreme Court justices come and go and their rulings change with time. God is eternal and his love for us never changes.

What we do with our bodies we do with our spirits

One thing that always upsets me is when I see the disrespect of our Lord by those who claim to love him the most. This is especially apparent twice a year – between May and June as the weather turns warmer and again in the fall as football season ramps up. Yes, I am going to rant about clothing.

If I had any ability to draw I would have made a cartoon picture of Jesus on the cross. Standing in front of him would be a guy in shorts, T-shirt, and flip-flops looking up at him. The caption would read, “I did this for you and that is the best you can do when you come to see me?”

I can hear the sighs and see the eye rolls already. I have it heard it before, “God doesn’t care what I wear to Church. He is just happy that I came.” The arrogance in that statement never fails to astound me. The Creator of everything that is, was, and ever will be is happy just because I could carve out forty-five minutes of my time to come see Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Of course, I sat there bored out of my gourd and annoyed because the homily went over five minutes. Why can’t the priest have some respect for my time? Doesn’t he know I have more important things to do today? I know I was ten minutes late and left right after communion but I put forth the effort. That’s all that matters, right?

C.S. Lewis said it best in the Screwtape Letters when he said what we do with our bodies we do with our souls. We do Catholic aerobics (sit, stand, kneel, bow, genuflect, cross ourselves) precisely for this reason. We show respect with our bodies so we can show respect with our spirits. Why do we come to Mass? Simply because God is deserves our worship. He is king of all creation and our salvation and redemption. Nothing or no one is more worthy or more deserving of our worship, love, and respect. If nothing or no one is more worthy then nothing or no one is more worthy of our best. God surely deserves better than a T-shirt, swim trunks, and flip-flops. We are going to be in the presence of the greatest King ever to rule the earth, not to a barbeque on the beach.

Likewise, when fall rolls around we will start to see our favorite football jerseys be worn in pride to Mass. Whom do we venerate when we wear our jerseys to church, Jesus or good ol’ #4 (Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers, who is a god to many north of the cheddar curtain). Having pride in the home team has its place. That place is not the Mass. The Mass is time to love, adore, and worship the Lord alone.

And that is where I think the problem firmly falls. I think there is a general misunderstanding of what the Mass actually is. Many of our Catholic brethren have gone the Martin Luther route and see Mass as nothing more than a prayer service, an instruction of the faithful. Mass is no longer a sacrifice.

In reality, Mass is a time machine where heaven and earth come together as one and we are mystically transported back to the foot of the cross at Calvary to be with all the angels and every soul who has or will ever live to participate in the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ. The priest acts as the conduit merging all of these plains of existence and times into a single act. The Mass is not the same sacrifice repeated. It is the one sacrifice that we are joined to each and every time we participate in it.

If you could stand before Jesus on the cross on the day he was sacrificed would you show up in a T-Shirts and shorts or a football jersey or would you choose to dress a bit better? Well, each and every time you participate in the Mass you are doing just that – you are standing before Jesus on the cross on the day he was crucified. Just because you cannot see the angels and saints surrounding you does not mean they are not there. Just like with faith you have to believe what eyes cannot see.

“Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”  - Exodus 3, 1-6.

When Moses came before the Lord the Lord made Moses remove his sandals because he was on Holy Ground. Likewise, when you come before the Lord in the Mass you are also on Holy Ground. It has been consecrated and set aside for the Lord. To come before the Lord without regard to the way you dress is disrespectful at the very least, most likely sinful at best, and probably idolatrous in the extreme. You shall have no other gods before me, even Brett Favre.

Ask yourself this question; if the clothing worn to Mass doesn’t matter how would you feel if the priest ditched his itchy Roman robes for shorts and sandals? How would you feel if he walked out to do a wedding in a Green Bay Packers football jersey? What if he showed up to baptize your baby in flannel and cowboy boots? Most would be downright furious if this happened to them. Sadly, some would only be upset because their pictures would be ruined but most would view this as a gross disrespect to their special day. Every day is a special day to the Lord.

Clothing is an extension of the soul. It is the visible representation of how important an event is to you. If the Bishop was going to be at Mass you wouldn’t wear your shorts and T-shirt. If the Pope was coming by you wouldn’t wear your Michael Jordan jersey. If you were going to meet the President of the United States you wouldn’t do so looking like a hobo. You would have respect for the office these men hold even if you had no respect for these men as men.

Yet all of these men fail to compare to He whom we come to worship during Mass. I get to hold the creator of everything in my hands during Mass. I get to enthrone my King, my Salvation and Redemption and my life with my body. I get the greatest honor a lowly creature like me could ever have.

The devil wants us to be disrespectful. He wants us to be callous and unaware of the Lord. Once he is successful in separating us in the small the important is easier to get us to turn from. Once the devil gets us to think that the Lord doesn’t care for things like how we dress for Mass it becomes easier for him to convince us that God doesn’t care about the important things like abortion or same sex marriage.

It is time we revive “Sunday Best” and start showing our respect for our Lord when we gather to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass.

The Source and Summit

           The third sacrament of initiation is the Eucharist. Volumes have been written on the Eucharist and volumes more will be written before Jesus returns for the final judgment. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the entire Catholic faith and the greatest of all sacraments. That is because the Eucharist IS Jesus – body, blood, soul, and divinity. Catholics believe in the real presence. It is no longer bread or wine but the actual, physical body and blood of our Lord.

As a side note – is has been estimated that only about 80% of Catholics actually still believe in the real presence. This estimate is always in error. 100% of Catholics believe in the real presence. If you claim to be Catholic but do not believe in the real presence you are not really Catholic no matter what you call yourself. If you honestly do not believe in the real presence find yourself an agreeable Protestant church and start practicing what you truly believe. This is a non-negotiable topic for Catholics.

Why do Catholics believe in the real presence in our Eucharist? Quite simply – Jesus told us it is so.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

                Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” – John 6, 47-58.

                The disciples did not understand at that time because Jesus had not revealed to them yet how this was going to come to be. That happened at the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the Eucharist.

                “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” – Matthew 26, 26-29.

                So why did Jesus have to institute the Eucharist? Let us look at a little understood passage from the resurrection of Jesus on the third day.

                “Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Don’t touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” – John 20, 15-19

This is another example where meaning has been lost when translated from Greek into English. Why would Jesus tell Mary not to touch him? He didn’t when read in the original Greek. In Greek verb commands have two flavors. One means simply to do something one time. The other means to do it and to continue doing it until told to stop. When we see the word repent in the bible it is almost always in the later form – repent and keep repenting all your days.

In this passage the command to touch is also in the later form. What Jesus is actually saying to Mary is don’t keep touching me. If you are like me and were there that resurrection morning you would want to hug Jesus and never let him go. That is exactly what Mary was doing. Jesus, not yet risen to the Father, was still in a glorified, earthly body. He could be only in one place at one time. Until Mary let him go he could not appear to his disciples.

Once Jesus ascended to the Father, and rejoined Him in the oneness of time, he was then available to be all places at all times. Jesus was able to descend back into the Eucharist at all places it was consecrated for the rest of Human time. He had fulfilled his promise to be with us, in a very real sense, until the end of the age.

Non-Catholics and even many Catholics do not understand why the Church does not invite everyone to celebrate in our communion. Catholics will share the Word of God with anyone who will listen but only share the Body of God to those in the club. To receive the Eucharist in the Catholic Church you have to be a Catholic in a state of grace (no mortal sin on their soul). Why?

Because the Eucharist is a Sacrament and like all Sacraments it deals with something given, not received. When you freely accept the Body and Blood of our Savior you are reaffirming the oath to the death that was taken by you or for you in baptism and then reaffirmed in your confirmation. You are swearing that you will live your life for Jesus and die for him if necessary. To accept the Eucharist and then go out and live an unchristian life you risk serious harm both physically and spiritually.

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” – 1 Corinthians 11, 27-32

This is Saint Paul’s way of saying that if you enter into this oath unworthily you can bring sickness, even to the point of eternal damnation, upon yourself if you do not live up to the oath. For this reason we cannot give the Eucharist to just anyone who wants it. We cannot just give it to everyone and let Jesus work within them. The Eucharist is a very powerful medicine for the healthy but a very powerful poison to the sick. One has to be in a healthy state of grace, healed of their sins through the sacrament of reconciliation, and in the proper state of mind to take part in the Supper of the Lamb.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic Faith. If it is not what we know it to be our entire faith is in vain.

A Small, Still Voice

           Illinois was the last state of the Union to pass a concealed carry law. Almost immediately “no guns allowed” signs started popping up all over the land. Although we now had the right to carry, many places - public and private, didn’t want anyone exercising that right, at least on their chunk of dirt. I wish we could do the same thing with cell phones and cameras.

I was recently at a friend’s ordination to the priesthood. It was a beautiful and elegant ceremony, rich with symbolism and the Holy Spirit. I doubt many around me ever noticed any of that. They were too busy trying to catch a photo memory of the event for later that they couldn’t be present to experience what a picture cannot capture in the now. I am not referring to those who took occasional snapshots of cherished moments. I am referring to those who stood in the pews (in, not on) constantly recording or clicking away at their cell phones. They obviously had no regard for those sitting behind them who were also trying to see. This then caused others to stand and lean sideways so they could catch the pictures they wanted. Getting the pictures came before the people and the moment.

As an ex-videographer for a local priest and as a proud father equip with a video camera I can tell you firsthand how much of an event you miss when seen through a little viewfinder or LCD screen. I always have to watch the tape over several times just to catch the details I missed when filming. At events like this ordination, a baptism, confirmation, or wedding we are called to be present, witnessing the Glory of God and the Holy Spirit at work. You are not going to catch the Holy Spirit on your Galaxy Note 6 or iPhone.

                But that is exactly what the devil is hoping for. God speaks to us in a still, small voice that we can only hear when we are listening and open to His presence. When we are distracted by the noise of life and things we think are more important than the moment at hand, like catching every little detail on camera, we easily miss the Holy Spirit speaking to us.

                Holy Spirit – that’s a bit of a poor translation of the actual Greek used in scripture. The actual Greek word used for the Holy Spirit is “pneuma”.  A better translation of this would be “breath” or “wind”. It is where we get words like pneumonia and pneumatic, both words dealing with the movement of air. We see many places in scripture where the Holy Spirit is referred to as a mighty wind. In Genesis at the beginning of creation we see the wind come over the waters and calm the chaos. After Pentecost we see a mighty wind rush into the upper room and tongues of fire come to rest over the heads of the Twelve. Anywhere you see the Holy Spirit mentioned in scripture think of it as the Holy Breath of God.

                God speaks to us in a still, small voice – a whisper. How is a voice made? Breath is passed over the vocal cords to make vibrations the ear sends to the brain where it is translated as sound. The Father speaks to us through His Holy Breath. What is spoken but words?

                “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  - John 1, 1-5.

In the beginning the Father used his Holy Breath to utter one Word. That Word was Jesus. And Jesus was with the Father and of the same stuff as the Father (consubstantial). Father – Holy Breath – Word (Jesus). This is the Holy Trinity – the three Persons, one God Catholics know to exist.

                Jesus was tested by the Pharisees; “But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22, 34-40.

                Jesus was referencing the Torah, which we Christians know as the Old Testament. This is Law handed down by God through Moses.

                “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6, 4-9.

                When you ask a Christian or a Jew what the great law is they should answer, “Love your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” This, in reality, is the second part of the great commandment. Hardly anyone will ever reference the first part of the great Commandment.

“Hear, O Israel!”

                We are instructed to hear God first, and then love Him with everything we have and are. When we are not present to hear the Holy Breath we cannot follow the Law as it was handed down to us. When we are too distracted by the noise of life we cannot hear that small, still voice when the Father tries to talk to us. When we do not hear we cannot love with everything and all that we are.

                When was the last time you told a priest that one during confession? It should be the first sin out of your mouth.

                So put the cell phones and cameras down during our religious ceremonies and be fully present to the Father, His Holy Breath, and His Word of Life – Jesus. You will come away with so much more than just pictures.

 

                For anyone who has never seen an ordination please watch the ordination of my friend, Father Ervin Pio M. Caliente. Pray for Father Ervin as he begins this new chapter in his service to our Lord.

Accepted

“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.”

The ordination of the first deacons - Acts 6, 1 – 6

Deacon is the English translation of the Greek word “diákonos (διάκονος)” which literally translated means “table waiter”. There are three types of ordained ministers who receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. They are the Deacon, the Priest, and the Bishop. There are two types of deacon – the transitional and the permanent. A transitional deacon is a deacon who is going on to become a priest. All priests are first ordained deacons. A permanent deacon is a man who will only be ordained a deacon and not move on to the priesthood.

A Bishop is both the head deacon and the head priest. Priests are the sacrificial arm of the Bishop. Deacons are the service arm of the Bishop. Together they serve God’s people in service and sacrafice.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT PERMANENT DEACONS

Who is a Deacon?

A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups, or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came "to serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.

How many Permanent Deacons are there in the Rockford Diocese?

The Rockford Diocese currently has 151 deacons including both those who are active or retired. The ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 was the 22nd Ordination for Permanent Deacons in the Diocese. 21 men were ordained as deacons, the largest class in diocesan history. The first class of 15 men was ordained by Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill in 1975.

 

What are the requirements to become a permanent deacon?

Men must be between the age of 35 and 55 and must complete two years of ministry formation and five years of diaconate formation. These programs are conducted by the Diocese of Rockford. For more specific requirements and how to get started, men should first contact their parish pastor or contact the Office of the Permanent Diaconate.

 

What are these "various ministries" of the Deacon?

All ordained clergy in the Church are called to be ministers of the Word, Sacrament, and Charity, but bishops, presbyters and deacons exercise these functions in various ways. As ministers of the Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services. As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church's resources to try and meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to work toward eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. No matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they all flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only WHAT a deacon does, but WHO a deacon is, that is important.

 

May married men be ordained deacons?

Yes. The Second Vatican Council decreed that the diaconate, when it was restored as a permanent order in the hierarchy, could be opened to "mature married men," later clarified to mean men over the age of 35. This is in keeping with the ancient tradition of the Church, in which some married men were ordained into ministry. Also in keeping with ancient practice is the expectation that while a married man may be ordained, an ordained man, if his wife should die, would not marry again.

 

Is a Deacon ordained for the Parish or the Diocese?

Whenever a person is ordained, he is to serve the diocesan Church. Deacons are no different in this regard: they are assigned by the bishop to ministries for which the bishop perceives a great need, and for which the deacon may have special gifts or talents. Most often, this will be within a parish setting, just as most priests serve in a parish. Once assigned to a parish, the deacon and any other clergy assigned to the parish, minister under the immediate supervision of the pastor. However, this assignment may be changed at the request of the deacon or the initiative of the bishop.

 

How do I find out more about becoming a Deacon?

Contact the Office for the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Rockford at 815-399-4300 ext. 375 or visit their website at http://www.deaconrockford.org.

(Source: The Diocese of Rockford and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Today I received my acceptance letter into Pre-Aspirancy, the first step to entering into the diaconate. If I make it through the summer classes, assessments, and formal scrutiny I will advance into the Aspirancy and hopefully the Diaconate class of 2020. I feel that God has called me to this vocation and if it is truly His will He will grant me the grace I need to see it through. Say a prayer for me as I start this new journey on the Road to Damascus.

If you have never seen the ordination of a deacon please watch the ordination of my friend and mentor Deacon John Huntley. Deacon John was ordained in the diaconate class of 2014 - the largest diaconate class if the history of the Rockford Diocese.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

The second sacrament of initiation is the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Sacrament of Confirmation is necessary to complete the grace we receive at our baptisms. The confirmed are more perfectly bound to the Church and enriched with the special strength of the Holy Spirit. They fully take on their roles as priest, prophet, and king and are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word, by deed, and by example.

The word “Christ” is the English translation of the Greek word “Christos”, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” meaning “anointed”. We have come to know “Christians” as followers of Christ, but a more accurate meaning is “an anointed people”. Anointing imprints a spiritual seal. Oil is rich in meaning and symbolism. It is a sign of abundance and joy. It cleanses, limbers, heals and is used for beauty. Chrism oil is used to anoint those being confirmed and is the sign of consecration. Once anointed, they share more completely in the mission of Jesus and their lives are to give off “the aroma of Christ.”

To consecrate means to “set aside” and to be sealed is a mark of ownership. When someone receives the Sacrament of Confirmation they are anointed, consecrated and sealed to the Lord. They become His property and their lives are no longer their own. It is a time when those who were baptized as infants assume the responsibility of their baptismal oaths their parents and god parents took for them. The responsibility then falls squarely on those who are confirmed.

Confirmation is a sacrament and carries with it the ancient meaning of an oath to the death. When someone is confirmed they swear an oath to take on more fully their role as priest, prophet, and king and share in Jesus’ mission to bear witness to the glory of God. They are to evangelize, spread the Gospel and live in such a way that it is apparent to anyone who looks upon them that they are children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus. They are freely accepting the life that Jesus calls them to, even if that is a life of hardship or even death.

What confirmation is not is a rite of passage, a ticket to be punched, or a reason to have a photo opportunity in the Church with the old guy in funny ancient Roman robes with a party to follow. It is not something deserved or something owed. It is something given. It is an oath given to live as Christ in the world and die for Christ if required. God gives the confirmed the special grace they need to fulfill this task. To get confirmed and then not darken the doorstep of a Church again until you get married is perjury at best and condemnation at the extreme. An oath is often easy to take but hard to live up to. Unless someone is willing to pick up the cross and follow Christ they are better off not swearing the oath or receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

A Response to my Anonymous Friend

“It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 5, 31 & 32

“He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Matthew 19, 8 & 9

It is pretty clear from scripture that Jesus said that under certain circumstances that divorce was ok. Why then won’t the Catholic Church allow me to divorce and still receive the Eucharist if Jesus allowed it? The answer may surprise you.

Can a divorced Catholic receive the Eucharist during Holy Communion? The answer is ‘yes’ as long as the divorce is biblical.

As Catholics we are encouraged to read our bibles and to gain inspiration from them. What we are not to do is to try to interpret scripture for ourselves. This is a prime example as to why. We moderns read scripture with a modern understanding and modern definitions of words. We see the stories through our modern cultural understanding. We are also reading a translation of scripture from its original language. Original intent and meaning is often lost in translation.

In Jesus day women were considered possessions. They couldn’t vote. They couldn’t testify in court. They went from their father’s house to their husband’s rule. The word betrothed to us means “engaged”. In Jesus day betrothed meant that the man and woman were married but not yet living together. Once the woman moved into the man’s house she was his property and responsibility.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” Matthew 1, 18 & 19

In other words, Mary was married to Joseph, her husband, but had not yet moved in with him – betrothed. She was pregnant with a child that was not his – unchastity or immorality. According to the Law of Moses Joseph was going to issue her a certificate of divorce and send her away quietly so not to disgrace her. According to Jesus’ own words in the first passage Joseph had every right to do this.

The problem is that biblical divorce does not mean the same thing as modern divorce. Biblical divorce does not undo the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. That can be undone by no man.

“And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Matthew 19, 4 – 6

Biblical divorce is akin to a legal separation. There are reasons when a man and woman can no longer live together. Infidelity, immorality, and abuse are examples of these. A man was responsible for his wife as long as they resided in the same house. A woman could not move out of her husband’s house unless he issued her a certificate of divorce. If a man and woman were legally “divorced” they were living apart but still considered married. Neither could marry again. If they did they were considered to be in an adulterous relationship.

Modern divorce effectively ends the contract of marriage and frees the two people up to marry again. For a Catholic, marriage is not a contract but a covenant. A contract is the exchange of goods or services for a set period of time. A covenant is the total giving of self for life. The Catholic understanding of divorce is in the biblical context that Jesus described it and not in the modern understanding we have today.

So, can a civilly divorced Catholic receive communion? Yes, if that Catholic has not moved on to another sexual relationship. If they have moved on into another sexual relationship, either pre-marital or through a second civil marriage, they are considered to be living an adulterous life, in mortal sin, and therefore cannot receive our Lord in the Eucharist. They have forfeit their life when they reneged on their oath to the death that being the Sacrament of Holy Marriage.

So what is an annulment? Isn’t that just a Catholic divorce?

No. It’s not.

An annulment in the Catholic Church is a very serious matter. The Church is basically ruling that a conferred sacrament was never really conferred in the first place. This is something they have to be absolutely sure about. If your first marriage was indeed a validly sacramental marriage and they allow you to remarry the sin is on the person who allowed it. I am sure there is no honest priest who wishes his soul be damned to hell just to let a couple he will likely never see again unknowingly commit adultery.

 

Because of this the Church has a very arduous, thorough and legalistic process that must be completed. Each spouse is appointed an advocate.  Something a kin to a deposition must be completed by the person seeking the annulment as well as at least four witnesses who knew the couple before and after the marriage. The other spouse is given a chance to give their side of the story and contest the annulment if they so desire. The couple must also be civilly divorced before starting this process.

 

Once all of the paperwork is complete the advocates go over it and it is brought before a tribunal for review. If the tribunal feels that there are grounds to proceed the petition for annulment is then sent to a judge for a ruling. If the judge finds just cause to issue the annulment it is automatically sent to the court of second chance. There everything is reviewed once again and a final decree is then issued. If both judges come to the same conclusion a decree of nullity is issued and both parties are free to marry again. The original marriage was never valid and therefore did not happen. 

Like I said, this is serious stuff. The Church has to make sure that it gets this right.

Anonymous rightly points out that the annulment process did not exist at the time of Jesus. At the same time the Sacraments as we understand them today didn’t exist at the time of Jesus either. If the annulment process is a sham because it was made up by man sometime after Jesus ascension to heaven doesn’t that make the Sacraments a sham as well? The concept of a sacrament was borrowed from the Roman army. It wasn’t a Jewish concept.

Jesus knew that as the Church progressed through time she would face new problems for which she had not received direct instruction on. Jesus gave His authority to the twelve, who passed on His teaching to their successors. He made the Church His authority on earth. We believe that the Pope is infallible when he teaches on faith and morals from the teaching chair of Peter when in union with his Bishops.

“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”  1 Timothy 3, 14 & 15

Anyone who teaches something in contrary to official Church teaching is either led astray or is not Catholic at best and a heretic at worst. We are called to believe 100% of Church teaching when it comes to the faith and morals. We have been assured by Jesus Himself that His Church will not err in this arena. If we do not agree with Church teaching we are to repent, a word with the Greek origin (metanoya) meaning to change one’s mind to that of God.

We are to believe first, then accept and finally seek to understand. We are never to put of own opinion before official Church teaching. Official Church teaching is the teaching handed down from God himself. To be opposed to it is to be opposed to God. This is nothing more than human arrogance and a tool the devil uses to separate us from God.

Born again in the water and Holy Spirit.

Baptism is the first of the Sacraments and the starting point to all Christian life. It is the gateway to life in the Spirit and the doorway that gives access to all of the other Sacraments. Without baptism you cannot receive any of the other Sacraments.

                Baptism is from the Greek word “baptizein” meaning to plunge or immerse. The “plunging” into water symbolizes our burial into Jesus’ death while rising up from the water symbolizes our rebirth through Jesus’ resurrection as a new creature and an adopted child of God. This is the Catholic understanding of being “born again in the water and the Spirit”.

                Baptism washes away the stain of original sin and restores us to the pure state Adam and Eve were created in. Because we come from fallen parents it does not remove our desire for sin, known as “concupiscence”. Baptism leaves an indelible mark on our souls and consecrates us or “sets us aside” for God. We become His adopted children.

                The Catholic practice of baptism differs greatly from many of the non-Catholic Christian denominations. Some of the things we believe about baptism they believe are wrong. Some of them are:

1: Infant baptism. Some believe that baptism has to be a conscious choice made by the person being baptized and therefore infant baptism is wrong. Catholics believe that baptism is a conduit for conferring grace from God and therefore should not be denied to an infant. There are several scriptural passages that show whole families being baptized together. One can assume that infants existed in those families and that they were also baptized at the same time.

2: Submersion, pouring or sprinkling of water. Some believe that the only valid baptism requires one to be completely submersed or plunged into the water. Catholics and many mainstream Protestants usually use pouring of water. Submersion is the ordinary means for baptism but isn’t always possible or practical. The pouring of water in the proper form is thereby acceptable. In the event of an emergency sometimes even pouring of water isn’t possible. Sprinkling of water during those times is then also acceptable. One shouldn’t get caught up in the method or amount of water used. The gift of God’s grace is what is important. We allow Him to work through us to deliver grace, even if that is only one drop at a time.

3: A one-time event. For a Catholic and most main stream Protestants baptism is a one-time event. Once baptized you cannot be baptized again. There are some Christian churches out there that believe in multiple baptisms. They use baptism in much the same way Catholics use the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

4: Other forms of Baptism. Catholics accept two other forms of Baptism that aren’t commonly accepted outside of Catholicism.  They are the Baptism of Desire and the Baptism of Blood.

Catholic adults entering the Church are usually baptized as part of the Easter vigil. If a catechumen, a Christian convert under instruction before baptism, expresses the desire for baptism but dies suddenly before they can receive baptism we believe that God, in His great mercy, accepts that person’s desire to be baptized in the same manner as if they were baptized. Scripture tells us of the good thief on the cross next to Jesus. He was not Jewish and therefore most likely not baptized either. His desire was enough to get him into paradise.

 

We also believe that unbaptized people who are martyred for their faith are then considered baptized by their own blood.

In both cases the baptism did not happen using water or the ordinary form for baptism but we believe that God, in His great mercy, accepts the person as baptized because they would have been had they been given the opportunity.

 So how is the Sacrament of Baptism an oath to the death?

 For an adult this is simple. They pledge to live their life for Jesus when they accept Him as their Lord and Savior as part of their baptism. They affirm that they believe ALL of the teachings of the Catholic Church during their baptism when they affirm the precepts of the Church listed out in the Apostles Creed. Baptism opens the door to a life in Christ that they freely walk through when they choose to be baptized. If one leaves baptism and lives their life in blatant opposition to Church teaching they perjure themselves at best or renege on their oath at worse. To renege on an oath in which you have pledged your life forfeits your life.

 But how about infant baptism? How can you hold an infant accountable for an oath they could not freely take? You can’t. But it isn’t the infant taking the oath. The parents and god-parents are one ones taking the oath. They are the ones taking the oath that they believe all that the Church teaches and that they will raise this infant with instruction on such. The true role of a god-parent is to insure that the child gets to Church and gets properly instructed on what the Church believes and teaches. They are not to be just another gift giver at Christmas and the kid’s birthday. How many god-parents take this responsibility seriously?

When a parent and a god-parent sponsor an infant being baptized and they do not raise that child with any instruction they have reneged on the oath that they have taken. The seriousness and sin is not put on the child but on the parent and god-parent who fail to live up to the conditions of their oath. Being a god-parent is a serious role and not just another opportunity for a title and photo opportunity.

Baptism is the first of the seven Sacraments. It opens the door and brings one into the Body of Jesus. From there all life begins.

Sacramentum non amplius

No more oaths...

           Words have meanings. Actions have consequences. Ignorance of either does not automatically get you off the hook when you do something wrong. It is important to understand that what you say and do affects where you will spend all of eternity once you pass from this world into the next.

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” – Matthew 5, 33-37

Literalist interpret this passage to mean that they should not swear an oath under any circumstance, not to a country, not for military or public service, and not even in a court of law when they are called to testify. Catholic understanding is a bit different. Jesus did not come into this world to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. It is necessary to swear an oath to be able to enter into a covenant with God. In his sermon on the mount Jesus is telling people that words have meanings and actions have consequences and if they do not take that seriously they are better off not swearing oaths at all for they will lead to their eternal damnation.

As Catholics we swear oaths to God all of the time and most of us never realize we have done it. Then, we leave the Church and live lives contrary to the oaths we just took. At best, we perjure ourselves by living contrary to our oaths. At worst, we renege on our oaths and forfeit that which was pledged as collateral on the oath, kind of like defaulting on a mortgage. Instead of putting your house up as collateral you are putting up the eternal resting place for your soul. This is why Jesus advises us not to swear an oath at all. It is far easier not to swear an oath than to live up to one. So when exactly do we swear oaths as Catholics?

In ancient Rome a Roman soldier would take a sacramentum to Caesar. They would pledge their life in service to him. If they do so with honor they would be rewarded a farm upon their retirement. If they failed they would not only lose the farm but they would lose their life as well. The early Church borrowed from this concept when they instituted our sacraments (English translation of the Latin word sacramentum). The Catholic Church (Roman and Orthodox) has seven official Sacraments – Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Healing. Most mainstream Protestant Christians recognize three of these – Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage.

Each of these Sacraments are an oath to the death and we are pledging our very lives when we freely enter into them. They are not simply a rite of passage or a ticket we need punched. They are the very fabric that defines our relationship with God. Most never get past the superficial action or understand the true meaning and significance of these sacraments. In short – they are not taken with the seriousness they deserve and therefore we try to redefine their meaning to suit our ever changing culture and desires.

The seven Catholic Sacraments fall into three categories – Sacraments of Initiation, Sacraments of Service, and Sacraments of Healing. Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist are the Sacraments of Initiation. They bring a person into the Body of Christ and joins them to His holy family. Marriage and Holy Orders are the Sacraments of Service for when one enters into these sacraments they are pledging their life in service to another. Reconciliation and Healing are the Sacraments of Healing and their purpose is to restore the relationship between us and God when we fall out of relationship with Him through sin.

Over the next several blog posts we will examine each of these sacraments to better understand how it is considered an “oath to the death” and what is expected of us when we freely enter into it. Stay tuned.

Next up – Baptism. On deck – Confirmation.