Yes, I believe that is what I said. It is a mortal sin to disobey the Church teaching of abstaining from meat on Fridays unless we live in a country where you may substitute another penance. In which case not doing the penance is the mortal sin. Unfortunately all most people hear is the first part, "You don't need to abstain from meat" and ignore the second part "You must substitute another penance". The sin is disobedience, it has nothing to do inherently with meat.
I haven't been able to read all of the content here, but perhaps we should take a step back and consider how sin, especially sin of the body, hurts our Lord. This is exactly where the protestant churches got off track. Not only did they try to separate the Body of Christ from the Eucharist in their unbelief, but they separated sin of the human body from actually effecting anyone but the persons involved. The Holy Spirit always comes to convict of sin, and warn of the consequences. Then when one is convicted, they repent and rejoice in their Savior Jesus Christ and NO LONGER SIN IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! They reason they no longer sin is because they don't want to hurt our Lord, plain and simple. So as Jesus told me, no matter what ANYONE says, we do NOT have to sin. We do not have to lead others to sin or condone sin (even graver than our own sin, as Jesus tells us that anyone that leads another into sin would have been better off not being born). So lets love our Lord, keep ourselves pure, and be careful not to condone sin in any form. People can come up with a million ways to justify their sin, but in the end, we are all judged on what WE ourselves did. Prayers that we all make it through this final testing!
Wow, BH, I guess it could be interpreted like that.......although I am not sure infidelity is due to immaturity.....maybe in some cases.
This link goes into it further https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/marital_consent.htm I haven't seen statistics but the numbers I believe are not insignificant. A psychosexual or even a personality disorder at the time of marriage, if proven, may invalidate a marriage... inability to remain faithful, it seems, may be a symptom of these disorders...as might gross inability to parent children or be a minimally caring partner. There seems to be a growing recognition that these disorders have been underestimated in the past. When my Canon Law professor (in the 1980s) opined these views some of us approached him after class. We exclaimed that if the above is how Tribunals judge validity then significant numbers of married couples may not really be married before God until well after their marriage day - if ever. He quietly stated that was his own opinion also after many years of priestly ministry. Since that time I have heard a similar sentiment from other priest friends.
One of the problems of these times is that very few get to authentically live their vocation. It was only when i had my 4th child that i really grasped how much i loved being a mother, and how more fulfilling it was than my previous career. But my Englush non-practicing Protestant husband decided we had enough kids and had a vasectomy, thereby finishing my chance to have more children. The only way i have found to deal with this is to never initiate sex, and when he does i pretty much send a constant prayer to God for mercy for us. I assume lots of men with genuine vocations to the priesthood are "trapped" in relationships that bore children, and are now attending to those responsibilities. These really are times of confusion and compromise.
That is very spiritual...i feel for you. It shows your at a high level of spirituality. When one truly believes God is real...and all that it entails. Then we end up with these great crosses. I am still at a loss for words. I think God understands our intentions therefore we try our best to do His will. You might not believe it but there is lots of people in the same boat. But the path is sometimes a lonely one. Only for you and God. Hopefully you read this with the belief that God understands. He put us on this path and you are trying to do His will. Some theologians might argue you are sinning by the letter of the law. But this is where they are not God. When it is time to meet Our Maker, He will look in your eyes and see you have tried to the best of your ability to do His will. He will hug you and say welcome my child. May God Bless You and Your Family Brother Al
It makes me humbler to some extent anyway, and gives me an insight into why so many excuse the sin rather than the sinner - because of their own guilt... and isn' t that what the deceiver wants. I've got my own kneeler at the mercy seat of God. Jesus i trust in you. Thanks so much FS for your mercy to me, you described exactly what my heart desires, and the hope i have.
Bart thanks for sharing this, your desire for God seems so strong it is inspiring. This "true vocation" thing that we all get taught at Catholic schools and even in the pews...at least in my life...doesn't somehow fit reality. Like you I often wonder if its the same for others too. It seems to me that God actually want far more flexibility from us than the static "roles' we are lead to believe we should live up to. In the end we just have to do God's unknown will one step at a time in the place we are actually in. I often wonder if Jesus experienced the same at the end. The nicely planned mission he had planned for his own people came to nothing and he ended up crying out , My God My God why have you abandoned me. Yet he wasn't abandoned. We think he knew everything even on earth, but sometimes I wonder if he did wrt his own destiny all the same.
Oh, but true vocation is real and a true vocation. That is our goal Just because some follow their crosses differently doesn't mean others don't take it to the next level. As in sports... those that put in time and effort (practice) are spiritually stronger. Not necessarily in heaven but here on earth. So we are all called to true vocation but some take it the extra step. We just will never know who those power saints are...could be you could be me. But unity with God is everyones true vocation. Brother al
I do not believe and don't presume to think that Father Deter's mother was seen objectively by the Catholic Church, as being in a state of mortal sin. You quoted canon 2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. My reasoning is on many levels; 1] Mrs Deter, more than likely, was spiritually at the Mass every Sunday [with her boys], celebrating the Eucharist with more heart and soul than those that were actually physically present at the Mass and was quite possibly making a spiritual communion as well, recieving Our Lord spiritually; as Father Deter explained she prayed and made spiritual exercises at home. 2] Gossip and defamation of character are very grave sins and cause many evil consequences, to be the target of such evil, is in itself a serious reason that very well may be more serious than illness or the care of the infirm or infant. 3] The Holy Catholic Church has bound the obligation of participation in the Eucharist on Sundays and Holy days of Obligation, under pain of mortal sin if not kept, however the Holy Catholic Church has also in Her wisdom, in the same canon, given the reasons that excuse the faithful and therefore defaulting to God to be the judge as to how serious the reason is.
Somehow i do think there was a blue print of the sin free version of the life i might have led, but in my sinful, fallen state i have often chosen death instead of life. But my good God may have changed the incline of some of the lesser roads i have taken, in order to give me better options at the next cross roads, if ya know what i mean. This is the grace that is my only hope. I don't think it humanly possible to make all the right choices, the more i surrender, the righter my decisions. And ditto for all mankind. God knows how fabulous we could have been, and he loves us inspite of all our wrong turns.
Does the Catholic church give static 'roles" to the individual catholic's of the world? I don't think so. The church acknowledges that saints, are those people that have overcome the hardships that life throws at them and they are the ones that abide by the so called static/robotic nature of laws/canons but in dynamic ways and therfore keeping but also outshineing these laws and rules . These great saints make lemonade out of lemons. Laws are there for those that need explainations of truth. Hebrews tells us that true law is written in our hearts. Hebrews 5 11 On this subject we have many things to say, and they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. 12 Indeed, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elements of the principles of God's sayings; you have gone back to needing milk, and not solid food. 13 Truly, no one who is still living on milk can digest the doctrine of saving justice, being still a baby. 14 Solid food is for adults with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad. Hebrews 8 8 And in fact God does find fault with them; he says: Look, the days are coming, the Lord declares, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, 9 but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors, the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, and I too abandoned them, the Lord declares. 10 No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel, when those days have come, the Lord declares: In their minds I shall plant my laws writing them on their hearts. Then I shall be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 There will be no further need for each to teach his neighbour, and each his brother, saying 'Learn to know the Lord!' No, they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, 12 since I shall forgive their guilt and never more call their sins to mind. 13 By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is old. And anything old and ageing is ready to disappear. Hebrews 10 15 The Holy Spirit attests this to us, for after saying: 16 No, this is the covenant I will make with them, when those days have come. the Lord says: In their minds I will plant my Laws writing them on their hearts, 17 and I shall never more call their sins to mind, or their offences. 18 When these have been forgiven, there can be no more sin offerings. 19 We have then, brothers, complete confidence through the blood of Jesus in entering the sanctuary, 20 by a new way which he has opened for us, a living opening through the curtain, that is to say, his flesh. 21 And we have the high priest over all the sanctuary of God.
I noticed my mother never cried at funerals and these including those of her mother her brothers and sisters her sons and a grand child.I was much younger back then and thought that there was something admirable in her stoic attitude. She told me how much she wanted to cry but could not.
I think in terms of the Cross in the usual run of things we are like ice bergs and only a small part of our pain. I remember the Abbot in the monastery saying to me that we should be gentle and kind with others for we never know their pain.
It is such a huge gift to have someone to help bear and share the pain. But greater by far a living relationship with Jesus were we can go in the Blessed Sacrament and the privacy of our hearts if only to cry them out,emptying them of tears
