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CONFESSIONNon-Catholicto learn it's provided for in Protestant Bible tooREV. J. EDWARD YEAI.DIIILL\/V FTER His Glorious Resurrection, “Peace be to you” is our Lord’s greeting to His own. It was His reassurance to those who were in hiding now for fear of the Jewish mob Which had led Christ to the execution on Calvary’s hill.But probably the feature of today’s Gospel which holds our attention more closely is its plain, simple story of the institution of the Sacrament of Penance. Just today, by phone, another priest and I discussed this part ofthe Gospel of Low Sunday. We began with a comparing of notes on instruction of non-Catholics. Father C. told me of a recent experience in giving one of the six required instructions to a non-Catholic who was to marry a Catholic. (Such instructions are required, for a dispensation to a mixed marriage in our Archdiocese.)The priest began to talk of Confession and its beginnings in the New Testament with the words of Christ. The young lady he was instructing responded with vehement objections to his claims. Now Father C. keeps handya Protestant Bible (The “Authorized” or King James Version). He took it up and read John 20:21 and 22: “Then said Jesus to them again, ‘Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me. even so send I vou.’ And when he had said7 Wthis, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain,they are retained.’ ” The young lady took the book from Father and read. Then she became positively indignant! never saw this; they didn't tell me about this!”Well might the young lady of our true story be upset. She had been deprived of God's forgiving graces in theS’**-** •- *1: -wt/r'SINS ARE FORC.IVEX by the Holy (-host. Priests dischargea ministry for the remission of sins; they do not exercise any power of their own. For they forgive sins not in their own name but in that of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy (.host. They ask. the Godhead gives.—St. Ambrose*** -**•,* -W-V.Sacrament of Penance. She had been deprived of encouragement, comfort, and strength which could have been hers through the years as a Catholic.Christ, being God, knew human nature. So He designed this Sacrament to supply a need in human nature. Forgiveness, because of the weakness caused bv Original Sin: a Di vinely appointed confidant, for we need help outside ourselves. Human nature doesn’t want just to “feel saved.” We are intelligent beings. We want assurance of forgiveness — the assurance that the absolution of the priest inthe name of God gives us.Use this Sacrament of Penance which Christ gives us for our needs. Don’t think of Confession only in terms of forgiveness for serious sins, a means of getting back inGod’s grace when it has been lost. True, this is the mostimportant function of the Sacrament. But its other functions are important too in their own way: grace to overcome temptation, humiliation in confessing faults which is a good determent to sin, the check-up on conscience madenecessary by regular confession, the advice and encouragement given by a confessor. All of these things are part of confession and make the habit of frequent, even weekly confession a valuable aid to spiritual progress. Go to Confession carefully and sincerely every week and you can practically guarantee the salvation of your souls!
Newspaper Details
Dallas Texas Catholic
Dallas, Texas, US
Sat, Apr 04, 1959
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TX, USA 14 May 2021
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