Can a Priest living in sin celebrate Mass

[Russel]

If what you stated is true. An Atheist could administer the Sacraments, correct?

 

[Russel]

Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

[Russel]

They will not accept my answer from the Catechism, they only accept the Bible.
The Bible is the final authority, and It is above all.
Is it possible to refer to Bible verses that would help me prove that the bread and wine are truly blessed even if a sinner or atheist is administering it.
They said the word of God (in Ephesians 5) makes it clear for us not to partake with sinners.

Ephesians 5: 5 - 12
5 For this ye know: that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

7 Be ye not therefore partakers with them.

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

10 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,

12 for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

 

[Russel]

Yes, a sinner can prophesize
we have the example in the Bible with Saul and the medium and as well as Paul with damsel

Act 16:16

16 And it came to pass as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed by a spirit of divination met us. She had brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.

17 The same followed Paul and us, crying out and saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show unto us the way of salvation.”

18 And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that same hour.

 

[DeniseNY]

Perfection is a goal as we are all called to sainthood. But are saying only those who have achieved perfection are worthy to be priests?

 

[Fauken]

Are the any Bible verses you can provide that could support the Church stands on this.

I’m not really sure I can. It’s simple logic. The grace of the Sacraments come from God, not the priest. What sense does it make that the sinfulness of a priest can block God’s grace?

If what you stated is true. An Atheist could administer the Sacraments, correct?

An Atheist can baptize people validly, provided that Atheist intends to baptize someone in the Catholic way/Trinitarian formula. An Atheist can also be married, though it may not be a sacramental marriage. An Atheist would require Holy Orders and intent to perform said Sacrament for the other five.

 

[Todd_Easton]

The Bible says that Jesus gave authority to the apostles and to the Seventy to perform a variety of miracles in his name and they did. Since Judas Iscariot was an apostle, there is every reason to believe that he worked miracles in Jesus’ name just as the other apostles and the Seventy, even though he was “a devil” (John 6:70) and “a thief.” (John 12:6)

 

[dochawk]

The Bible is the final authority, and It is above all.

That mistaken notion is at the root of Protestantism’s error.

The very existence and definition of the Bible is an exercise in the teaching authorities of the bishops of the Apostolic Succession; it’s *not something that Christ handed to Peter on the way to Calvary . . .

Accepting the heresy of sola scripture, which itself contradicts scripture , is not the basis for discussion.

 

[TomH1]

Whilst the sacraments were instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ the Church does have the right to regulate them.

There was a heresy in the fourth century that claimed the effectiveness of a sacrament was dependent on the holiness of the minister who administered it. They were called Donatists.

St. Augustine spilled a lot of ink to refute this position which is called ex opere operantis, which means the sacraments are effective on account of the one doing the work. This is not true.

While the Church calls her priests, and all Christians, to high standards of holiness, the sacraments are effective independent of a minister’s holiness because a perfect God is ultimately providing the sacramental grace, not the imperfect human minister.

 

[Gorgias]

Is it possible to refer to Bible verses that would help me prove that the bread and wine are truly blessed even if a sinner or atheist is administering it.

Look to Paul’s assertion that even he is incapable of knowing whether he’s in a state of sin (that would preclude his salvation) or not.

An atheist cannot confect the Eucharist.

An Atheist can also be married, though it may not be a sacramental marriage.

Just to make it perfectly clear: an atheist cannot be in a sacramental marriage. He can be in a ‘natural marriage’ (which is a perfectly good and wholesome thing, since it’s God Himself who endorses marriage!), but by definition, a sacramental marriage is exclusively a valid marriage that is between two baptized Christians.

An Atheist would require Holy Orders and intent to perform said Sacrament for the other five.

… which would imply that he’s not an atheist.

Since Judas Iscariot was an apostle, there is every reason to believe that he worked miracles in Jesus’ name just as the other apostles and the Seventy, even though he was “a devil” (John 6:70) and “a thief.” (John 12:6)

Good point. But, he never exercised priestly ministry (including celebration of the Mass), which is what the OP’s question was, right?

 

[Mintaka]

The search term that you want is “ex opere operato.”

St. Augustine’s works written against the Donatists are also full of information and Scripture points.

Technically, a baptized atheist could be in a sacramental marriage. He would be a very bad Catholic, that is all.

 

[Gorgias]

Technically, a baptized atheist could be in a sacramental marriage. He would be a very bad Catholic, that is all.

He wouldn’t be an atheist, then, right? He’d be a Catholic (albeit with a newly-found skewed belief system).

 

[Russel]

@tomH1, thank you for the explanation
This is very confusing…a priest who is living in sin can administer mass and take communion, because as you stated of God’s grace, but the same priest can refuse communion to a parishioner living in sin. So, In the case of the parishioners living in sins God’s grace do not apply.

Reading Canon 915
Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law indicates the principal cases in which Communion may be publicly refused. The canon says, “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”

 

[Russel]

Jesus paid dearly for our sins, He died so we can be saved. Be perfect through Christ

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.

Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

 

[Russel]

@Todd_Easton…You said there is every reason to believe that Judas Iscariot worked miracles in Jesus name.
Can you refer to a Bible verse that he did work miracles?

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

 

[Fauken]

This is very confusing…a priest who is living in sin can administer mass and take communion, because as you stated of God’s grace, but the same priest can refuse communion to a parishioner living in sin. So, In the case of the parishioners living in sins God’s grace do not apply.

Not quite. Canon 916:

“Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contritionwhich includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.”

A priest in mortal sin may celebrate Mass and receive communion as part of the Mass with grave reason. Without a grave reason, however, he is guilty of sacrilege. You were discussing the validity of the Sacrament, and that’s what he was referring to.

 

[DeniseNY]

So you’re saying priests should be perfect? A simple yes or no answer would be appreciated.

 

[Russel]

@dochawk…your statement truly raised my eyebrows. I think those that are not following Scriptures are in grave error.

Trust only in GOD, don’t put your trust in man
Proverbs 3:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

The Bible is the truly Word of God, and It is above all, I repeat above all writings.
John 1:1—>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I don’t think any Church Leader or anyone fill with the Holy Spirit can contradict the Word of GOD (the BIBLE).
1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

We should always pray for the Church leaders to do the will of God and to follow the path of God. in the history of our Church, there are so many times where the leaders have done the wrong things. We should always listen attentively to them and test their preaching through the Word of God. Judas Iscariot was an Apostle and a devil at the same time. I would not think if Judas was preaching his objective or writings would to save souls.
At the time of Judgement, we would not be able to use the excuse “Oh sorry Jesus, I did not know, and my priests told me to practice this way and believe that way”. He would answer us that He gave us His Word, and we should have followed it.

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The fallen Angels were not able to use the excuse that Satan told them to do it

2 Peter 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Be careful taking another person words above Christ. If somebody teaching contradicts the Word of God, always yield to the Word of God. God is always right, the Church leaders are rarely right.

John 12:48
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 

[angel12]

A simple yes or no answer would be appreciated.

He appears to have joined only to post this thread, and argue that Catholic teaching is wrong. I doubt that he’s interested in answering questions that don’t serve that end.

 

[DeniseNY]

He appears to have joined only to post this thread, and argue that Catholic teaching is wrong. I doubt that he’s interested in answering questions that don’t serve that end.

Indeed. It would be nice though if he would just be forthright and say it plainly.