I am an apostate

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pacem222

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Several months ago I left the Church. When I did so, I wrote a letter to my parish priest telling him my reasons for leaving. I explained that at the time, I had issues with the holy see on a number of topics.

Now several months have past and I have had a change of heart and wish to return to the Church. I called my priest and expressed my interest in doing so. I also expressed an interest in returning to my post as a reader at the Church Here is his response:

“Well Jim I have to prayerfully consider this. If you want to read then you have to formally come back to the Church and make a profession of faith. We can’t have you do that for two weeks. So call me back in two weeks and then we’ll talk more.”

Is this guy for real? I mean let me be clear…I have NO PROBLEM making a profession of faith in addition to going to confession. The issue I have is the fact that he is deliberately making me wait two weeks. Sounds like he’s trying to bust my chops if you ask me. So here is what I said to him:

“Father do you recall the story of the repentant thief? If memory served me right he didn’t have to wait two weeks to be reconciled to the father. Neither did Peter when he denied Christ 3 times, neither did the women caught in adultery, neither did the woman at the well, nor Thomas, nor Nicodemus, nor anyone so why should I have a two week delay??”

This is nonsense!! Tomorrow is Saturday and I can go to confession in any other church in my city and receive forgiveness and get right back into that communion line and that is exactly what I am going to do!
 
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pacem222 said:
Is this guy for real? I mean let me be clear…I have NO PROBLEM making a profession of faith in addition to going to confession. The issue I have is the fact that he is deliberately making me wait two weeks. Sounds like he’s trying to bust my chops if you ask me. So here is what I said to him:
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Why are you flying off the handle at this priest? Maybe he isn’t available to talk for two weeks. Maybe he wants to talk to a canon lawyer and make sure he doesn’t need to do anything else. Maybe he wants to sit down with you to make sure you’re not just going to leave the Church again in a week when something else bothers you.

From what you’ve posted, your priest is being perfectly reasonable. You’re coming off as kind of unbalanced, frankly. You need to relax.
 
You can go to confession anytime.
Going to the ambo as a reader not so much.
 
There are 2 issues here.
Yes, you can go to confession and start receiving Communion again.

The reading thing, well he is your Pastor, and no one has a “right” to be a liturgical minister, so his Church, his rules.
 
I think your priest is trying to see how serious you are. Waiting and talking to him would imply greater patience and a sincere desire to repent and rejoin that just flouting his request and taking things into your own hands. You did express a desire to become a reader, and he needs to know whether you’re going to stay or walk out again.
 
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Considering the tone of your OP, Father is being prudent.

You don’t have a right to be a reader. It is the Pastor’ discretion. If you keep a level head, he’ll likely reinstate you. Eventually.

But, by all means, get to the confessional ASAP and be reconciled with God.
 
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pacem222 said:
Several months ago I left the Church. When I did so, I wrote a letter to my parish priest telling him my reasons for leaving. I explained that at the time, I had issues with the holy see on a number of topics.

Now several months have past and I have had a change of heart and wish to return to the Church. I called my priest and expressed my interest in doing so. I also expressed an interest in returning to my post as a reader at the Church Here is his response:

“Well Jim I have to prayerfully consider this. If you want to read then you have to formally come back to the Church and make a profession of faith. We can’t have you do that for two weeks. So call me back in two weeks and then we’ll talk more.”

Is this guy for real? I mean let me be clear…I have NO PROBLEM making a profession of faith in addition to going to confession. The issue I have is the fact that he is deliberately making me wait two weeks. Sounds like he’s trying to bust my chops if you ask me. So here is what I said to him:

“Father do you recall the story of the repentant thief? If memory served me right he didn’t have to wait two weeks to be reconciled to the father. Neither did Peter when he denied Christ 3 times, neither did the women caught in adultery, neither did the woman at the well, nor Thomas, nor Nicodemus, nor anyone so why should I have a two week delay??”

This is nonsense!! Tomorrow is Saturday and I can go to confession in any other church in my city and receive forgiveness and get right back into that communion line and that is exactly what I am going to do!
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It is a very reasonable condition. Your defection was public, and so your return to a public ministry must also involve a public reconciliation, such as the profession of faith he demands. And a two-week waiting period is nothing. The ancient disciplines were much more severe. Monks who left the monastery and wish to return had to ask two, three, four times before they could be readmitted, and then, with a penance.

However, returning to Communion is indeed as simple as bringing your defection to confession. It restores you to grace, but does not give you the right to read at Mass.

And given the tone of your post, and the fact that you had the gall to mouth off at him given that you are the one who defected, the priest is probably right to give you that two weeks, even more right to pray over it, and is probably going to be correct in not re-admitting you to ministry permanently. You probably need time to grow in the personal practice of your faith before you minister to others.
 
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When people repent, they’re supposed to come back repentant and humble.

Not have a tantrum because they weren’t immediately allowed to resume reading God’s Word from the ambo.

As LGM said above, the priest may need to check up on whether he’s allowed to just let you start reading again or should he do anything first. He’s likely also filled your slot with another reader by this time. Your suddenly leaving the church, from your position of public responsibility, was likely alarming to people in the church and may have caused a small scandal. Naturally the priest wants to make sure you’re not going to suddenly up and leave again before he trusts you with being in the public eye.
 
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Two weeks is like, one fortnight, as the pioneers used to say. Why is that so unreasonable? Or do you mean he’s trying to make you wait two weeks to return to the church? He might be testing your resolve to return and wants you to really be determined to remain. Go to confession and thank God you have the grace to want to return, that is cause for celebration here, brother. Welcome back.
 
Apparently everyone here misunderstood me. I never said I was upset about not being able to read. That part is fine. I am upset about the two week waiting period to even go to confessiion and start receiving the Eucharist again. If he wanted me back as a member of his church he would take me back. Pure and simple! God doesn’t wait two weeks so why should he? I completely understand why I might not be able to read right away…no issues there.
 
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They probably have scheduled lectors for several weeks.
 
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Canvas said:
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pacem222:
I am upset about the two week waiting period to even go to confessiion and start receiving the Eucharist again.
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Is formal apostasy a reserved sin that requires a Bishop’s involvement?
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sixteen characters
 
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Canvas said:
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pacem222:
I am upset about the two week waiting period to even go to confessiion and start receiving the Eucharist again.
Click to expand...
Is formal apostasy a reserved sin that requires a Bishop’s involvement?
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That’s for his confessor to determine. The armchair canon lawyers here should refrain from offering speculation, and even Dan here cannot speak towards whether there was a penalty incurred.
 
Not to mention the fact that many people in that church are involved in quite serious sin and I’m pretty sure the priest knows about it or at least suspects it. Yet he gives them communion every week!
 
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porthos11 said:
That’s for his confessor to determine. The armchair canon lawyers here should refrain from offering speculation, and even Dan here cannot speak towards whether there was a penalty incurred.
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I agree fully. There are so many variables involved, and all kinds of specific conditions must be met before an excommunication goes into effect.
 
pacem222 said:
Not to mention the fact that many people in that church are involved in quite serious sin and I’m pretty sure the priest knows about it or at least suspects it. Yet he gives them communion every week!
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Remember what Christ said about the beams in our eye vs. the specks in others.

Focus on the state your soul and not that of others.
 
As others have said, your impatient and judgmental attitude is not helping your case. Yes, the prodigal son was forgiven before he even got his words of repentance out … but he didn’t go home expecting that.

Did your pastor really say to wait two weeks before you could even come to confession or Mass? Or does he want to meet with you to discuss your apostasy and return, and two weeks is the closest appointment he has? Are you sure he didn’t mean it was the reader duty that would take more time to sort out?

When I returned to the Church after a period away (though without any formal departure), I was asked to attend a program for people in that situation, and I did so. I don’t remember if I held off on confession and communion until after that or not, but my point is that there may be a local procedure for helping people with their difficulties with the Church and easing them back in. You may not need it, just like not every convert really needs RCIA, but it’s not a good showing to immediately make demands when you were the one who broke off the relationship last time.
 
pacem222 said:
Exactly Mrsdizzy so why am I being denied the sacraments? The choir director is boinking the head soloist on top of the church organ but my priest has to “prayerfully consider” if I can come back or not? lol what a joke!
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You seem a bit entitled and abrasive, frankly. Is there a lot of friction between you and others at the parish?
 
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