The forgiveness lesson at Mass

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Today, the readings at Mass (especially the Gospel) had a forgiveness/penitential nature about them that a lot of us (including me) need to learn. Our priest’s homily was basically about forgiveness and how we have to strive to be better at forgiving others when they hurt and or harm us, even when it can be the hardest thing to forgive. An example our priest gave to us was the Amish shooting back in 2006 when the Amish community forgave the shooter and his family and prayed and asked for others to pray for them as well. Did you encounter the forgiveness lesson today? Do you need to forgive others?

I just liked to share that I learned something today that I can carry on for the rest of my life.
 
Yep, parish priest gave another “feel good homily” in regards to forgiveness. What I wanted to hear was Church teaching on the sacrament of reconciliation. If I didnt know any better and I heard my parish priests homily, I wouldnt know what the sacrament was.
 
A sad fact is that most Catholics do not go to confession because they arent taught the need for sacramental confession. Homilies like these do not instruct the laity, they continue to lead us in ignorance.
 
A sad fact is that most Catholics do not go to confession because they arent taught the need for sacramental confession. Homilies like these do not instruct the laity, they continue to lead us in ignorance.
Yes, the Reconcilation fact was not brought up. However, he brought up the hell factor. We can either forgive or go on with hatred in our hearts and end up in hell. I think someone told him that they need to bring up hell more often in homilies and not always have “feel-good” preaching.
 
Honestly, I dont believe I have ever heard “hell” mentioned in a homily in the four years I have been Catholic. If I did, it was so subtle that I don’t remember.
 
In the ten minute homily we received, Reconcilliation was not brought up. I am fine with that. We have the need for confession brought up several times every year. I think another fine example of forgiveness is seen in the example of Ven. John Paul II forgiving the man who shot him. Then we have the example of St. Maria Goretti. Our pastor tied in the Feast of the Sacred Heart which was this week.
 
The Sacred Heart was revealed to our patron Saint, but no image of the Sacred Heart exists in our parish. One carved piller outside is supposed to have the image on it, but it looks more like an indian with feathers.
 
Our was a great homily given by a newly ordained priest.

It was on the need for deep repentance, how it should be OUR tears that flow over the feet of Christ (and he pointed to Christ on the Cross).

How most who come to Mass are really like the Pharisee, thinking we are clean, when we really should be down on our knees crying over the offenses we have given to God.

And yes, Confession got mentioned several times, as well as how our society has lost the sense of what sin is and how damaging it is to our soul. He also mentioned that we cannot claim to really love God without recognizing how our sins have offended Him.

Did I mention that our seminary has been producing some really top notch priests 👍
 
Our was a great homily given by a newly ordained priest.

It was on the need for deep repentance, how it should be OUR tears that flow over the feet of Christ (and he pointed to Christ on the Cross).

How most who come to Mass are really like the Pharisee, thinking we are clean, when we really should be down on our knees crying over the offenses we have given to God.

And yes, Confession got mentioned several times, as well as how our society has lost the sense of what sin is and how damaging it is to our soul. He also mentioned that we cannot claim to really love God without recognizing how our sins have offended Him.

Did I mention that our seminary has been producing some really top notch priests 👍
I would love to hear homilies like that.
 
It sounds like Brendan heard a great homily this morning. 👍

Our priest actually did talk about sacramental confession for the first time since we joined this parish six months ago. He spoke about how we as a society have forgotten what sin is and how no one goes to Confession when it is scheduled. I know that I am among those who do not take advantage of this sacrament, but I still thought the homily was kind of watered down to such an extent that most of us could keep on not going. He wasn’t very convicting.
 
We had a very good homily about forgiveness. It was given by a visiting priest who just celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. That was awesome enough in itself, but his homily was just terrific. Basically, he said we should never be afraid to approach the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Take advantage of Reconciliation frequently because through that Sacrament we can come to really understand God’s love for us. Jesus didn’t turn the repentant sinners away and we shouldn’t think that he’ll turn us away.

That was the summary of the homily and he made many other great points. It was solid teaching and also made one ‘feel good,’ too.
 
Today was the first time in a long time that I actually heard a priest talk about the sacrament of reconcilliation during a homily.
In fact, the opening comment in the homily was

“I think that most Catholics today do not look at sin as something that they do, or even take seriously anymore, and that is why there has been such a decline in the amount of people who take advantage of the sacrament of reconcilliation.”

Talk about a **WOW **moment!
You could practically hear a pin drop!

What was even more shocking to me (I found this out after Mass) was that this particular priest was using a using a homily that he had first given nearly 25 years ago!

It is sad, that even 25 years later, this topic is still just as, if not more so, relevent today.

Confession was one of the “issues” that caused me to leave the Church 20 yars ago, and it has also been a great grace to me upon my return to the Church.
As far as I am concerned, the Sacrament of Reconcilliation is the most misunderstood and least appreciated sacrament, and I wish that more priests would encourage it’s regular practice.
 
Our pastor also talked about forgiveness. He talked extensively about how we need to seek the sacrament of Reconciliation. He mentions it all the time. He also reminded us that Jesus told St. Faustina that there was no match for His mercy. So that no matter how big our sins, He would always forgive us if we asked. He finished by asking us to take a good look at ourselves and see if maybe we hold grudges and don’t forgive like we ought to. I thought that was a good take-away. He usually leaves us with a challenge to check up on ourselves to see how we are doing in living our faith.
 
I think our parish priest tries to hard in his efforts to not offend anyone. This is one reason my FIL, who has attended the parish for 20 years believes that adultry and taking the name of the Lord in vain are personal choices and “God understands.”
 
SOLUTION TO PEDOPHILIA IN THE CLERGY.
The article “And the Pope Cried” rolling in the Internet is touching but it does not convince everyone. However, it surfaces the problem of pedophilia in the catholic clergy, which many say is connected to the CELIBACY because the church does not allow priests to marry. Human beings were created to procreate and to have progeny (children). The bible says that man must procreate and multiply! To date, priests do not follow this specific God’s ordinance in the holy bible.
1st FACT: Catholic priests always have the chance to be alone with altar boys in their parishes or churches, especially when they prepare for mass, baptisms, or other events in the church. Mostly they dress alongside the “altar boys”. Slowly those priests develop a sexual desire towards some particular boy! Therefore, a pedophile priest is a bomb ready to go off. This crime affects disastrously not only the church’s reputation but also all those honorable priests who take that vow seriously!

1st SOLUTION: If the church changed the regulation of celibacy and allowed priests to marry, many psychologists say that 99% of the sexual offences against altar boys would go down or disappear in the catholic clergy. The proof is obvious and already exists: ALL other religions allow marriage of their priests, bishops, deacons, etc. And consequently we do not hear about pedophilia occurring in any of those churches. This sexual abuse only happens inside the CATHOLIC church. Therefore, the crime of pedophilia in the clergy is entirely the Church’s fault.

2nd SOLUTION: The Pope should eliminate the presence of `Altar Boys” in the church. Why does it have to be adolescent boys helping the priests? When Jesus said, “Let the children come to me”, He did not mean come help the clergy. The church should allow only old, retired men to help priest, not young boys. And why does it have to be BOYS helping the priests? Why?

2nd FACT: Many Christians do not know, or perhaps have not researched on their own, the fact that JESUS was married. According to independent historians, His wife was Mary Magdalena. Long ago this fact was obscured by the catholic clergy. Although Jesus is the son of God in the flesh, Jesus and God were one in purpose, objectives, and intention. To put simply, Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi and no rabbi passed the age of 25 years old without marrying, unless due to mental sickness or physical inability. Historians say that probably He got married between the age of 18 and 25 as it was common in the Jewish tradition in those days. Perhaps that is why no one knows much about Him between the age of 14 and 28 years. Marriage, as both a natural institution and a sacred union, is rooted in God’s plan and comes as a gift from the hands of God. However, how can any priest teach anything about marriage if they have NO experience in this area?

Why don’t we have written evidence that Jesus was married? The answer is with the Ecumenical Council (LXX) around the first century when the clergy removed written references from the canonic books that Jesus was married. But nowadays clues are surfacing to indicate that Jesus was indeed married. In the bible it is written about the marriage party where Jesus himself served wine to the guests. The Jews nowadays say that at that time only the FIANCÉE was allowed, or was a custom, to serve wine to the guests. Jesus served them. Perhaps the Conclave did not remove this detail from the books because they did not know Jewish traditions. In the process they removed or left out many important information to produce a bible the way they wanted.
For instance, they did not include in the Bible the “Book of Mary”, which nowadays is interpreted as being written by Mary Magdalena. She appears sitting on the right side of Jesus in the painting of the “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci. She also walked next to Jesus and followed the apostles wherever they went. She and the Mother of Jesus are seen together crying at the site of the crucified Jesus. Why only the two women are present at Jesus crucifixion? Have you really thought about it? Notwithstanding, if they indeed had children as any other rabbi in those days, this would be the most wonderful fact for the world to know. All this makes sense, if any Christian thinks about it with an open mind and his heart open to God’s spirit of revelation.
3rd SOLUTION: If the catholic church changed the rule of celibacy to allow or make it optional for any PRIEST to marry, they would be following the example that JESUS gave us. Such example includes that men should be married, have children, have FAMILY and progeny. That was God’s intention when He created Adam and Eve. What better man, other than Jesus, to show us the example of becoming a father of a family in a marriage blessed by the church, and raise children in the ways that God intended? Jesus would be the supreme example for all human beings to follow. However, the church “cut off its own legs” when it did not include in the Bible all indications of a “married Jesus” in the canonic books LXX, They eliminated more than one third of the books, and this was a great error that now hurts the church.
Yes, the Pope cried when he heard cases of pedophilia perpetrated by priests…. But His crying does not help nor change the attitude of abusive pedophile or gay priests. Therefore their sexual desire is likely to go on. But God is the one who cries more. Among men, the Pope should act on the CAUSE of the problem and not on the SYMPTOM. Crying alone does not help. As my grandfather used to say: “PIANGERE MAI RITORNA IL MORTO – crying does not bring back the dead”.

SUMMARY:
– Allow priests to marry, or give them a choice to do so if they desire.
– Eliminate altar boys in the church.
– Enlist only elderly men to help priests during the mass.
 
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