Where is Penance?

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Where, oh where?

Two incidents.
First, yesterday’s diocesean paper, a letter to the editor from a Catholic nun giving a parable about how Jesus weeps when He sees all the judgmental people at Mass murmuring about “how dare this person approach for communion when they are sinners, when they lie, when they have had abortions, are in invalid marriages , etc.” Her Jesus tells ALL the people to come forward. After all, in the beginning of the Mass we confess all our sins, right? The Eucharist is for EVERYONE, so don’t stay in the pew and think that you are not WORTHY.

And I am perplexed because nowhere, NOWHERE, does Sister bring up the fact that penance (or reconciliation) is necessary before one can receive communion, if one is in a state of mortal sin.

Anyone reading Sister’s parable would think that he had no NEED for confession, just showing up for Mass made him A-OK to receive. Jesus WANTS him to!

Well, I figure I’ll take 24 hours to mull this over and pray about it.

Second: This morning at 7:30 Mass with the parochial vicar–a gifted speaker albeit he is allergic to staying at the lectern or even in the sanctuary during his homilies. Father gives his sermon telling us how Jesus’s death has freed us from our sins, let us rejoice. We have nothing further to do. He’s done it all. Let us bask in God’s love, love, love. No matter what sin we have done, we need NOT be afraid. He’s forgiven us.

Again, not one single word about penance. Nothing about what our responsibility is for our sins, about repentence, reconciliation, and reparation. Not one.

So. . .

I am sorely perplexed. In Sister’s case of the parable, is it “merely” that she is trying to keep people from feeling too guilty to approach God, and thus is emphasizing his forgiveness?

Now I’m just a plain-Jane average 40 something cradle Catholic and quite honestly the people I know at Mass and outside Mass suffer from, if anything, a LACK of guilt feelings. I am serious. The majority of the people I know in my diocese do not feel guilty. Why do I know? They TELL me so. They have been fed for some 30 plus years with “God is love” and “victimology”. Nothing is their fault, whether it is in reference to their faith, their relationships, their jobs, their thoughts, words, and deeds. Why should they feel guilty?

And in Father’s case, is it the same? Is he so caught up with the idea that love means never having to say “you’re wrong”, “you’ve sinned”, “you need to repent”, “you need to change”, or afraid of appearing “judgmental”, “mean”, “UNLOVING”? Some of his other homilies have indeed talked about taking a stand, doing the right thing, so this homily was not really “usual”. Could he have been influenced somehow by the letter in the paper, which he would have seen the previous day?

It was just so very strange that such a downplay of reconciliation–indeed a definite “reteaching” regarding Church Teachings-- occurred the way it did–and during Lent at that–and I am perplexed.

Has anyone else experienced a “cosmic shift” type of preaching/teaching from their priests, religious etc.?
 
Tantum ergo:
Where, oh where?

Two incidents.
First, yesterday’s diocesean paper, a letter to the editor from a Catholic nun giving a parable about how Jesus weeps when He sees all the judgmental people at Mass murmuring about “how dare this person approach for communion when they are sinners, when they lie, when they have had abortions, are in invalid marriages , etc.” Her Jesus tells ALL the people to come forward. After all, in the beginning of the Mass we confess all our sins, right? The Eucharist is for EVERYONE, so don’t stay in the pew and think that you are not WORTHY.

And I am perplexed because nowhere, NOWHERE, does Sister bring up the fact that penance (or reconciliation) is necessary before one can receive communion, if one is in a state of mortal sin.

Anyone reading Sister’s parable would think that he had no NEED for confession, just showing up for Mass made him A-OK to receive. Jesus WANTS him to!

Well, I figure I’ll take 24 hours to mull this over and pray about it.

Second: This morning at 7:30 Mass with the parochial vicar–a gifted speaker albeit he is allergic to staying at the lectern or even in the sanctuary during his homilies. Father gives his sermon telling us how Jesus’s death has freed us from our sins, let us rejoice. We have nothing further to do. He’s done it all. Let us bask in God’s love, love, love. No matter what sin we have done, we need NOT be afraid. He’s forgiven us.

Again, not one single word about penance. Nothing about what our responsibility is for our sins, about repentence, reconciliation, and reparation. Not one.

So. . .

I am sorely perplexed. In Sister’s case of the parable, is it “merely” that she is trying to keep people from feeling too guilty to approach God, and thus is emphasizing his forgiveness?

Now I’m just a plain-Jane average 40 something cradle Catholic and quite honestly the people I know at Mass and outside Mass suffer from, if anything, a LACK of guilt feelings. I am serious. The majority of the people I know in my diocese do not feel guilty. Why do I know? They TELL me so. They have been fed for some 30 plus years with “God is love” and “victimology”. Nothing is their fault, whether it is in reference to their faith, their relationships, their jobs, their thoughts, words, and deeds. Why should they feel guilty?

And in Father’s case, is it the same? Is he so caught up with the idea that love means never having to say “you’re wrong”, “you’ve sinned”, “you need to repent”, “you need to change”, or afraid of appearing “judgmental”, “mean”, “UNLOVING”? Some of his other homilies have indeed talked about taking a stand, doing the right thing, so this homily was not really “usual”. Could he have been influenced somehow by the letter in the paper, which he would have seen the previous day?

It was just so very strange that such a downplay of reconciliation–indeed a definite “reteaching” regarding Church Teachings-- occurred the way it did–and during Lent at that–and I am perplexed.

Has anyone else experienced a “cosmic shift” type of preaching/teaching from their priests, religious etc.?
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Not in our church. It doesn’t seem to matter what the theme of the homily is our priests are always reminding people of the type of sins that prevent people from receiving Communion and they must go to Confession.
 
Well, I’m in Vermont. . .but I’m moving soon. I’m hoping that this is just coincidental, that the paper will carry a “clarification” or correction, and that Father’s next homily will include more talk about what our response to the Father’s love must be. Here’s hoping!
 
Hmmmm The theme I get from my pastor and indeed the entire diocese including the bishop is that while Jesus did die for our salvation we have to accept this gift and make ourselves worthy of this gift. In my parish we don’t have the same preconceived distain for reconcilliation I saw when I lived on the East coast. Heck, I remember our old pastor, God bless him and his very long but direct homilies, give a 45 minute homily about fornication, reconcilliation and forgiveness. I admit I was amused as I looked around and noticed a few people hanging their heads and not looking at ANYONE. Well that was until my son, (very ADHD) then 7 yo, a bit too loudly asked what fornication was. The whole gist of what he was saying is that it doesn’t matter what you have done, come to confession with the serious intent to sin no more and you will be welcomed back into our Fathers arms and partake of the bread…pretty clear that you needed to go to confession before going to communion. It isn’t unusual in my parish for someone you know is Catholic, you have seen them go to communion before, to go up for a blessing at communion instead of the body and blood. Nobody judges, nobody thinks twice about it…we have all been there. I like my parish!!!
 
Has anyone else experienced a “cosmic shift” type of preaching/teaching from their priests, religious etc.?
Click to expand...
The other posters must be quite blessed at their Parishes because here in the tolerate-everything Northwest, we NEVER hear the word Confession. I can personally attest that when I go, I am the only one there. And I go to a few different Churches. During Christmas, I had hoped that the priests would say something about the “annual” obligation to attend this sacrament. But after visiting 5 different Churches in the diocese, I did not hear this invitation even once. Now, with Lent almost over, I still have not heard a word from the pulpit about the need for Confession.

And still the pews empty out for Communion every single Sunday!
 
Our priests have even commented during the homily how short the Confession lines are but how long the Communion lines are!!
 
Tantum ergo:
Well, I’m in Vermont. . .but I’m moving soon. I’m hoping that this is just coincidental, that the paper will carry a “clarification” or correction, and that Father’s next homily will include more talk about what our response to the Father’s love must be. Here’s hoping!
Click to expand...
The paper can carry a clarification for sure if you write a letter to the editor explaining the need to confess mortal sins before communion. I wouldn’t think that they would not publish your letter.
 
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