Thanks for friendly post - nice of you.
With respect, there is no way we can know or see:blush: what people do in their sexual interactions, so unless they tell us (bit unlikely) how can we assume there is “sin”?
Hope you enjoyed your Christmas and wish you happiness in 2015
There is no way I can know or see whether a host has been consecrated in the Mass, but I can still believe it is the Eucharist.
You are correct that sin is a matter of conscience, and the state of one’s soul is a matter between them, their confessor, and God, but your conclusion is way off base that since something is supposedly private, it cannot be judged or governed or sinful.
The Church has clear teachings on what is and is not sin. This is derived from Natural and Divine Law, that is “written and engraved in the soul of each and every man, because it is human reason ordaining him to do good and forbidding him to sin”. The position you espouse is the heresy of relativism, or modernism, that nothing can be spoken of in absolutes, that there can be no eternal truths. Through revelation to mankind, God has made his law and commandments abundantly clear. He has given us every tool to judge for ourselves whether an action is right or wrong. He has given us the guidance of the Church to interpret for us the law, and to govern us according to it.
You might be aware that our Holy Father once said, “Who am I to judge?” Of course, this is out-of-context. Francis elaborated that this hypothetical judgement should not be passed as long as a person is of good will, and seeks God with an honest heart. The Holy Father admonishes sinners daily, if you follow his words closely, you will see that he never fails to call out bad behavior, bad attitudes, evil doings, injustice and hatred. In his Petrine ministry, he has been entrusted with the Keys of the Kingdom, and that is the power to teach and judge. To people who listen to his words every day, Francis might seem mighty judgemental, and it creates some cognitive dissonance if you do not understand the context of his most famous remark. But he is exercising the power of the Church, and setting an example for all of us, because as Christians, we have all been entrusted with the Law, and we all have a right and responsibility to admonish sinners, and fraternally correct those who go astray.
If I see my brother walk into the street in front of oncoming traffic, I immediately make a judgement and pull him back to safety. I do not stop to think that maybe he made a private decision and that’s between him and God, I act to save his life. The same goes with sin: if we see someone doing wrong, especially out of ignorance, we are morally obligated to correct that person and ensure that his spiritual life is saved. This is an even graver responsibility than pulling my brother out of the road, because at issue is salvation and eternal life.
Everyone is entitled to privacy and confidential matters of the marriage bed do not need to be aired in public. However, I think as Christians we should hold each other accountable. It is not imprudent to have a trusted friend of the same sex in whom we confide about matters of the flesh. It is a touchy subject, so mutual trust should be established, and all care must be taken to avoid bragging and gossip and encouragement of sin. But we have to be accountable in these large matters. Sins must be confessed, and so ultimately your only confidant may be a confessor. But it is wise to have a spiritual director, and good friends whom you also trust.
Even matters which we think are private have a way of slipping out. My partner brags or gossips, I have a moment of imprudence and say something I shouldn’t, whatever happens and suddenly a sin we thought was private is made known. Sometimes something we think is private and secret is nevertheless betrayed by our words or actions. What of it then? If I come to know of a private, embarrassing sin, direct admonishment may not be the right course of action. Perhaps prayer is the only way. Or subtly dropping hints, steering the subject to a suitable matter so we have an excuse to speak out against the sin without identifying and betraying the sinner,
per se.
But I digress. The judgement of actions and the admonishment of sinners are both very important obligations to a Christian, and anyone calling himself Catholic should seriously consider whether he has lived up to the responsibility given to us by Christ’s death and resurrection, and our participation in it through out baptism.
