Friday, April 20, 2007
Who Needs Confession - Part 1
The sacrament of Reconciliation is an amazing gift from our Lord. Sadly, many Catholics and non Catholics are confused as to why we tell our sins to another human. I mean can’t we just go straight to God?
I will break this series up into 3 parts. Here is how I will approach things.
- First I am going to talk about sin. Specifically, I want to discuss the differences between mortal sin and venial sin.
- Secondly, I am going to cover the reason we Catholics go to confession. Scott Hahn once said that when he is asked why Catholic’s go to confession he explains, “Because the instruction manual God left me tells me too!”
- Finally, I am going to discuss the rubrics of the sacrament. What do you need to do before going to confession, during confession, and after confession?
Sin
To understand sin we need to head straight to the Bible. Specifically, let’s start with the words of the beloved Disciple himself.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly (1 John 5:16, 17).
St. John is telling us that not all sin is created equal. There is such a thing as “deadly” or what we refer to as “mortal” sin. Patrick Madrid wrote in his book, “Where is that in the Bible” that mortal sins, by their very nature, literally kill the soul by purposefully eradicating sanctifying grace. In other words, mortal sin kills grace. Grace has been taken away.
OK, so let’s talk in a little more detail about the difference between a venial sin and mortal sin.
For a sin to mortal (deadly) three conditions must be met.
- The sin must be “grave matter” meaning serious. God’s top ten (10 commandments) are great for helping discern whether sin is grave.
- The sin must be made with full knowledge. In other words we know something is sinful and do it anyway.
- The sin must be committed with deliberate consent. This means I was not forced to commit this sin against my free will.
Paragraphs 1857-1859 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church offer more insight if you want to read more.
I have actually seen lists of sins… in this column are the venial sins and in this column are the mortal sins. And those lists are all fine and dandy. The thing is, besides God, only you know your heart. So my recommendation is to simply do a thorough examination of your conscious and bring all your sins – venial and mortal to the confessional.
Venial sins do not need to be confessed but I personally confess them anyhow. I heard a very troubling story once explaining how venial sin can lead to deadly sin. It went something like this.
A hunter was trying to catch a wild animal so he took some bloody water and froze it. Embedded in the frozen ice were razor blades. Once the wild animal tasted the bloody water it couldn’t stop licking even though it would soon mean its death. So it licked and licked and eventually fell over to its death. The hunter succeeded.
This is what venial sin can become. First it starts with a young boy looking at his Dad's swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. Then the young man graduates to another magazine that is even more provocative. Eventually the young man is addicted to Internet pornography which ruins his marriage and if left alone will likely send him to hell.
So confess all sins, venial and mortal, and fight them with all your might. But realize you cannot defeat Satan alone. You need the grace dispensed from confession and all the sacraments in order to defeat the dark one.
Posted by Ron Pereira 2 comments
Labels: Apologetics, Confession
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A Letter to my Son's Guardian Angel
Posted by Ron Pereira 3 comments
Labels: Guardian Angels
Monday, April 16, 2007
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Posted by Ron Pereira 3 comments
Explaining Purgatory
Introduction
Purgatory is one of the most difficult Dogmas for many Catholics and non-Catholics to understand. This tract will attempt to explain what Purgatory is and more importantly explain what Purgatory is not. It will also provide Biblical evidence for Purgatory. Finally, a few "simplistic" analogies will be presented in an effort to explain how we as humans might better understand one of these "Last Things."
Disposing of the Myth
First of all, it must be stated that Purgatory is a GOOD place. While no one knows exactly what will happen there, we do know that if we end up in Purgatory we should be extremely happy since we are most definitely headed for heaven. No one in Purgatory is sent to hell.
What is Purgatory?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Purgatory as follows:
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come (St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4,39:PL 77,396; cf. Mt 12:31).
Two of the key words in the above definition are purification and elect. In Purgatory the elect are purified and made completely clean. Scripture tells us... that nothing unclean shall enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27). To put this into simpler terms, we need to be cleaned up and in our "Sunday Best" before we meet God face to face.
Some might argue that the "unclean" St. John was speaking about in Revelation is the sinful man or woman. This is false and has never been the teaching of the Church. Now it is a very true statement that mankind owes a debt we can't pay; and Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe. Purgatory is NOT a place that we pay a debt for sin. The sin has been laid at the Cross of Calvary.
Purgatory is where we work out the "consequences" of our sin that have not been paid during our lifetime. St. Paul speaks of this in his first letter to the Corinthians, "If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:15). Similarly, our Lord refers to the sinner who "will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matt. 12:32), suggesting that one can be freed after death of the consequences of one's sins.
Purgatory Analogies
There are a few analogies that are often used to explain what Purgatory is. The first involves a young 12-year-old boy named Bobby. Bobby is a vibrant young man who sometimes has a bit too much vinegar in his blood. One day, Bobby was playing baseball at Grandma's house and after striking out threw his baseball through Gram's kitchen window in anger. A split second later, Bobby realizes what he has done is wrong and is completely devastated and extremely sorry. Bobby then asks his Grandma for forgiveness. This request for forgiveness is similar to what you or I might make to God or our Priest during the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)... but back to the story. So, here is poor Bobby and Grandma. While Grandma is upset, she loves Bobby with all her heart and can tell he is truly sorry (Bobby is truly contrite) for what he has done. So, Grandma forgives Bobby. The weight that was on Bobby's shoulders has been lifted as he hugs Grandma and says he is sorry for the 100th time. All is good, right? Bobby is forgiven; and Grandma knows her grandson is a good kid who, like all kids, makes mistakes. Well, all is good except for the fact that the broken window still needs to be repaired! This broken window is the "consequence" of Bobby's actions. It is these "consequences" that must be made clean before we enter heaven.
When we sin, consequences are created. God forgives the sin, if we ask Him to with a contrite heart, but He does not clean up the consequences. We need to take care of those ourselves, and if we are not completely successful in cleaning them up before our death, Purgatory will take care of the rest. Of course, the assumption here is that the person did not die in the state of mortal sin. Because, if they do die in the state of mortal sin, Purgatory is not the place they will end up in. Unfortunately, eternal separation from God is where this person more than likely will end up in. This place is Hell.
Another analogy is much better demonstrated in person. However, an attempt will be done here also. Picture a man holding a small piece of wood. Also, picture a nail and a hammer. Now, picture the man pounding the nail into the wood. This pounding action is what happens when we sin. Now, picture the man pulling the nail from the wood. This is what happens when God forgives us of our sins. The only thing different is the fact that there is a hole in the wood. This hole is the consequence of the sin. This consequence must be made clean before we enter heaven.
Not in Scripture
Some "fundamentalists" argue that nowhere in the Bible does the word "Purgatory" exist. This is a very true statement. However, nowhere in the Bible can one find the word "Trinity" either. Does this mean we throw out the idea that we have a Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Of course it doesn't. While the word Trinity is not explicitly stated in Scripture, the idea of "Trinity" is most definitely implicitly stated throughout Scripture. The same thing goes for Purgatory.
Summary
In summary, Purgatory is a good place to end up in as it means we are headed for eternal salvation with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Blessed Mother Mary, and all the Angels and Saints in heaven. Purgatory is a place where the consequences of our forgiven sins are cleaned up. As nothing unclean shall enter heaven (Rev. 21:27), we need to be completely clean.
One final analogy is this. Imagine you are going to meet the President of the United States. Wouldn't you want to be in your best suit or outfit? Wouldn't you make sure everything about your appearance, attitude, and entire being were as perfect as could be? I know I would. With all due respect to our President, how much more significant is the Lord of Lord's, King of King's, the Great I AM? Therefore, I know I for one want to be perfect before meeting Jesus face to face.
Photo Credit: 1
Posted by Ron Pereira 2 comments
Labels: Apologetics, Last Things
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Full of Mercy!
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20, 22-23).
It is at this very moment our Lord instituted the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). If you were not sure why it is we Catholics confess our sins to a Priest, who actually sits “in the person of Christ,” this verse goes a long way to explain things.
I will blog more extensively on confession in the future… but for now let us just meditate on these awesome words from our Lord.
Photo Credit: 1
Posted by Ron Pereira 0 comments
Labels: Confession
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Our Blessed Mother - Part 2
Mary is Sinless
As St. Luke’s gospel explains, the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, "Hail, Full of Grace." In Greek, this is translated as "Chaire, kecharitomene" (KIY-RAY, KAY-Car-E-TOE-Ma-NAY). Now that is a mouthful, eh? Say it 5 times really fast if you don’t believe me.
Chaire is best translated as "Rejoice" or as the notable apologist Tim Staples explains it to younger folks; it might be translated in today's language as "Whoaaa" or "Awesome." This is very important as it shows how this powerful Angel, who does battle with Satan himself, approaches this little 15-year-old girl and says, "Whoaaa." In other places throughout scripture when men meet Angels they usually fall to the ground in veneration since they are in the presence of such Holiness. St. John does this "nose dive" a few times to this same Angel, Gabriel, in the book of Revelation.
Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of the verb charitoo, which when translated means, “one who has been perfected in grace.” This means there has been a past action that has resulted in a present perfect state. The Blessed Virgin Mary was in this perfect state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence, demonstrating her sinlessness.
You and I are struggling to become perfected in grace. Sin is the absence, rejection, or lack of grace, and since Mary had already obtained this level of perfection, she began and continued her life sinless. Some non Catholics argue that since the Bible states in Romans 3:23 “all have sinned,” this includes Our Blessed Mother. But we know this “all” is not actually “all” since Jesus Christ didn’t sin, nor do infants or the severely mentally challenged. A non Catholic may claim that Jesus didn’t sin because He is God. To that, the Catholic should respond, “Amen, and Mary is the Mother of God – which is why she did not sin either.” A text taken out of context is pretext, and this is precisely what non Catholics attempt to do with this “all have sinned” verse.
An important note is that even though Mary was sinless, she still needed a Savior as she clearly stated in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).
Mary – Immaculately Conceived
To understand how Mary was perfected in grace due to a past action, Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant, must be discussed.
God instructed Moses to build the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was to be constructed in an exact manner. Everything from the type of wood (acasia) to the pristine gold covering was explained to him. To put it into today’s context, God gave Moses the Bill of Materials as well as the architectural instructions.
Once the Ark of the Covenant was constructed, three things were placed inside it: 1) the tablets of the Decalogue, 2) a gomor of manna, and 3) the rod of Aron. In summary, the Ark of the Covenant contained some serious things! Subsequently, sinful men (or women) could not touch the Ark. If they did, they were killed. This was demonstrated when Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, was killed for touching the Ark after the oxen carrying it slipped causing the Ark to nearly fall to the ground. Uzzah was simply trying to steady the Ark so it wouldn’t fall. Unfortunately, there were two primary issues this particular day. The first was the Ark of the Covenant was to be carried in a certain way (using a pole which was to be placed through two circular rings); and second, sinful men were not to touch the Ark of the Covenant at any time – no exceptions. This demonstrates how Holy and sacred the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant was.
The Old Testament Ark of the Covenant was a type of the New Testament Ark of the Covenant – Our Blessed Mother Mary. The Old Testament Ark carried three types of Jesus Christ, while the Blessed Virgin carried in her womb the Word made Flesh – Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word. Jesus Christ is God.
In St. Luke’s Gospel, the image of Mary being the New Ark of the Covenant becomes crystal clear. The Angel Gabriel proclaims to Mary, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow (Greek: EPISKIADZO) you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Similarly, in Exodus 40:34 and 35 it reads, “Then the cloud covered (Greek: EPISKIADZO) the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
Further, the parallels showing Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant continue when St. Luke’s Gospel is compared to the Old Testament Book of 2 Samuel.
2 Samuel 6:2 - Then David and all the people who were with him set out for Baala of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the name of the LORD of hosts enthroned above the cherubim.
Luke 1:39 - In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
2 Samuel 6:9 - And David was afraid of the LORD that day; and said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"
Luke 1:43 - And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
2 Samuel 6:11 - And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his whole house.
Luke 1:56 - And Mary remained with her (Elizabeth) about three months, and then returned to her home.
2 Samuel 6:16 - As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD.
Luke 1:41 - And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb
The parallels and similarities of the above passages are clear and to claim they do not foreshadow Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant is both unbiblical and naive.
To conclude, Moses was given explicit instructions of how to build the Ark. It was also explained that sinful men were not to touch the Ark. It had to be so meticulously made because it was to carry a TYPE of Jesus. Since Our Blessed Mother carried Jesus Christ in her womb, God prepares her meticulously in St. Ann’s womb. If we are to say that Mary was born with original sin, then we must conclude she is inferior to her Old Testament type which is simply not tenable - if you understand typology.
In addition to the Ark of the Covenant explanation, there is yet another topic that should be addressed as it relates to Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
In John 2:4, we see Mary explaining to Jesus that the wine was failing at the wedding feast of Cana. Jesus replied to His Mother, “What to me, and to you, woman?” Or as the current translations state, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." Some claim that Jesus is demeaning His Mother here since he calls her “woman.” However, the Greek word for woman used by Jesus here was gunê (goo-nay). Jesus followed the commandments; therefore, he would never put his Mother down in public since in those days that type of treatment was punishable by death. Interestingly enough, Jesus also refers to Mary as gunê (woman) as he is dieing on the cross and hands her over to St. John. No, Jesus is not putting his Mother down here. Quite the contrary, Jesus is actually exalting her as he names her the New Eve. In Genesis 3:15, after the fall of Adam and Eve, God promises a Messiah will be born when he states, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman (gunê), and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The gunê (woman) is Mary. After understanding the whole picture, it becomes clear that Jesus intended to name His Mother the New Eve. This was known and explained by many of the early Church Fathers. St. Irenaeus, for example, refers to Mary as the New Eve in 180 AD.
By identifying Mary as the New Eve, we can now offer even more evidence to her Immaculate Conception. This is possible since we know that both Adam and Eve were immaculately conceived. They were perfect. It wasn’t until Eve chose death over life, by giving into Satan’s temptation, that this perfection was corrupted. If Eve was immaculately conceived, and all New Testament types are immeasurably superior to their Old Testament type, it is obvious that Mary had to have been Immaculately Conceived.
If you enjoyed this series on Mary I kindly request, as I am just starting this blog, you forward this link to as many friends and loved one as possible. I deeply appreciate it.
God bless you!
Posted by Ron Pereira 0 comments
Labels: Apologetics, Mary