Re: Hey P4P Sure.It's called FREE WILL.
1.A Catholic must attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.To deliberately miss Mass(note;i said DELIBERATELY)is a grave sin.
There are ppl who for various good reasons cannot attend.Nursing homes,the ill and in some cases the elderly.
There are probbably other good and justifiable reasons for missing Mass;but again that's not deliberate and these folks would attend if they could.
I am included in that category btw.Am homebound (period)for the most part and it's not getting easier.
That said,there are ppl who feel they do not have to attend Mass at all,have no justfiable reason and that is flat out wrong.
I recommend listening for Fr Corapi's recent talk on EWTN. It will be replayed Mon at 1:00 pm EST.He's clear and to the point and easily understandable.This comes with a HIGHLY recommend.If you never watch EWTN again catch that one.
Course tonight(Sunday)GK Chesterson is on;but if you didn't even watch that be sure to catch Fr Corapi on Monday.He gave this talk Friday night and addresses those issues raised in the article.
PPL have free will. That goes for any denomination.
I know that Baptists aren't supposed to do certain things(not exactly the same as Catholics but...)but i'm also certain like of all of us we make those choices.I'm also certain that's true of all Christian denominations.Even your own. We're on the way,not arrived. However,for a Catholic missing Mass deliberately is a serious matter-as are some other things.IE Abortion, contraception,And ppl still do those things anway. There will always be the faithful and the unfaithful to the very end.
God's name is mercy and we can pray for these ppl.(We should even pray for ppl outside the faith.We want everyone to be with God in the end).
You cannot put a gun to someone's head and force them to attend Mass.To their own peril they miss,but that's the way it is.
IF Catholics knew what they had they would never miss Mass and would never leave the Church. Better late than never to discover this.
I do receive the Eucharist and confession at home.
I'm not judging these folks-i cannot say with any certainty they are going to hell,but they are certainly playing with fire.
We may not always agree with the Pope and we do not need to like him-he's not in a popularity contest.But,as Catholics,we are obligated to obey the teaching authority of the Church.That's humility and even i need that.We depend on God's grace and our acceptance not to wander into false pride based on arrogance.Saying i don't need God,i don't need Hi s Church,i don't need this OBJECTIVE moral teaching.
Anywho,hope that helps.If not fire away.Will see if i can respond better a second time.Meantime,i bet some of the other folks here will be glad to take this up.I'm sure Pope Benedict is well aware of the situation and will speak to it while he's here(U.S.)
God Bless,
p4p
sorry i haven't been around.Tied up with the Huckabee for VP movement AND connection was down for a couple weeks. We just got wireless.
Last edited by praying4patience, 4/13/2008, 10:40 am
Re: Hey P4P I understand not being able to attend for various reasons. I was just surprised at the numbers regarding mass, the Pope and confession. Especially mass, as I remember you saying it was a moral sin not to attend when you are able to. (I do know of Priests that do go to nursing homes and the homebound to give communion and hear confessions, etc.) I don't think anyone else outside of the Muslims put so much importance on attendance.
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Friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life. ~Thomas Jefferson
Re: Hey P4P the times we live in Jinz.For that reason nothing surprises me anymore.
The commandment says we are to keep holy the Lord's Day.That's a command;not a suggestion.So how do we do that? First and foremost by giving God the worship He is due and for a Catholic that IS Mass.
Second by virtue of being Catholic we accept the precepts and act in accordance(obedience).Re Church precepts and the list:
"The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a description of the absolute minimum actions required of Catholics regarding the Church.
The Church uses these precepts remind us that Christian life requires a commitment to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments. If we fall below this bare-minimum level, we can't rightly consider ourselves to be in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Each of these precepts of the Catholic Church is a requirement. Together with the Ten Commandments, they represent the minimum level of moral living. Intentional violation of the precepts or the Commandments is a grave matter, meaning a mortal sin. "
It's not my opinion at all.It's Church teaching.So either these ppl don't know (haven't been taught at home)or don't care.I can't say and the survey didn't ask either.
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
We must "sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord" (Sunday), as well as the principal feast days, known as Catholic holy days of obligation. This requires attending Mass, "and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days."
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
We must prepare for the Eucharist by means of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). This sacrament "continues Baptism's work of conversion and forgiveness."
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
This "guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy."
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
"The fourth precept ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart." See below for more about fasting & abstinence.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
"The fifth precept means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability."
(These quotations are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its section about the Precepts of the Catholic Church (#2041-3).)
God Bless,
p4p
Last edited by praying4patience, 4/13/2008, 7:00 pm
Re: Hey P4P I had it in my head that you were suppose to go to confession before you partook of the Eucharist. I wonder where that came from?
Just saw a survey on TV that said that 55% of Catholics were in favor of abortion, 52% in favor of stem cell research and 42% in favor a same sex marriages. Seems like the Pope is gonna have his hands full.
Speaking of the Pope, what do you think of the Pope, blowing off a party held in his honor by the Prez to meet with some Bishops?
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Friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life. ~Thomas Jefferson
Re: Hey P4P oddly enough and granted this is REALLY odd i don't think the Pope is going to have his hands full. This is simply going to be the way it is i'm afraid.
One good thing; we won't be having to listen to politics day in,day out for awhile.We'll just watch the media hack the papal visit for awhile.I dread the media's coverage-they do a poor enough job of hacking politics but religion they kill.
Glad you brought this whole topic up Jinz.
Get us to look things square in the eye.
There will certainly be a group of us who will continue to march on.Will just have to keep praying for all of us. IF you look around you can certainly see the moral decay we are all surrounded by. Yep,you do have to go to confession before Eucharist IF you in a state of serious sin. No harm,mush good,in going to confession on a regular basis but you don't HAVE to receive the sacrament of penance every time you wish to receive the Eucharist.
It may or may not be necessary.A good examination of conscience answers the question.
I have no idea about this party the Pope blew off.News to me.Maybe someone else knows something about it.I can't comment.Just don't know.
In the 2,000 yr history of the Church there have been many periods of crisis.I do find that by looking at the past it is in these times that God rasies up great saints.I'm also certain that Pope Benedict will be speaking to all Christians on the danger of moral relativism.Something our modern age is particularly afflicted by.JPII warned against this seeing it coming on the heels of the fall of communist ideologies and Nazism.
Popw Benedict has written and spoken in re to it frequently,even before he became Pope.
The truth sometimes falls on deaf ears,but that doesn't mean don't speak it.
Hope someone else knows about the party blow off.
I'd look it up but it's getting late.
God Bless,
p4p
Last edited by praying4patience, 4/14/2008, 12:45 am
