18th Sunday after Pentecost

Tomorrow is the 18th Sunday after Pentecost. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus heals the paralytic. He tells him his sins are forgiven, and to get up and go home, which he does. This causes a great scandal to those who oppose Him. "No man can forgive sins", they say. Well, Jesus wasn't just a man. And the man who is healed; is it just his body that is hurting, or is his soul in need of repair? The answer to both healings is to have Jesus in your life, and to get forgiveness through Him.

The priests of the Church since the days of Christ also have this power to forgive sins, because Jesus gave it to them and their successors til the end of time. Our beloved Abbot Gueranger explains it so much better than I ever could, so I refer to him once again:

"The Gospel which...at present for this Sunday equally directs our thoughts to the consideration of the superhuman powers of the priesthood, which are the common boon of regenerated humanity. The faithful, whose attention used formerly, on this Sunday, to be fixed on the right of teaching which is confided to the pastors of the Church, are now invited to meditate upon the prerogative which these same men have of forgiving sins and healing souls. Even if their conduct be in opposition to their teaching, it in nowise interferes with the authority of the sacred chair, from which, for the Church and in her name, they dispense the bread of doctrine to her children. Moreover, whatever unworthiness may happen to be in the soul of a priest, it does not in the least lessen the power of the keys which have been put into his hands to open heaven and to shut hell. For it is the SON OF MAN, Jesus who, by the priest, be he saint, or be he a sinner, rids of their sins His brethren and His creatures, whose miseries He has taken upon Himself, and whose crimes He has atoned for by His Blood.'

Now, all those who are of the One True Faith know this to be true. However, there are many in the Church, professing the Faith, who do not know it, or, to their punishment, act in ways which are contrary to the Truth. This includes a vast majority of those in the pews, as well as ones in authority, climbing high onto the ladder of hierarchy. These are the ones who are supposed to be teaching us the eternal Truth, NOT telling everyone they are going to heaven no matter what they do. These are the ones who SHOULD be announcing about the sins which cry out to heaven for vengeance, but instead, do not mention them in their sermons. These sins include homosexuality(with same-sex 'marriage'), abortion. We should be hearing that if one condones these sins, they have, in fact, excommunicated themselves from the fold of the Church. Do we hear this? NO! Even if we vote for someone who supports these sins, we have done the same for our souls! Do we hear this? NO!

Pray for these people in the pews and for the leaders of the Church, that they really try to save souls for the glory of God the Almighty. Amen.