Questions & Doubts

It never fails, and I don't mind, but I'm always confronted with people who have questions and doubts about the Catholic Faith...my Christian Faith. Sometimes those people are part of my own family, other times they are curious friends or even strangers. No problem. I had one such encounter yesterday. Someone in my family said, they just don't like to confess to a priest. They much prefer to just talk to God in their heart, in the privacy of their bedroom. No problem, that's a good way to do it too, but I found myself once again defending the need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which was given to us by Christ.

Who wants to admit their faults, failings, and sins to anyone?? Who wants to publicly confess they have done wrong?? Who wants to actually take responsibility for the hurts they have caused?? Well, that answer is no one. But I'd like to review several scriptures that might help with the questions and doubts we all have from time-to-time.

First, Jesus teaches through the parable, "The Healing of the Paralytic", found in Matt. Chap.9, about forgiveness. The parable appears to be about the healing of a crippled man, but the point of the healing is to show the power to forgive sins and to demonstrate Christ's power to do so by demonstrating a visible miracle. Forgiving sins is something invisible, the crowd couldn't visualize how this could be done. First, Jesus tells the crippled man that his sins are forgiven. The crowd claims Jesus is blaspheming. Jesus says, Which is easier, to forgive sins or to say, rise and walk to a crippled man? Of course, it's easier to forgive sins!!! I know I'm not real good at healing the lame! But, to prove his power and what he was saying, he did something thought impossible...something no one could do...something visible that the crowd could see, he healed the paralyzed man!!

See, the Children of God, us and his ministers on earth (the priests) have been given this awesome power. We have the power to forgive one another and the priest has been given the sacramental power to forgive sins through Christ. In John, Chap.20, we see the actual gift being given. Imagine, your leader and savior has just been brutally murdered, buried in a borrowed tomb, and now his body has gone missing. You are frightened and scared...terrified that you will be next. You are hiding in a room, trying to decide your next move. You have locked all the doors, and suddenly your leader appears. His first words after such a tragic experience are..."How are you doing, got any fish?"...NO, he says, "Peace be with You", ...and then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit, who's sins you forgive are forgiven, and who's sins you retain are retained." Now you can't get much clearer than that on taking the scriptures literally. And these were his first words to his disciples after his resurrection!! WOW!! I thought those Catholics didn't read the Bible!!

And because Catholics believe in Apostolic succession (also found in the Bible), we believe our Bishops and Priests literally have what Jesus said they have...the power to forgive sins!! Wow, what a concept, to believe something found in the Bible, and don't even get me started on John, Chap. 6!!! I'm going to stop with the cute sarcasm now, because this is meant to teach and inform.

Our personal sins, affect the Body of Christ, as a whole. The Sacrament of Reconciliation cleanses and perfects the Body of Christ, and holds us accountable for the sins we have commited against God and one another. On Good Friday, I left work and went to St. Paul's in downtown Birmingham, to go to confession. I thought, "this will be quick", cynically thinking, not many Catholics go to confession anymore...WRONG!!! The line snaked around the Cathedral, with only one priest on duty. Suddenly another priest arrived and then the Bishop. When they saw the line they immediately went into action, called by Christ to help his followers be reconciled to him. I loved seeing that long line, full of many ages, colors and nationalities...the Church of Christ. We were longing to be reconciled to him, to love him, to be one with him. It was moving and inspiring! The Holy Spirit was definitely in the room and I thank God for allowing me to witness it. And yes, there is some nervous tension while waiting to confess, it is called a "conscience" and it has been built lovingly into our being by God, our Father. We always want to love and please our Father.

To conclude, the Church has been given the ministry of reconciliation ( 2 Corinth.5;11-21 ). Paul says, We must be reconciled to God, and we must help others be reconciled to God. It is our ministry!!

Keep on Dancing!!