Cardinal Nichols, the Maltese Bishops, and the destruction of Children.
At first glance it is very human and very understanding. Why should anyone deny Holy Communion to those who have married, divorced and remarried again? This is an age when we are preaching compassion and mercy to those, and especially those who find themselves part of the Church yet excluded from the one thing they want, reception of the Blessed Sacrament.
Now there are difficult situations where a divorced and remarried man or woman is with a partner and rearing children in a loving family. How can I preach against them having a 'second chance' But of course, something new has been put forward and I call it new because the Jesus of Scripture never mentioned the word once. The word is 'conscience'. This was brought into the Church fairly recently and apparently we can disobey 'the rules' or anything Jesus said if we can have our conscience conforming to our will. Jesus said nothing about this but not too long ago John Henry Cardinal Newman was being quoted in England as being a strong defender of conscience. A glance at his letter to the Duke of Norfolk tells quite a different story. Then of course there are 'the rules'. Yes, there are 'rules' especially surrounding the reception of the most wonderful gift Jesus has given us - his very self in the host. It would be an insult to Jesus if there were no rules protecting the Blessed Sacrament from defamation. Yet Cardinal Nicholls appears not to believe in them. Well he will say "I do, but not in these circumstances where I reach out in compassion and love"
What has been lost in the Church in the pursuit of conscience is that sin is not just something we do and then when it is over there are no consequences. Sin has a consequence for the individual and the society in which the individual lives. There are many examples I could put forward but let us talk about the consequences of the reception of Holy Communion by someone divorced and remarried. Perhaps the priest who is now apparently to teach people to ignore their conscience and when they have done so they are ready to receive or those who will to receive but need just reassurance that their consciences and their will are in accord, this is the Nicholls/Maltese solution. When I read Amores Laetitia the matter seemed simple to me. What the Pope was advocating was that those who are not taking Communion because they were divorced or remarried would receive support from the priest in their spiritual life until such circumstances arose where within the rules of the Church and with Respect for Jesus himself they could receive. Its is not Amores Laetitia that is wrong but the interpretation of the text by those who do not follow the Jesus of Scripture. And it is sad that Cardinals, Bishops and priests are among them. So if a bishop in one diocese admits the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion, he will be the compassionate and merciful one. A bishop who follows the Jesus of Scripture will be demeaned as 'rigid' Indeed any priest who follows the Jesus of Scripture will find it increasingly difficult to become a bishop.
But let us talk about consequences. Those of us who follow the Jesus of Scripture know that there was no mention of conscience when he told the crowd in Matthew 5 in no uncertain terms that marriage and divorce were against the will of God. Why does Cardinal Nicholls and the Maltese bishops think they know better than Jesus?. That they are more merciful and compassionate than Jesus? The answer always comes after Jesus has spoken on divorce when he turns to little children. They are the ones who are hurt most of all by divorce but we have grown so selfish as adults and we believe so little in the family that we tell them we have no interest in them. The Catholic Church leaders in England cannot make too much of family values when filled with their so called mercy and compassion they allowed annulments and did little to talk about the indissolubly of marriage. Even insulting Jesus by claiming good marriages were an ideal. It is now estimated that more than half of children in Catholic Schools cone from unhappy and broken homes. What does telling them that Jesus loves them mean to these children when they do not feel loved in their lives. And they do not see a Church fighiting for marriage but rather just another agency that does not care, which talks about mercy and compassion but has none for them.
Now there are difficult situations where a divorced and remarried man or woman is with a partner and rearing children in a loving family. How can I preach against them having a 'second chance' But of course, something new has been put forward and I call it new because the Jesus of Scripture never mentioned the word once. The word is 'conscience'. This was brought into the Church fairly recently and apparently we can disobey 'the rules' or anything Jesus said if we can have our conscience conforming to our will. Jesus said nothing about this but not too long ago John Henry Cardinal Newman was being quoted in England as being a strong defender of conscience. A glance at his letter to the Duke of Norfolk tells quite a different story. Then of course there are 'the rules'. Yes, there are 'rules' especially surrounding the reception of the most wonderful gift Jesus has given us - his very self in the host. It would be an insult to Jesus if there were no rules protecting the Blessed Sacrament from defamation. Yet Cardinal Nicholls appears not to believe in them. Well he will say "I do, but not in these circumstances where I reach out in compassion and love"
What has been lost in the Church in the pursuit of conscience is that sin is not just something we do and then when it is over there are no consequences. Sin has a consequence for the individual and the society in which the individual lives. There are many examples I could put forward but let us talk about the consequences of the reception of Holy Communion by someone divorced and remarried. Perhaps the priest who is now apparently to teach people to ignore their conscience and when they have done so they are ready to receive or those who will to receive but need just reassurance that their consciences and their will are in accord, this is the Nicholls/Maltese solution. When I read Amores Laetitia the matter seemed simple to me. What the Pope was advocating was that those who are not taking Communion because they were divorced or remarried would receive support from the priest in their spiritual life until such circumstances arose where within the rules of the Church and with Respect for Jesus himself they could receive. Its is not Amores Laetitia that is wrong but the interpretation of the text by those who do not follow the Jesus of Scripture. And it is sad that Cardinals, Bishops and priests are among them. So if a bishop in one diocese admits the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion, he will be the compassionate and merciful one. A bishop who follows the Jesus of Scripture will be demeaned as 'rigid' Indeed any priest who follows the Jesus of Scripture will find it increasingly difficult to become a bishop.
But let us talk about consequences. Those of us who follow the Jesus of Scripture know that there was no mention of conscience when he told the crowd in Matthew 5 in no uncertain terms that marriage and divorce were against the will of God. Why does Cardinal Nicholls and the Maltese bishops think they know better than Jesus?. That they are more merciful and compassionate than Jesus? The answer always comes after Jesus has spoken on divorce when he turns to little children. They are the ones who are hurt most of all by divorce but we have grown so selfish as adults and we believe so little in the family that we tell them we have no interest in them. The Catholic Church leaders in England cannot make too much of family values when filled with their so called mercy and compassion they allowed annulments and did little to talk about the indissolubly of marriage. Even insulting Jesus by claiming good marriages were an ideal. It is now estimated that more than half of children in Catholic Schools cone from unhappy and broken homes. What does telling them that Jesus loves them mean to these children when they do not feel loved in their lives. And they do not see a Church fighiting for marriage but rather just another agency that does not care, which talks about mercy and compassion but has none for them.
Comments
Post a Comment