Isaiah 35:4-7
Psalm 146
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37
Some things never change. The
Gospel passage we just heard recounted one of the many instances in which the
Lord Jesus worked a miraculous healing. This particular one is one that while
public is such that it is meant to take the man off to the side to foster a
personal encounter with the Lord and bring about the healing of his hearing and
speech. This miracle performed, the Lord goes back and tries to have it not
spread around everywhere, but the people immediately misunderstand the
intention of the Lord and like a wildfire, news spreads all over the
countryside about the miracle worker who has come to town.
I say ‘some things never change’
because a similar story happened this week. Pope Francis wrote a letter
regarding the upcoming Year of Faith and sought in that letter to address
certain issues that sometimes make it burdensome or impossible for certain
persons to receive the grace that is held out. He addressed the SSPX, a
religious community that broke away from the Church some 25+ years back and has
not come into full communion yet, but who minister to a number of Catholics who
tend to find greater nourishment in their community; he permitted their priests
to validly absolve from sins during the Jubilee Year, a wonderful gift to them
and to the faithful who might not otherwise celebrate the sacrament in union
with the Church. He addressed those who cannot make it to the Holy Doors of the
Vatican or even of the local Cathedral on account of infirmity or imprisonment.
He spoke of their ability to unite themselves to the Lord in prayer and seek
the grace, and specifically for inmates to contemplate the mercy of God as they
cross the threshold of their cell, recalling the Holy Doors they long to enter.
To this he added one more instance that caught the media’s attention: the
granting of faculties to all Catholic priests to absolve from the sin of
abortion and lift the penalty of excommunication. In response I saw headlines
to the effect of “Catholic Church radically changes teaching on abortion” and
“Catholic Church offers forgiveness for abortion” and the like. Much like the
Gospel, Pope Francis sought to make possible a personal encounter with Jesus
Christ that would bring about healing and peace, and a wildfire of
misunderstanding and confusion spread through the countryside.
So what was actually said and
what does it mean?
Pope Francis gave all Catholic
priests the faculty to forgive the sin of abortion and lift the penalty of
excommunication. The problem is that it can seem as if both of those are new ideas,
when in fact they are not. Every priest who has faculties, that is the ability
granted by his bishop, to hear confessions is able to absolve an individual of
the sin of abortion. That was never even a question. There has not been a time
recently when a person was unable to receive absolution and forgiveness. The
Church’s teaching hasn’t changed on that; God’s mercy is infinite and open. The
thing that was a bit new was that during the Jubilee Year of Mercy all priests
will also be able to lift the penalty of excommunication.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church says in paragraph 2272: “The
Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against
human life [abortion]…. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the
scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed,
the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to
the parents and the whole of society.”
The statement from the Catechism
shows us that excommunication is something that still exists in the life of the
Church and that it may be applied to a person participating in the sin of
abortion. As it says, this is not a limiting of mercy in any way but rather a
‘penalty’ that highlights the serious nature of the act. In normal scenarios
the lifting of the penalty of excommunication is reserved to the bishop. In
layman’s terms that means it would require an individual to go to the bishop of
the diocese to be release from the penalty. That can sounds like being sent to
the principal’s office to get ‘a good talking to’ but is it really? Let’s take
a closer look.
There are other events in the
life of the Church that are reserved to the Bishop of a diocese. The
consecration of churches, receiving the vows of religious brothers and sisters,
and the blessing of certain religious objects for use in churches comes to
mind. But another might be more applicable in this instance: the Sacrament of
Confirmation. Technically every priest has the ability to celebrate the
Sacrament of Confirmation – I’ve done it myself on three occasions in
connection to RCIA and Easter Vigils – but the norm is that it would be
reserved to the Bishop. This is so that the bishop has the joy of meeting face
to face with those on whom the Holy Spirit is given in His fullness and to
ensure that every member of the flock will have the opportunity at least once
in their life to meet the Bishop, the successor of the Apostles. It is
essentially to make possible the individual encounter that is spoken of in the
Gospel with the Bishop at least once for every Catholic. Rather than a slap on
the wrist, the mandate for a person to visit the bishop to be released from the
penalty of excommunication is simply to hear from the representative of Christ
Himself that they are not only forgiven but that they are in full communion
with the Church, not someone on the outside but someone who is important and
vital in the Church’s life.
Excommunication literally means
‘out of communion’ and highlights that something so serious has taken place
that union between the individual and the larger community has been ruptured.
Point this out is not meant to be a sign of public shaming so much as a call
for healing. It’s not a punishment to browbeat people but a medicine to bring
forth repentance and reunion. What Pope Francis did is that he recognized in
many places throughout the world, individuals have a very hard time getting to
their bishop. They may get Mass only once every month or so, let alone have the
privilege of the being in the Bishop’s presence. Recognizing this reality, Pope
Francis said that for the Year of Mercy, every parish priest will be able to
lift the penalty of excommunication, since getting to the bishop may be
impossible. In effect, he made it possible for countless people to more easily
obtain not just the forgiveness they desire but the assurance that they are in
the life of the Church and able to participate in the sacraments fully and
without fear of being shamed. He enabled that personal encounter with Christ
that brings about healing in the life of the Church. Admittedly, this doesn’t
really change much in practice in the U.S., since most dioceses, including our
own, have already had the policy that all priests could forgive and lift the
penalty. But for the larger Church, this is quite a gift to bestow.
What’s the takeaway from all of
this? If we haven’t had any connection to abortion, there is still something
profoundly important for us to realize in this moment and it is the fact that
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal encounter with each and every one of us.
In every one of our hearts He can look as see a sin we struggle with, a
relationship that’s wounded, a hurt that won’t go away, a regret or fear that
needs to be addressed. Not one person in this Church today is perfect, so the
invitation is extended not just to a certain group of people but to all people:
come aside with the Lord for a moment and let Him lay hands upon us and bring
about some healing. He wants to heal us, but we have to be willing to go off to
the side and let Him do the work. I encourage you. I urge you. I beg you. If it
works, I command you! Go to Confession! There’s no such thing as receiving ‘too
much grace’ from God. There’s no such thing as being ‘too healed’ from past
wounds. Don’t think that it has to be major things. Just like little kids that
often get a little bump or ‘boo-boo’ on their hands and arms and cry up a
storm; parents know you don’t have to administer drugs or get stitches or take
x-rays. More often than not a parents’ gentle kiss makes it all better. Jesus
wants our big stuff, but he also wants our ‘boo-boos’ to make everything
better. Go to Confession. Ephphatha! Be opened. Be healed.
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