Bible Question:
reposted and clarified: Emmaus, but again, it seems from Teragram123's quotes (I refer to the definitions) that Catholicisms' ways of absolving sin can become quite arbitrary (in that the penance is up to the priest who may feel emotionally drained one day and assign a few rosaries whereas on another day he is refreshed and assigns 10 for the same sin). I would understand if the penance required would be to wash the walls of the church for those who graffiti'd, or buying and replanting the neighbor's flowers if they were ruined. But saying a rosary however many times? How does that help? If I as a Christian have sinned against my brother in Christ, then my brother is free to approach me directly about my sin. If I do not confess to God and am not willing to make restitution to my brother, then my brother must bring with him at least one more Christian to approach me again. If I still am not willing to confess to *God* and to my brother, then the church must get involved and make a decision to BIBLICALLY remove me from the church (Matt 18). No where that I see is anyone who is NOT God allowed to say ok, you've done the time for your crime, so even though you didn't confess to God and or to the person involved, you're free. In answer to your question about who is wrong, the teacher or the individual, it is the teacher, for teachers are held to a much stricter standard than pupils (James 3:1). If the teacher tells his students that they MUST go before a priest regardless of whether the sin has been made right with the involved parties, the teacher is forcing the student into a no-win situation. Why does Catholicism require its participants to go the extra mile when Jesus has already done so? Yet another question, where in the 66 books of the Bible is purgatory mentioned? In Christ, Estelle |
Bible Answer: Estelle, I haven't heard back from you. But to keep it brief, let me say that in over 50 years of being a Catholic I do not recall once ever being assigned a whole rosary as a penance let alone a slew of rosaries. Nor have I ever suffered any kind of abuse, spiritual or physical from any priest before whom I was making a confession. I was once assigned a penance of taking my wife out to dinner, which neither of us found to be excessive or harsh. Why it didn't seem like penance at all. I really can't recall but my wife may have suggested that I confess more often shortly thereafter. Catholics can and do reconcile with others without benefit of the sacrament of Confession. In fact only serious or mortal sins must be confessed in the sacrament, but the confession of all sins is encouraged as a spiritual discipline. Confession itself is a spiritual discpline and it is humbling, but it is also spiritually refreshing. Catholics can and do choose the priest to whom they wish to confess, in fact they are encouraged to do so carefully. And personality can come into play on both sides. Confession can be anonymous and behind a screen or face to face. If the penitent feels he or she is not being properly understood or dealt with even in regard to the penance assigned, they are free to express that to the priest and or go to another priest. If you are interested in the formal teaching of the Church on this question, here is a link to that section of the Cathechism. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/healing.html#HEALING Here is another link for your question regarding Purgatory. You may or may not agree with the explanations on either subject, but you will at least have a correct understanding of what Catholics believe in these matters. http://www.catholic.com/library/Purgatory.asp Emmaus |