I am not feeling particularly nice this morning, so this may come off as more of a rant, than anything else.
Oh where do I begin! Last week the openly gay retired Episcopal Bishop Rev. Gene Robinson wrote an article for the Washington Post [link at bottom]telling the Catholic Church what it should do and how it should run its own faith regarding Holy Communion. After learning of Edward Peters (Catholic Canon Law Teacher) comments reminding Catholics that it is wrong to receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin- which includes rejected official Catholic faith, the Episcopal retired Bishop decided he would tell the Catholic Church who should be allowed to receive the Eucharist at Catholic masses around the world.
The puffed up and far too often delusional openly homosexual Robinson said…”
“I believe that using Communion as such a manipulative tool surely profanes the sacrament. Perhaps these Catholic leaders should revisit their church’s theology of the Eucharist. Reception of the body and blood of Christ at Communion is God’s gift to God’s people, not a reward for right behavior. We receive Communion not because we are worthy of it, but because God’s offers us the body and blood of Christ despite our unworthiness.”
A “manipulative tool”? Asking people to be in a state of grace to eat the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ is “manipulating” people? Was Saint Paul manipulating people when he said…
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
Partaking of the Supper Unworthily
Perhaps Robinson’s bible doesn’t include these verses… better bet is Robinson wants to wallow in his own homosexual abomination relationship so he deliberately attempts to ignore these verses. He not only waltzes himself down the road toward Hell, he also attempts to grab as many others as he can to take along with him. I suggest the feeble sin ridden minded Robinson read the bible and pray so that one day he can repent and get off the road to Hell that he is currently on. Yes I said that."Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."
Anyone- I don’t care who you are- anyone who continues in mortal sin, changing the Word of God in an attempt redefine what is or isn’t sin IS on the road to Hell. If you repent you get off the road to Hell, if you continue in mortal sin you continue down the road to Hell. Until our very last breath, we have the opportunity repent and ask God to forgive us our sins. It is my prayer that ALL sinners - Robinson included- will repent before reaching the end of that road. Catholics: GO TO CONFESSION and mean it!
God did not ask for our input on what should be sin and what should not be sin. God tells us what sin is and when we commit sin, we MUST repent of it. We are called to repent of ALL sins- fornication,rape, murder, gossip, lust, homosexual relationships, adultery and so on. Sin separates us from God. Being truly contrite and repenting of our sins brings us closer to God. Jesus Christ died for our sin- ALL our sins. He then asked one thing of us… to repent and pick up our crosses to follow Him.
No one is following Christ, if they haven’t first repented and at the very least are attempting to “sin no more”. The Act of Contrition says it best…
“My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.”
That is a key part of being contrite for sins… not wanting to commit them again. Not wanting to offend our Lord. What homosexuals in sexual relationships and their supporters want is to remove the “sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin” part of being contrite and repenting. They seem to think that if a secular government redefines marriage or makes a new law saying this or that is now legal, that somehow God is under a secular government’s authority and will suddenly stop calling sin a sin! As if sinners then won't be held accountable for sinning! Ridiculous! They think they can stand before God on Judgment Day and whine "But God, it was legal". God will probably say something like "Not by MY Laws". You can't tell God what He declared sin is no longer a sin. He's GOD!
The first Commandment is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex.20) - that includes governments! Our salvation does NOT come from any government- it comes from our Lord. We don’t get to pick and choose what sins we would like to redefine so that our sins are no longer sins. I am sure there are lots of people out there who would like adultery, fornication and rape to be redefined so that they are no longer sins. Secular society does not get to decide what a sin is or what is not.
What the profanely delusional Robinson doesn’t seem to grasp (either intentionally or cluelessly) is that ANY Catholic clergy who denies Holy Communion to a person in mortal sin is LOVING that person. It is a GREAT act of love to withhold the Eucharist from a person in mortal sin. Read again Saint Paul’s words to the Corinthians… “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord” and “ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”
He says “guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord”- that IS serious! How serious? Verse 29 tells us to do so is to bring “judgment upon himself”- what judgment? ETERNAL JUDGMENT! It is a mortal sin! This is what the Apostles taught and it is what the Catholic Church still teaches today. Catholic clergy SHOULD deny the Eucharist to one and all IF they know the person is in mortal sin. Not to use the Eucharist as a “manipulating tool” as Robinson declares, but rather to show PROFOUND LOVE and care for a person’s eternal soul.
Robinson has a mill stone around his neck and he’s too delusional to see it. He reminds me of Jesus’ teaching about the speck in another eye and the log in your own and not giving what is holy to those who aren’t clean (state of grace)…
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.” [Matthew 7]
REPENT! Robinson and others who believe like him need to REPENT so they can have eternal salvation with the Lord. If they don't, they ARE going to end up in Hell. Mortal sin sends people to Hell if they do not repent. Repentance leads to Heaven. It's really that simply. I will pray for you Gene Robinson and those who believe as you do.
