November 2004

Q.- Is a family member allowed last rites even if they are not Catholic?

A. - When you say “last rites” you must mean the family member is at the point of death soon, when the Anointing of the Sick is preceded typically by the Sacrament of Penance (if possible) and followed by the Eucharist offered as viaticum. All of which are sacraments of the Catholic Church.

As a rule non-catholics may not partake of the sacramental life of the Church.
(canon 844, Paragraph 1 – Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the Sacraments only to Catholic members of Christ’s faithful, who equally may receive them only from Catholic ministers…)

HOWEVER- “when in the Ordinary’s (Bishop’s) judgment, a grave necessity arises, Catholic ministers may give the sacraments of Eucharist, Penance and Anointing of the Sick to other Christians not in full communion with the Catholic Church, who ask for them of their own will, provided they give evidence of holding the Catholic faith regarding these sacraments and possess the required dispositions.” (Catechism 1401)

Essentially, you’re really looking at a sort of deathbed conversion if they are already a Christian but of the Protestant variety. If they are of the Eastern Churches the situation is somewhat more relaxed since their Church’s own sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick are deemed valid by the Holy See, which is the not the case with denominations that sprang from the reformation.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility though. Many people do embrace Christ’s salvation when faced by their own mortality. But it has to be their choice. God has given them free will and we need to respect that. We cannot ask it for them for our own comfort but must do our best to encourage them to accept the grace of Christ on their own. And God willing, before it comes to such a point as death.

Interestingly enough, George Washington, to whom the Blessed Virgin allegedly appeared, did just that. His Methodist forebears left England because their religious practices were persecuted there as being “too catholic” for Methodism. When he was on his deathbed he received the “last rites” from a Jesuit priest named Fr. Neale and accepted baptism. Thereafter he confessed and received the final Anointing with Holy Oil and the Blessed Sacrament.

We must pray hard that everyone has the grace of a holy death and then leave it in God’s Hands. He is always merciful and compassionate.

Recommended reading:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#’s 1401 and 1499-1532)

Code of Canon Law (canon 844 paragraph 1-5)

Preparation for Death (by Saint Alfonso de Liguori)

Faith of Our Founding Father (by Janice T Connell)

Q.- If I attend a penance service but don’t go to the
confessional, are my sins still forgiven?

A.- This is actually a question that comes up a lot, but in two different ways. Not being sure
which way you mean, I’ll try to answer both. So bear with me.

*** One way is that a lot of people in recent years feel that there is available to them through these communal penance services a general absolution, which there is not.

General absolution is when penitents would not have to confess individually but are absolved from their sins right along with everyone else’s. It is a rare thing indeed and is really only available by judgment of the bishop if there is a grave necessity for it.

Imminent danger of death, where there isn’t enough time for priests to hear individual confessions, would be a reason (picture a plane that is going to crash or those directly affected in acts of war or terror where you might not come out alive). Or another reason for it is when the number of penitents is so great that there are not enough confessors to hear them properly in a reasonable time and the penitents would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion FOR A LONG TIME. (You could picture 3^rd world or mission countries perhaps where you have priests who travel about and they might not be back for a year or so.) A large gathering of the faithful for major feasts or pilgrimages (or the seasonal penance services) DOES NOT constitute a grave reason. (catechism #1483)

Even when general absolution is given, the penitent is obliged to seek out sacramental confession as soon as possible, presuming they don’t die before they can do so. So if you had grave sin that was absolved you would still have to go anyways as soon as you could.

So if you mean “does the communal penance service take the place of confession” the
answer would be no.

There is no substitute for a Sacrament.

“Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession.” (catechism 1484)

*** Now- the other way people sometimes ask this question is regarding whether they’d be forgiven if they’ve only committed venial sins. And the answer would be yes. However- forgiveness for venial sins can come in many forms. A heart felt act of contrition, a rosary, making the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water, reading Sacred Scripture, attending a Mass….. The list goes on and on.

The fact that you would attend a penance service must mean that you seek something more than a private act of contrition. That something can only be found within the Sacrament of Penance. An individual, private confession.

If you’ve committed mortal sins the answer is absolutely not. There is one ordinary means of forgiveness for mortal sin and that is sacramental confession. It is still a command of the Church that “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation to confess serious sins at least once a year.” (Catechism #1457)

HOWEVER- “without being strictly necessary, confession of every day faults (venial sins) is strongly recommended by the Church.” (canon 988-paragraph 2)

There are reasons for this:
· Regular, frequent confession is good for you. The more you have to examine
your conscience, the better you can see where your faults lie. Many people never take stock of
things really well unless they are about to confess. Which is too bad.

· Ironically, the longer it’s been the less evil you think you behave. The dirtier our souls are,
even with venial sin, the blinder we are to the truth about our state. We could be in mortal sin
and recognize it, but after a while we justify things or forget them or tell ourselves that it wasn’t so
terrible after all.

· Not only do you receive forgiveness in the Sacrament but UNTOLD GRACES to help you fight your evil tendencies. That happens precisely because it is a sacrament. Who doesn’t want to have more grace!?!

· You receive a form a penance from the priest in order to make satisfaction for your sins. Jesus wants to not only forgive you but heal you. There must be some justice done and amendments made to be spiritually healthy.

· It is a gift from Jesus himself. Remember that Christ never did anything unnecessary. He gave us a sacramental church and instituted this Sacrament for a reason. To reconcile us back to him in a special way. You are not confessing to a priest so much as to Jesus himself and He is waiting patiently for you to come to Him so He can fix things.

This day in age we have forgotten the gift of confession. It is undervalued, distrusted and deemed unnecessary. But truly- the miracle that Christ perfoms in that room is unspeakable.

When Lazarus died Christ went to his tomb and wept for him. He called him out and Lazarus rose from the dead. And many of the Jews were smart enough to see what a powerful miracle that was and believed in Christ.

Now Jesus has wept for us too and He waits for us in the “tomb” of the confessional because - if your soul has lost its grace and life from grave sin - then truly you are dead. But the miracle he works in this sacrament is greater than raising a man from his grave for he brings your immortal soul to life again. To union with Him again. Believe me - if the angels rejoice over a repentant sinner, they gasp at this.

It’s too bad those of us who see this don’t recognize the gift and power of God like the Jews did with Lazarus.

Christmas is coming. Let’s all go to confession this year.

Recommended reading:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#’s 1420-1498)

The Code of Canon Law (cann. 959-997)

The Little Catechism on Confession (by Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz)

Pardon and Peace (by Alfred Wilson, C.P.)

Q.- Could you name the statues in Church?

A.- What a fun question!! I will certainly try.

While facing the altar and large crucifix behind it, head to the left. In the little alcove behind the choir stand is a statue of St. Anthony of Padua holding the child Jesus. Originally an
Augustinian, he is a great Saint of the Franciscan Order who was so eloquent and inspired
a preacher that, upon opening his tomb years after his death, his tongue remained perfectly intact and preserved. It now is in a golden reliquary in the basilica in Padua on constant display. St Anthony is known as the Wonder Worker for his many miraculous deeds and is the patron saint of the poor, the outcast, lovers, communication and coalminers to name a few. His feast day is June 13^th.

Now moving along the wall towards the organ there is Saint Joseph of Nazareth, foster father of Jesus. He is the Patron Saint of the Universal Church, of fathers, carpenters and workers. His feast day is March 19 as Patron of the Universal Church and May 1 as St Joseph the Worker.

At this point we are at the first half of the Stations of the Cross which runs along the wall to the back of church.

The next statue you will see will be our parish patron, St. Sebastian. Sebastian was a soldier and captain in the Roman Army. When he was found to be a Christian he was ordered to be executed and was shot with arrows and left for dead. Friends found him and nursed him back to health. He immediately went out and denounced the Emperor for his cruelty to Christians and was beheaded for it. He is the patron saint of archers, athletes, soldiers and is invoked for protection against plagues. His feast day is January 20^th.

Moving to the other side of church, near the back is a statue of the Holy Family. Devotion to the Holy Family became popular in the 1600’s. Today we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Family on the first Sunday after Christmas, unless Christmas itself falls on a Sunday.

Then the celebration is moved to December 30. The Holy family is looked upon as the ideal family that we can pattern ourselves after.

Next we run into the second half of the Stations of the Cross which ends by the Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven and Earth. She was raised from the dead and was assumed into Heaven where she lives body and soul like Jesus. She has many titles and feast days because she is the mother of the Redeemer and of us, His Church.

The last statue I can think of is further towards the front, past Mary, in the little alcove behind the altar. It is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart developed from meditation on the blood and water that issued from his side at the crucifixion in the earliest years to adoration of his Heart beginning in the 11^th or 12^th centuries. It received popularity and propagation from Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1600’s and is still popular today. Boiled down it really is a devotion to the love of Jesus for which you return your love. The feast day of the Sacred Heart is June 18^th, the Friday after Corpus Christi.

Hope I got them all. If I missed something let me know.