Today I was confronted by a Lutheran adamantly pro-"choice" individual who accused the Catholic Church of being cruel for excommunicating anyone who aborts or aids in the abortion of an unborn child. This is not the first time this person has made such charges, claiming in the past that the Lutheran Church was so much better than the Catholic Church because anyone could come and take communion, whereas those mean old Catholics refused it to so many people (like non-members, divorced persons who remarry, or those not in the state of grace). Fortunately, I know that not all Lutherans are as devoted Catholic-haters as this person, but, even if only for my own satisfaction, I wanted to put down on e-paper my response to these accusations.
First of all, you cannot compare the "communion service" of a Catholic and Protestant church. The Catholics have a special obligation to maintain higher standards since it is only on the altar of the Catholic Church that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. If you believe this, of course you cannot let every Tom, Dick and Harry come up to recieve Jesus. The Body of Christ can only be recieved by those in full communion with His body, which is the Church, and who are in a state of grace; anything else would be disrespectful at best and sacreligious at worst. Moreover, it is not as though these are lifetime obstacles. Anyone can be accepted into full communion with the Church if they have the devotion to take the neccessary steps. No one is ever denied entry. In the same way, there is no sin that is too great for the sacrament of reconciliation. If you are not in the state of grace, one heartfelt trip to confession can put you there.
However, this seems to point to a deeper problem people seem to be having nowadays: the idea that the great compassion of Jesus means he must even love sin. I'm sure you have heard people say, "Jesus loves gays too", or "Jesus would not turn people away for making a mistake". People cleverly twist the teachings of Christ around to justify their own sin or tolerance of sin. Of course Jesus wants us to have compassion, and taught us to despise the sin and not the sinner. However, these "Christians" should remember the Revelation of St John the Divine. Jesus came as the humble shepherd the first time, but when he comes again it will be as a terrible conqueror, as the King of kings, who will judge His people & punish those who have refused to renounce Satan.
Jesus was a friend to all, but it was always neccessary that they first confess their sins and repent. His mercy and forgiveness was without end, but you had to ask for it. Today, on issue after issue, people are instead trying to say "x, y or z is no longer a sin". The mercy of Jesus is that, even if a mother has an abortion and takes away the life God has created, she can still repent and come back into his embrace, and one day meet her lost child in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. The mercy of Jesus is that there is no sin too great that |
