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Show 228: The Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession · The Uncensored Catholic

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Speaker 1: A b Hey all, welcome this week's show. Today we
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will get into the sacrament of penance. And this is
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so incredibly important. You know, every time at least I
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encounter an anti Catholic Protestant, they claim to know the
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Bible very very well. And I'll say, so, what do
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you think about when Jesus gave his apostles the power
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to forgive sins? And they say, no man can forgive sins.
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Only God can forgive sins. You can pray for forgiveness.
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That that's it. And I'll say, okay, so let's turn
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to the Gospel of John, and here we see Jesus say,
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those who sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and those
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who sins you retain, they are retained. And basically it's
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like they almost have an aneurysm. You know. I often
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say that Protestants are discouraged from reading the Bible in context,
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actually like reading full through and entire book of the Bible,
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or from page one to the end of Revelations, because
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we actually were. When I went to a certain Southern
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Baptist university, we were taught to take things line by
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line and say what we thought they meant, not what
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they meant in context. Somehow, most Protestants, if they've read
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the entire Gospel of John, seem to miss that part.
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And then you know you took to another gospel. The
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diverse isn't on the top of my mind right now.
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What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
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and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
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So you have to admit that Jesus did give to
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at least twelve men the power to forgive sins and
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to not forgive sins, to retain sins. That's also very important.
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When we started talking about excommunication or you know, various things,
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the power to retain sin. Then we think about, all right,
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let's actually believe the words that Jesus spoke. He said
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you must believe and be baptized to be saved. Okay,
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faith alone is not sufficient. You also have to be baptized.
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Why do you have to be baptized? Well, the Holy
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Spirit will not enter anything I'm pure or unclean. You know,
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we're sold that nothing unclean can hear heaven. And you know,
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logically speaking, Heaven cannot enter anything unclean. The Holy Spirit
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will only enter a purer vessel, which necessitates the Imaculate Conception,
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which we'll talk about here in a minute. When you're baptized,
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you are forgiven wash clean of all original sin that
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we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve, and
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all actual sins, the sins you've actually committed. And at
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that point you're filled with the Holy Spirit, and that spirit,
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I should say, the Holy Spirit is interest you. You
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don't come you don't get the fullness of the Holy
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Spirit until you're confirmed in a Catholic church. But all Christians,
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if they're baptized validly that means with water and in
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the name of the Father and Son, in the Holy
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Spirit or the Holy Ghost, depending on you know which
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version of the Bible you want to use. All Christians
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start at the same place. But how many Christians do
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you think don't commit any sin after their baptism. That
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would be pretty much none. There may be one or two,
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like really special people out there that are just like
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you know, destined for sainthood from day one. I mean,
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I think Saint Teresa was so would probably fall into
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that category, but I mean she wasn't. She was pretty
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critical of herself. I mean, Saint Theresa of a v
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I could go on. I'm very critical of herself. Very
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very few, if any, Christians don't commit a single sin
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after their baptism. Now, venial sins are minor sins, so
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to speak. They are you know, they could be sins
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of habit, they can be many things, Okay. Venial sins
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are the things we do. And you know, you say
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a prayer for forgiveness sin if you do need to
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acknowledge that you have actually done something wrong and you know,
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have contrition in order to be forgiven in any way,
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shape or form, whether through prayer or going to a priest.
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A lot of avenal sins we don't we're not even
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aware of we're doing, and we're not even aware of them. Okay,
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what's a good example. Well, Jesus said, if you're angry,
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if you're angry with your brother, you have committed a sin.
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If you're a little resentful, a little angry, that's going
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to be a venial sin. If you actually, you know,
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are so angry you want that person dead, Jesus said,
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that's actually a mortal sin. That's actually equivalent of committing murder.
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When you commit a mortal sin, the Holy Spirit leaves
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you at that point. I mean you would have to
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have like like true contrition, like king you know, King
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David and different ones in the Bible. I mean sackcloth
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and ashes, fasting. Jesus gave us I mean, to be
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forgiven and the Holy Spirit come back to you. And
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really that's not the plan Jesus put in place. Our
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Lord gave us the ability to go to a priest.
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He gave the priest the duty to hear her confession
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forgive us her sins. You go to a priest, if
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you acknowledge your sin, you're contrived. I mean, she wish
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you know, you're sorry for your sin, and you resolve
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not to do it again. And the priest says, I
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absolve you of your sins. You're forgiven. That is the
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priest doing his duty and the role that Christ gave him.
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God forgives you through that priest. Now let's think about this.
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First of all, Protestants deny that there's such a thing
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as moral or venial sins. They so all sins are equal. Well,
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that makes no sense to start with, because Jesus said,
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there's some sins that kill the soul. He said, there's
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an unforgivable sin. I mean, there are you know, that
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disagrees with the very words of the Bible, but so
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does most Protestant doctrine in theology. Okay, then they say,
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once saved, always saved. They say, if you believe in
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Jesus one, you don't even have to be baptized or anything.
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All you need is faith. Now, many say that ironically,
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most Baptists say that many Protestants do at least acknowledge
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the necessity for baptism. But then look at this, They say,
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once saved, always saved, because they deny the role of
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the priest. If the priests can hear your confession and
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forgive your sins, that means your sins can keep you
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out of heaven. If you deny the role of the priest,
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then you have to say, like Martin Luther, did sin
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all you want. He encouraged his followers to commit adultery
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and murder and said they would still go to heaven. Now,
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the Bible doesn't say that. In every single one of
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the gospels. Jesus is very clear that you can lose
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your salvation. You could hear his words and believe him
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in he said, many will say, Lord Lord, and I
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will say, I don't know. You be gone from me,
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you evil do her. Okay, so Protestant doctrine is entirely
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opposed to the Bible in the first place. But now
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let's think about what the ramifications are of this. In
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this world, the vast majority of people Christians are Catholic.
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I mean, Catholicism is the largest denomination. We don't even
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call it a denomination. It's the only one true church.
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Many Catholics don't get a confession. Many Catholics hold beliefs
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that are totally opposed church teaching, like approving of abortion
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or homosexuality, etc. They're in a state of mortal sin,
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meaning that the Holy Spirit isn't within them, even though
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they're going to Massalon Sunday and receiving the Eucharist. Okay,
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I don't know what percentage of Catholics that is, maybe
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half probably, But now consider all Protestants, every single Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian,
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from Billy Graham, Franklin Graham down to Charles Stanley to
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preacher Bob down the street. None of them, they have
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all lost the Holy Spirit because they don't get a confession.
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Now you could find one of them that's showing me,
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this person has never committed sin since he was baptized
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at the age of nine years old. Okay, great, great, more,
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I'm thrilled. I'll pray for him and who he can
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pray for me, And that's wonderful. But if you can't
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tell me that, do you realize that all the Protestants
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that are reading the Bible and quoting the Bible and
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telling you what you're supposed to believe, all the politicians
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who are Protestant that are trying to say this is
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what's right, and this is what's wrong, and this is
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what you need to support, and this is not none
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of them still have the Holy Spirit because they lost
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it when they committed their first mortal sin. You may say, well,
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what are you accusing them of a murder? No, but
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Jesus said, if you hate your brother, you committed a
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murder in your heart right, you could accuse him of adultery. No,
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but again lust and most Protestants have been divorced at
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least once, and Jesus said, that is committing adultery. To
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divorce and remarry, that's a mortal sin. They're is a
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state of mortal sin. If you're a divorced person, you
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really need to go talk to a priest because you're
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a state of mortal sin. And it's not me saying this.
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Jesus said, you're probably going to help. Okay, you got
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to go seek an annoyment through a Catholic church. The
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government doesn't get to say that marriage is valid. Jesus did,
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and he gave to his apostles the power to bind
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and loose. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.
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What you loose on earth is loose in heaven. The
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only person that can give you a valid annoyment is
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a Catholic priest, and no no government entity can do it.
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And there's no such thing as divorce. Jesus totally condemned
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divorce one hundred percent. I mean someone said to me
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when he said, if your spouse cheats on you, I said, no, No,
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what he actually says you can put them away, meaning
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essentially you don't have to live with them, but you
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don't get to remarry. There's no such thing as divorce.
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That doesn't mean you can get a divorce. No. And
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the entire Anglican Church and most of Protestants. Protestantism is
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based on the sin, the mortal sin of divorce. I mean,
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this is really bad when you think of it. I mean,
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in America, which is still a majority Protestant nation, the
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majority of Christians do not have the Holy Spirit. And
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the majority of people who write about and speak about
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the Bible don't have the Holy Spirit. The majority of
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those who teach in Bible colleges and you know whatever
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the theology schools, and you know, Baptist colleges and Methodist
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colleges and Presbyterian colleges do not have the Holy Spirit.
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The more you think about it, the more you realize
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why we have the level of confusion in the modern
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world that we do. We've got the vast majority of Christians,
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so called in the United States who do not have
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the Holy Spirit? What Spirit to? What spirit are they listening?
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Are they listening to their own minds and opinions? Are
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they listening to demons? You know, some of them are
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really really good people, and I'm not saying they're not,
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and God will judge them on their knowledge. But when
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they were baptized, they received the Holy Spirit, and the
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first time they committed mortal sin, they lost it. Think
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about that. Think about it. I mean, seriously, the next
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time you see preacher so and so on the news
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or on a commercial, and he's telling you about his
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new translation, his new version of the Bible. He didn't
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have the Holy Spirit to guide him in his biblical
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commentary or new counterfeit false Bible. I mean, you can
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call yourself a Christian, but Jesus said, if you love me,
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why don't you keep my commandments? And you have to
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wonder what's the problem here? I mean, is it the
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sin of pride that makes them skip passages? Like you know,
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those who sends you forgive their forgive, Those who sins
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you retain, they are retained. If so, pride was the
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first sin, that's what caused the fall of Satan and
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the fallen angels, the demons with him. I mean, I
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was in a fairly ridiculous, somewhat debate was some Protestants
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a few months ago, and this woman with a PhD
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from a Christian college tried to tell me that that
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verse from the Bible, those who sins you forgive, they
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are forgiven. Those who sins you retain they retain had
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to do with the Lord's prayer forgive us our trespasses,
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We forgive those trespass against us. And I said, doctor
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so and so surely you have a basic grasp of
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third grade English. Could you diagram that sentence in a
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way that makes it mean what you just stated. Yeah,
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that was the end of that conversation. I mean, they
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just make stuff up, and if you know, it's false
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on its face. But then again, every Protestant denomination is
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just something somebody made up. How bad does that sound, Well,
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it's the truth. Every single Protestant domination is something somebody
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just made up. It's fake. The only true church is
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the church founded by Jesus Christ. It is the Catholic Church.
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And they'll turn themselves on their heads, they'll turn themselves
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inside out to deny that. But the truth is the truth.
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There's only one truth, and it's the same yesterday, today,
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and forever. So there you have it, all right. So
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let's start with I think we're talking about the emmaculate conception.
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So the person has recently inquired about amaculate conception, and
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they asked, did the early Church know anything of this doctrine?
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And the answer Saint Augustine in the fourth century wrote,
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when it is a matter of sin, we must accept
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that the Holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I will have
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no question raised, owing to the honor due to our Lord.
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Saint Ephraim, also in the fourth century, taught very clearly
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on the emmaculate conception of Mary, likening her to Eve
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before the Fall. The Oriental churches celebrated the feast of
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the emdical Conception as early as the seventh century. When
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Pope Pious the Ninth defined the Catholic doctrine in eighteen
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fifty four, he gave not a new truth to be
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added to Christian teaching, but merely to find that this
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doctrine was part of the Christian teaching from the very beginning,
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and that it is to believe to be part by
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all as part of Christian revelation. They continue, your infallible
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Church allowed Saint Bernard to remain in ignorance of this doctrine,
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and they answered, since the Church had not given any
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infallible definition of the subject, Saint Bernard could naturally not
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be guided by it. Saint Bernard believed that Mary was
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born free from sin, but he was puzzled as to
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the moment of her sanctification. He thought the probable explanation
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to be that she was conceived in sin but purified,
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as was Saint John the Baptist prior to her actual birth,
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but he did not regard this opinion as part of
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his faith. Meantime, his error was immaterial. Prior to the
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final authentic decision of the infallible Catholic Church, Saint Bernard
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believed all that God had taught and all that the
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Catholic Church is clearly set forth from her definitions. Prior
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to this time, he continues, did not Saint Thomas Aquinas
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deny that the doctor of the emmaculate conception? And the
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answer his opinion was probably much the same as that
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of Saint Bernard. Before the definite decision of the Church
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was given, theologians were free to discuss the matter. But
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the Church has since defined the role of Mary that
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she was never subject for a single moment to the
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Saint of original sin. Both Nard and Saint Thomas would
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have been very glad to have the assistance of such
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a definition. And the person asked why did the Church
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withhold that honor from Mary for so long a time?
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And the answer, since Mary always possessed that honor, the
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Church did not withhold it from her. The definition that
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Mary did possess such an honor was given by the
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Church when when necessity demanded it. There was no real
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dispute about the matter in the early Church. In the
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Middle Ages, theologians attempted a deeper analysis of the privileges
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of Mary, and with no infallible decision of the Church
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to help them, some of the theologians arrived at defective
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conclusions cheaply because of the defective psychology at the times.
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Some of theologians held that Mary was preserved from original
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sin from the very moment of her conception. Others said
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from the moment of her animation, yet others that she
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was purified at the moment subsequent both to her subsequent
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both to her conception and her animation. All admitted she
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was sanctified prior to the actual birth, to her act birth.
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I should say, now that the Church has spoken, there's
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no doubt on the subject. Person asked, did not the
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Franciscans and Dominicans attack Keito bitterly over the emaculate conception?
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And they answered, they indulged in much controversy, but it
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was a free matter for discussion until the Church had
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given her definite ruling. The Catholic Church demands unity and
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doctrines which have been definitely decided, liberty matter still undecided,
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and charity always. I admit that her ideals of charity
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have not always been maintained by her wayward children and
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theological controversies, but that is no fault the church. And
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as finally well, he says, did not fill up the
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third and fill it the fourth ask the popes Paul
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the fifth and Gregory the fifth and Alexander the seventh
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to define the Immaculate conception or to stop the wrangling.
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The pope's replying that the doctrine was not definable as
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not being scriptural, and they answer, the popes have never
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given such a decision. Paula Fifth in sixteen seventeen forbade
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anyone to teach publicly that Mary was not immaculate, Gregory
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the Fifth in sixteen twenty two, or that discussion to
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stop until the church should have given an official decision.
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Alexander the seventh said that the Immaculate Exception of Mary
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was the common doctor of the Church and that no
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one must deny it. None of these popes gave a
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dogmatic definition, but rather a disciplinary ruling, and Pope Pious
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the ninth to find this doctrinately in eighteen fifty four.
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All right, now, let's go on to the sacrament of
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reconciliation or confession as it's more commonly called. Fathers Moirago,
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writing in the eighteen ninety set of the Sacrament of Penance,
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which is what he called it his time, Yes, sipp
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water real quick. As soon as the fish swallows the bait,
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he feels as smart or the pain. I guess this
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is under the nature and necessity of penance. Actually, fish
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don't really feel a whole lot. It depends, well, it
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depends on the type of fish and the temperature of
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the water. But for the most part point part, when
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you catch a fish and you hook them, they don't
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really feel the hook at all. They just feel something
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grab them. They don't really have a lot of nerve
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in that area of their body. But of course Father
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Spragua would not have known that. Yet. So it is
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with the sinner. Yet, what God has laid upon us
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as a chastisement, he has made the means of our salvation.
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He said, suffering as the chastisement of sin. But by
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suffering we can be delivered from sin, interior sorrow for sin,
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accompanied by sincere turning from creatures and turning to God
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is called penance. As a matter of fact, our whole
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life ought to be one of continual, of continued penance.
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Our Lord said, unless you do penance, you shall likewise perish.
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Wonder how the product since missed that one? If once saved,
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always saved, why in the world would you do penance?
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And again he said, woe to you that now laugh
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where you show moren and weak weep? Those are both
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from Luke. He often threatens those who desire to enjoy
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life with eternal perdition. John twelve twenty five. No man,
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even should he be conscious of any sin, ought to
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depart out of this world without doing penance, said Saint Augustine.
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Saint Jerome says that we can no more attain ever
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laughing as everlasting life without breaking the ship went. Let
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me try that again. Saint Jerome says that we can
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no more attain everlasting life without penance than we can
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get at the kernel of a nut without breaking the shell.
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The greatest saints used to perform severe penancens for their
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slightest faults. So if all sins are equal, and once saved,
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always saved, why in the world would they do that?
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And why would the very person who translated the Bible
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and gives the very book to the Protestants that they
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hold up and say is the only sole authority they'll follow.
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Why did he believe in penance? Well, ah, our Lord
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instituted the sacrament of penance on the day of his resurrection,
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when he spoke these words to his apostles, who sins
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you shall forgive, they are forgiven. And who sins you
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shall retain, they are retained. John twenty twenty three. With
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these words, Christ on the one hand, imparted to the
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apostles the power to remit sins, and on the other hand,
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laid upon the faithful the injunction to confess their sins
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to a priest in order to obtain the remission of them.
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The conditions under which forgiveness of sins is to be
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obtained or indicated in the following instances won the Cure
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of the Man sick of palsy Matthew nine. Sin is
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a spiritual paralysis. When sin is forgiven, a penance is imposed,
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and the penance and the penitent as the paralytic, was
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commanded to carry his bed. The Cleansing of the leper
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Matthew eight. Sin is a spiritual leprosy. The sin must
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show sinner must show himself to the priest who would
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declare him to be cleaned by God's authority. And third
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the absolving of the penitent Magdalen, who casts herself our
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Lord's feet and her his lips say the words that
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I sins are forgiven Luke seven. The sinner now acts
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as she did. Filled with contrition, he casts himself at
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the feet of Christ representative and obtains the pardon of
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his transgressions. The sacrament of pennance is in the sacrament
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of penance. There we go the repentant Christian confesses his
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sins to a duly authorized priest, who, standing in the
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place of God, pronounces the absolution by means of which
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they are forgiven. The method of confesses this. The penitent,
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kneeling down in the confessional, makes a sign of the Cross,
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and receives the priest's blessing. He recites the first part
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of the confetio I confess, then accuse is himself of
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his sins, and repeats the concluding part. The priest ask
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him any questions that may be necessary, gives him a
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short instruction, sets him a penance gives him absolution and
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dismisses him with his blessing. The penitent then withdraws to
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one of the benches to say his penance and to
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prepare for communion if he is about to communicate. In
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other words, priests may say, go pray in our Father
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in three hel areies for your penance. Yeah. Oftentimes it's
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just that easy. It The penance is not does not
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necessarily make up for what we have done. You know,
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you think about people that spend thousands and thousands of
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dollars going to psychologists and psychiatrists when they could go
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to a priest for free. And you know, so much
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of what a shrink does. I know my mother's retired
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psychologists is just listen to people, give them a little advice,
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and people pay a lot of money for that. But
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usually that psychologist, that psychiatrist is not even a Christian,
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and if they are, they're probably not Catholic and they
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don't have the Holy Spirit. You've got a priest right there,
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filled with the Holy Spirit who can actually give you
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advice and if you are having an issue of depression,
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they will try to figure out the cause. If they're
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a good confessor. Some you know, aren't that great, but
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most are really pretty good. In fact, a lot of
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them have degrees in psychology, by the way, and they'll
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try to get to the root of it, and they'll
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give you some good practical advice. And then you know,
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if you're falling into, say the sin of despair, they're
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not going to beat you up about it. They're going
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to say, go, you know, say a few are fathers,
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a few hell Marys or as one a priest that
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I go to sometimes says, if you see someone who
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needs help this week, give them some help. That's his penance.
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It's that easy. I mean, they're not you know, they're
26:59
not making you live on bread and water or walk
27:02
barefoot to Jerusalem or something. And you walk out of
27:07
there and you're filled with grace through the sacrament of confession,
27:12
and things do get a little easier. I have some issues.
27:16
I'm very lonely. You know, God's never brought the right
27:19
woman into my life. I've always wanted just to be
27:23
married and have kids. You know, my dad left when
27:26
I was five. He was abusive. He's a real bad guy.
27:29
He disowned me when I became Catholic. You know, I've
27:32
had some struggles I've had friends have betrayed me. I
27:34
can get very depressed and very angry. There's nothing, there's
27:38
no better cure for that than go into confession. And
27:42
why it's because I'm saying, you know, I can't carry this,
27:48
I'm falling down again, and there's Jesus in the person
27:57
of a priest picking you up, dusting you off, taking
28:03
some of the load. It's that easy, you know. I mean,
28:09
you're going in to confess a sin that you've committed,
28:14
that you acknowledge. But if there's a cause, you know,
28:20
that's outside of just personal you know, concupiscence or whatever,
28:24
you won't call it, usually the priest will help you
28:28
get to that far more effectively than any psychiatrist, psychologist,
28:33
counselor could ever do. And he can actually, in the
28:37
person of Christ, help. So if you haven't been a
28:43
confession in a while, get there as quick as you
28:47
can because you never know what's going to happen. You
28:49
can't keep putting things off. You could be a car
28:51
accident tomorrow. But if you're sad, angry, depressed, struggling with
28:59
any issue shoes you know, alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography, if
29:07
you're violent, if you're prone to whatever, go talk with
29:11
the priest, and you know, sometimes the priests will say,
29:15
you know, I forgive you your sins. You know you're absolved,
29:19
and you do your penance. I also want you to
29:22
go speak with so and so who is you know.
29:27
In one case, there's a church I attend. Sometimes the
29:30
deacon is actually retired psychiatrist and if you need more help,
29:36
he is totally free. Now you think about the thousands
29:39
of dollars, the tens of thousands people spend, and then
29:43
all the medication which does nothing but mask I mean
29:47
most people, actually, I'm at seventy percent of the population
29:50
is on what do they call him SSRIs a, you know,
29:54
medication for depression. And the most recent studies coming out
29:59
have shown that it that medication not only does not
30:02
work long term to help with their depression, but actually
30:05
makes it worse and can cause suicide. You know, just
30:11
go talk to a priest. And if your priest isn't
30:13
the best confessor, and I've had some that were not,
30:17
you know, they just were not good at that. Some
30:22
of the most unlikely priests I've met have been very
30:24
good at it. I've told you once about the priests
30:28
that I found one day when I was down in
30:32
a retirement area that was from Pittsburgh, and you know,
30:36
the Yankees that were in the area were very used
30:38
to him. He was hot tempered and would cuss people out.
30:42
I mean he was They eventually had to move him
30:45
out of the church. I mean, he really crossed some people.
30:48
I mean, I thought this guy was just I mean,
30:51
it was a challenge. It was a challenge to go
30:54
to a church where he was a priest, one of
30:56
the best confessors I've ever met, And it was because
30:59
he struggle so much with his temper. He struggled so
31:03
much with his own temperament, not just his temper. He
31:07
could really understand where you know, other people were failing
31:11
and did not rate them, but you know, help them
31:16
find the root of the issue and work through things.
31:21
And he was really really good. On the other hand,
31:24
he was one of those that would take thirty minutes
31:25
with somebody in the confession when you get a line
31:27
of like thirty people. Remember there are times when you
31:33
go to confession where you just need to say I
31:36
send I did this this and that. The priest gives
31:38
you a penance and you move on because you got
31:39
a long line behind you. In such an instance as that,
31:43
say the priest, could I make an appointment to do
31:47
a private confession or to speak with you another time,
31:50
and he'll say yes, call the office and that'll be
31:53
no problem. So there are appropriate times to really get
31:56
in there and talk about things. If you're the only
31:59
person in line, or you're the last person in line,
32:02
it's still a half hour before mass, you're good to go. Okay,
32:07
there are times when you for the sake of everyone
32:10
behind you, you need to move through quickly. But if
32:14
you've got something you really have to deal with, so
32:17
many people see it all the time. They're just so angry.
32:21
They're angry with God because somebody in their life has
32:24
died or is sick. The priest would be glad to
32:29
talk with you about that, but you may need to
32:32
make an appointment and he won't mind. It's no big deal.
32:36
That's his job. He is literally, that's literally his job.
32:40
He's the shepherd and you're the sheep. But you know,
32:44
do be considerate because you know a lot of people
32:48
need to get in there and make their confessions so
32:50
they can go to Mass. Anyway. He says the absolution
32:57
is a judicial act. Like the lightning that's from the
33:00
Council of Trent. By the way, like the lightning, it
33:03
consumes the sin in a flash. Even when the priest
33:05
withholds absolution, he gives a blessing. A crucifix always hangs
33:10
in the confessionals. Sometimes a picture is added calculated to
33:13
excite contritions, such as a prodigal son or the repentant Magdalen,
33:17
or the sorrowing Peter, etc. In very old confessionals, some
33:22
may see a rose carved as an emblem of as
33:25
an emblem of the silence which is binding upon the confessor.
33:29
The ancient Romans used to suspend a rose over the
33:32
dining table to warn their guests not to indulge in
33:35
any confidential conversation in the presence of strangers. And of course, yes,
33:39
the seal of the confessional is inviolable. If you have
33:43
literally committed murder, you can go in and confess that
33:46
and the priest cannot tell the police. You don't have
33:48
to worry about that. A lot of people, whether they
33:50
say well they should, they should know their role is
33:54
to act in the stead of Christ, to hear a
33:57
confession and forgive sins, not to disclose what they've heard,
34:05
and even I mean priests have been killed rather than
34:09
disclose what is told in the confessional. Recently, you're in America,
34:12
I think it was what in Oregon or Washington State,
34:15
they tried to compel priests to disclose what they were
34:18
told in the confessional. Even in Yeah, you're twenty twenty five,
34:22
and they fought that in court and won because the
34:26
priest will not. That is a matter of freedom of religion.
34:30
The priest will not disclose anything said in the confessional.
34:34
If he does, he will lose his priesthood. He'll be
34:36
defract immediately. I mean, that's like, you know, that's a
34:38
big deal. Actually, if you ever hear of a priest
34:42
that disclosed something he said in the confessional, will call
34:44
your bishop. He'll do an investigation. If it turns out
34:47
to be true, that person's not going to be a
34:49
priest very long. The sacrament of Penance is indispensably necessary
34:55
for those who have fallen into sin after baptism, for
34:58
without this sacrament they are un able to recover the
35:01
justice they have lost. It Again to the Council of Trent,
35:04
the sacrament of penance is for those who have fallen
35:06
after baptism is necessary under salvation as baptism itself for
35:11
those who have not been regenerated again Council Trent. Hence
35:15
the followers termed this sacrament the second baptism or the
35:18
plank after shipwreck. By baptism, we embark upon the ship
35:22
that is bound for the port of salvation. By mortal sin,
35:26
we are shipwrecked, and in this case our only hope
35:30
of rescue is by clinging to a plank. The sacrament
35:33
of penance is that plank. No one who has been
35:36
bitten by the old serpent devil can be cured unless
35:40
he discovers his hurt to the physician. Okay, unless he
35:46
shows his wound. That's what it means. Through pride, the
35:50
center places himself at a distance from God. Only by
35:52
humility can he return to God. The man who has
35:56
fallen in a mortal sin ought to approach the sacrament
35:58
of penance as speedily as possible. A dislocated limb must
36:02
be set right at once. If not, a swelling forms
36:04
and the cure becomes difficult, well, that's for sure, I've
36:07
dislocated a few things. You better pop that sucker back
36:09
in as quickly as possible. If a vessel leaks, the
36:13
pump must be set at work immediately, or the water
36:15
would cause the ship to sink. If a house is
36:18
on fire, the conflagration must be got under promptly, or
36:22
the house will be burned down. In other words, put
36:24
out the fire. If anyone who has taken poison, he
36:27
must swallow in a medic forthwith. But a metic makes
36:30
you throw up by the way, or he will lose
36:32
his life. So it is with mortal sin. The Church
36:35
does not a point a fixed time for forgiveness of sins.
36:38
The sinner's man, at anytime make his penance peace with God.
36:41
Do not presume upon the long suffering of the most High.
36:43
Though the longer you postpone your penance, the more rigorously
36:48
you will be judged. The more severe will be your punishment.
36:51
Those who put off for penance into the hour of
36:54
death have often no opportunity. Allow them to reconcile themselves
36:58
to their maker twenty two sixteen. It is the just
37:02
penalty of sin that he who would not do what
37:04
is right when he could cannot do it when he will.
37:08
Our Lord said, you shall seek me and shall not
37:10
find me. John seven thirty four. No One knows how
37:15
soon the time of grace may end. It is a
37:18
sorry thing when a man begins to buy what he needs,
37:20
just as the yearly market is over. One of the
37:22
thieves upon the cross was forgiven that nobody might despair,
37:25
but only one that no may might presume and put
37:29
off repentance into the hour of death. Saint Bernard declares
37:32
deathbed repentance to be not examples, but miracles of grace.
37:36
Those who phospone repentance will meet with the fate of
37:39
the fig tree, which our Lord, finding no fruit on it, cursed.
37:43
Trust not, said Saint Augustine, to the morrow, for thou
37:47
knowest not whether there will be anymorrow for thee Contrition moreover,
37:51
is of little value when a man has no more
37:53
opportunity to sin. And in that case you do not
37:55
abandoned sin, but sin abandons you. Finally, on the approach
37:59
of death is center in his alarm, becomes bewildered and frightened.
38:03
He is like a traveler who, just as the night
38:05
closes down, discovers that he has lost his way. Besides this,
38:09
the long habit of sin deprives a man of the
38:11
power to do penance. He is like one who has
38:14
slept heavily, and though he wishes to get up, cannot
38:16
pull himself together and rise from his bed. No one
38:20
considers it safe to sleep in a half ruined house.
38:23
Yet as frail as your body, you do not scruple
38:26
to live on for weeks, months, nay years, in a
38:29
state of moral sin. Let no one be deterred by
38:33
a feeling of shame from confessing his sin. The priests
38:37
dare not, under any pretext reveal what he's said in
38:40
the confessional, and he has ever ready received the contrite
38:44
sinner kindly. Furthermore, let him who is ashamed to confess
38:47
to the priest now remember that one day he will
38:50
be put to confusion before the whole world, and condemned
38:52
to endless misery. The priests dare not, even to save
38:55
his life, disclose the secrets of the confessional. We shall
38:59
speak further of the seal of the confessional. The penitent
39:02
is always received with kindness by the priests. Someone who
39:06
had confessed several grievous sins to Saint Francis to Sail
39:09
afterwards said to him, what can you think of me now?
39:12
The saint replied, I think you must be a very
39:14
holy person, For only the saints have made so good
39:16
a confession. Nothing gives the priest a greater joy than
39:20
to see that a penitent has made a full and
39:23
sincere confession of all his misdeeds, for then he knows
39:27
that his conversion is real. The priest is like a fisherman,
39:30
who the bigger fish he catches, better pleased is he.
39:34
God frequently calls those who have themselves been great sinners
39:37
to care for souls in order to in order to
39:42
in order that they may more gently deal with pretentiggressors.
39:47
For he who knows himself to be guilty of heinous
39:49
offenses will be lenient toward those who have also offended.
39:54
Shrink not therefore, from confessing your sins to the one
39:57
who is himself a sinner, who perhaps is more deeply
40:00
stained than you are. Christ did not give the power
40:02
of the keys to angels, but to men. He who
40:06
is ashamed of confessing to the priest will one day
40:08
be put to confusion before the whole world and be
40:11
condemned to endless misery. To such a one, God says,
40:15
I will show thy nakedness to the nations, thy shame
40:17
to the kingdoms, name him three five. Far better is
40:22
it to confess one's misdeeds than to be put to
40:24
shame in the sight of all men. Far better willingly
40:27
to acknowledge them once for all, and so compulsorily throughout eternity.
40:33
What man conceals, God reveals. What man confesses, God suppresses.
40:38
Who would not rather go to confession here than burn
40:40
forever in hell? It is the devil who makes us
40:43
timid and shameface in regard to confession. When we are
40:46
about to sin, he takes all fear from us. But
40:50
when it is a question of acknowledging our offenses, he
40:53
inspires us with alarm and embarrassment. How else can it
40:56
be explained that men who on the battlefield face death
40:59
without tremble on approaching the confessional. The early Christians did
41:03
not hesitate to confess their sins openly before all the faithful.
41:07
Saint Augustine wrote a book of confessions, who which he
41:10
acquaints all the world with his transgressions. As the sick man,
41:14
if he has any sense, will gladly swallow a bitter
41:17
pill which he hopes to restore him to health. So
41:21
he who is spiritually sick ought not shrink from the penance,
41:25
however severe, which will cure the malady of his soul.
41:29
He who, from a sense of shame concils a mortal
41:32
sin and confession does not obtain forgiveness, but only adds
41:35
to his other sins that of sacrilege, and exposes himself
41:40
to a grave risk of dying impenitent. Moreover, all his
41:46
subsequent confessions are invalid so long as he does not
41:49
confess over again all the sins of which he has
41:51
been guilty since his last confession. The devil acts like
41:55
a wolf who seizes a lamb by the throat that
41:57
it might not cry out. The devil stops the sinner's
42:00
mouth that he may not confess his misdeeds. He who
42:03
conceals one mortal sin and confession does not obtain forgiveness.
42:07
If all the locks on a door are unfastened except one,
42:11
the door cannot be opened. So it is with the soul.
42:14
Unless every mortal sin, those locks of the soul are
42:17
subjected to the power of the keys wildered by the priest,
42:20
the door of reconciliation cannot be The door of reconciliation
42:25
cannot be unclosed. Moreover, to conceal a mortal sin and
42:29
confession is to commit a grievous sin of sacrilege, by
42:33
which a profanation and contempt. I am trying so hard
42:38
to suppress a cough. Right now, let's try this one
42:42
more time. Moreover, to conceal a mortal sin and confession
42:47
is to commit the grievous sin of sacrilege, which is
42:50
a profanation and contempt of divine things. By concealing one sin,
42:55
a man also embitters his life. Sin unconfessed is like
42:58
indigestible food, which lies in the stomach and ruins the health.
43:02
Sin concealed, says Saint Augustine, scourges the conscious, conscience, lacerates
43:08
the heart, and fills the soul with anguish and terror.
43:11
Whoso lies in the confessional deceives himself, not God. To
43:15
conceal a mortal sin in the confessional is to merit
43:18
the danger of dying impenitent. Sinnaled concealed is fatal to
43:25
the life and to the soul. It is like a
43:27
wound which bleeds inwardly and causes death. Saint Antonius, Archbishop
43:31
of Florence, speaks of a woman who purposely omitted a
43:34
mortal sin and confession and then made a sacrilegious communion.
43:38
Later on, she repeatedly went to confession with the intention
43:40
of revealing that sin, but every time failed to do
43:42
so through a false shame. Even when she lay on
43:45
her death belt, she could not prevail upon herself to
43:48
mention the long concealed sin. Just before her last just
43:53
for breathing her last, she shrieked aloud, I am damned
43:56
forever since, for since my youth I have concealed a
44:00
mortal sin. What a terrible thing it is thus, to
44:03
abuse the sacrament of penance. One sacrilegious confession renders all
44:08
subsequent ones invalid. In order to return to a state
44:11
of grace. Under such circumstances, it is necessary not only
44:15
to confess the sin wittingly concealed that means intentionally concealed,
44:21
but all other sins mentioned in the first invalid confession,
44:23
as well as all of those have been subsequently committed.
44:26
Whether you have confessed sim or not, it is the
44:29
same with confession as with a sum of an arithmetic.
44:34
If one has made the emission of a single figure
44:36
in the first row, the total will be wrong, and
44:38
the hole must be reckoned up over again in the
44:41
same way if a man has buttoned his coat wrong
44:43
at the top, all the other buttons must be undone
44:45
to set that one right. Hence Saint Bonaventure gives this advice.
44:50
Begin with a sin which costs you the most to confess,
44:53
and afterwards the rest will come easy to thee. When
44:56
once the general sin want when once the general is slain,
45:04
the whole army was the whole army will be speedily routed.
45:07
My word, I've got to tickle on my throat. If
45:12
you find it very difficult to confess any sin in particular, say,
45:16
at least to the confessor there's something more, but I
45:18
cannot bring myself to tell it. Another good practice, and
45:26
I believe this is one that it's pretty common these days.
45:30
Most priests will recommend. I say, these are all the
45:34
sins I remember. You know, if I'm leaving something out,
45:38
I'm not doing it intentionally. Now, if of course, there
45:41
is something intentional, you need to say it. You need
45:46
to not hold it back, or you are You're you're
45:53
making a sacrilegious confession. There's another word I was looking for,
45:58
But anyway, I'm losing my voice cents, so I'm gonna
46:00
wrap it up here. We will continue with reconciliation next week.
46:06
Y'all have a going and I'll talk to you next time.
46:10
H