Rev. Fr.
Leonard Goffine's The Church's
Year
Eighteenth
Sunday After Pentecost
At the Introit of the Mass
the Church prays for the peace which God has promised by His
prophets:
INTROIT Give peace, O Lord, to them that
patiently wait for thee, that thy prophets may be found faithful:
hear the prayers of thy servant, and of thy people Israel. (Ecclus.
XXXVI. 18.) I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall
go into the house of the Lord. (Ps. CXXI. 1.) Glory etc.
COLLECT O Lord, inasmuch as without
Thee we are not able to please Thee, let Thy merciful pity rule and
direct our hearts, we beseech Thee. Thro'.
EPISTLE (I Cor. I. 4-8.) Brethren, I
give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is
given you in Christ Jesus, that in all things you are made rich in
him, in all utterance and in all knowledge: as the testimony of
Christ was confirmed in you, so that nothing is wanting to you in
any grace, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ
who also will confirm you into the end without crime, in the day of
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
EXPLANATION St. Paul shows in this epistle
that he possesses true love for his neighbor, because he rejoices
and thanks God that he enriched the Corinthians with different
graces and gifts, thus confirming the testimony of Christ in them,
so that they could without fear expect His arrival for judgment. -
Do thou also rejoice, with St. Paul, for the graces given to thy
neighbor, for this is a mark of true charity.
GOSPEL
(Matt. IX. 1-8.)
At that time, Jesus entering into a boat, passed over the water, and
came into his own city. And behold, they brought to him one sick of
the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus seeing their faith, said to the
man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son; thy sins are forgiven
thee. And behold, some of the Scribes said within themselves: He
blasphemeth. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think
evil in your hearts? whether it is easier to say, Thy sins are
forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that you may know
that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (then said
he to the man sick of the palsy): Arise, take up thy bed, and go
into thy house. And he arose, and went into his house. And the
multitude seeing it feared, and glorified God who had given such
power to men.
EXPLANATIONS
I. Those who brought this
sick man to Christ, give us a touching example of how we should
take care of the sick and help them according to our ability.
Christ was so well pleased with their faith and charity, that He
cured the man sick of the palsy, and forgave him his sins. Hence
we learn how we might assist many who are diseased in their soul,
if we would lead them to God by confiding prayer, by urgent
admonitions, or by good example.
II. Christ did not heal the
man sick of the palsy until He had forgiven him his sins, by this
He wished to teach us, that sins are often the cause of sicknesses
and other evils, by which we are visited, and which God
would remove from us if we were truly repentant. This doctrine
Jesus confirmed, when He said to the man, who had been sick for
thirty-eight years: Sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to
thee. (John V. 14.) Would that this were considered by
those who so often impetuously demand of God to be freed from
their evils, but do not intend to free themselves from their sins,
which are the cause of these evils, by a sincere
repentance.
III. "He blasphemeth." Thus
thought the Jews, in their perverted hearts, of Christ, because
they believed that He in remitting the sins of the sick man,
usurped the rights of God and thus did Him a great injury; for it
is blasphemy to think, say, or do any thing insulting to God or
His saints. But these Jews did not consider that they by their
rash judgment calumniated God, since they blasphemed Christ who by
healing the sick man, and by numerous other works had clearly
proved His God-head. If Christ so severely reprimanded the Jews,
who would not recognize Him as God, for a blasphemous thought
against Him, what will He do with those Christians who, though
they wish to be adorers of God and His Son, nevertheless, utter
blasphemies, curses, and profanations of the holy
Sacraments?
IV. When Jesus saw their
thoughts, He said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? This may
be taken to heart by those who think that thoughts are free from
scrutiny, and who never think to confess their evil and shameful
thoughts. God; the most Holy and most just, will, nevertheless,
not leave a voluntary unchaste, proud, angry, revengeful, envious
thought unpunished, any more than an idle word. (Matt, XII. 36.)
The best remedy against evil thoughts would be the recollection
that God who searches the heart sees them, and will punish
them.
PRAYER How great, O Jesus! is Thy
love and mercy towards poor sinners, since Thou not only forgavest
the sins of the man sick of palsy, but calling him son, didst
console and heal him! This Thy love encourages me to beg of Thee the
grace, that we may rise from our bed of sins by true penance, amend
our life, and through the ways of Thy commandments enter the
house of eternal happiness.
INSTRUCTION ON INDULGENCES
Be of good heart, son, thy
sins are forgiven thee. (Matt. IX. 2.)
The same that Christ says to
the man sick of the palsy, the priest says to every contrite sinner
in the confessional, and thus remits the crime or the guilt of his
sins, and the eternal punishment, by virtue of the authority given
him by God. But since sins not only bring with them guilt and
eternal punishment, but also temporal1 and indeed spiritual or supernatural punishment, such
as, painful conditions of
the soul, as well in this world as in purgatory, and natural ones,
as: poverty, disease, all sorts of adversities and accidents, we
should endeavor to liberate ourselves from them by means of
indulgences.
What
is an indulgence?
It is a total or partial
remission of the temporal punishment which man would have to suffer
either in this or the next life, after the sins have been
remitted.
How do
we know that after the remission of the sins there still remains
temporal punishment?
From holy
Scripture; for our first parents after the forgiveness of their sin,
were still afflicted with temporal punishment. (Gen. III.) God
likewise forgave the sins of the children of Israel, who murmured so
often against Him in the desert, but not their punishment, for He
excluded them from the Promised Land, and caused them to die in the
desert. (Num. XIV.) Moses and Aaron experienced the same, on account
of a slight want of confidence in God. (Num. XX. 12., Deut. XXXII.
51. 52.) David, indeed, received pardon from God through the Prophet
Nathan for adultery and murder, (II Kings XII.) still he had to
endure heavy temporal punishment. Finally, faith teaches us, that we
are tortured in purgatory for our sins, until we have paid the last
farthing. (Matt. V. 26.)
Did
the Church always agree with this doctrine of
Scripture?
Yes; for she always taught,
that by the Sacrament of Penance the guilt and eternal punishment,
due to sin, are indeed forgiven for the sake of the infinite merits
of Jesus, but that temporal punishment still remains, for which the
sinner must do penance. Even in the earliest ages she imposed great
penances upon sinners for their sins which were already forgiven.
For instance, murder or adultery was punished by a penance of twenty
years; perjury, eleven; fornication, denial of faith or
fortune-telling, by seven years of severe penance with fasting, etc.
During this time it was not allowed to travel, except on foot, to be
present at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or to receive the holy
Eucharist. If the penitents showed a great zeal for penance and
sincere amendment, or if distinguished members of the Church,
particularly martyrs, interceded for them, the bishops granted them
an indulgence, that is, they remitted the remaining punishment
either totally or partially. In our days, on account of the weakness
of the faithful, the Church is lenient. Besides the ecclesiastical,
the spiritual punishments which would have to be suffered either
here or in purgatory for the taking away of sins, are shortened and
mitigated by indulgences through he treasure of the communion of
saints.
Has
the Church the power to remit temporal punishments, or to grant
indulgences?
The Council of Trent
expressly states, that the Church has power to grant indulgences,
(Sess. 25.) and this statement it supports by the words of Christ.
For as Christ protests: Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall
bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; so He also promised,
that whatever the Church looses upon earth, is ratified and loosed
in heaven. Whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed
also in heaven. (Matt. XVIII. 18.) Even an apostle granted an
indulgence. In the person and by the power of Christ, that his
spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, (II Cor.
II. 10.; I Cor. V. 4. 5.) St. Paul forgave the incestuous
Corinthian, upon whom he had imposed a heavy punishment.
What
is meant by saying,
indulgences are granted out of the treasury of the saints or of the
Church?
By this is meant that God, by
the Church, remits the temporal punishment due to sin for the sake
of the merits of Christ and the saints, and supplies, as it were, by
these merits what is still wanting in our satisfaction.
What
kinds of indulgences are there?
Two; plenary and partial
indulgences. A plenary indulgence, if rightly gained, remits all
ecclesiastical and temporal punishment, which we would otherwise
have to expiate by penance. A partial indulgence, however, remits
only so many days or years of the temporal punishment, as, according
to the penitential code of the primitive ages of the Church; the
sinner would have been obliged to spend in severe penance. Hence the
name forty day's indulgence, etc.
What
is a Jubilee?2
It is a plenary indulgence,
which the pope grants to the faithful of the entire world, whereby
all the temporal punishments of sin, even in cases reserved to the
pope or the bishops, are remitted, and forgiven in the name of God,
if the sinner confesses contritely and receives the holy Eucharist
and has a firm purpose of doing penance.
What
is required to gain an indulgence?
First, that we should be in
the state of grace, and have already obtained, by true repentance,
forgiveness of those sins, the temporal punishment of which is to be
remitted by the indulgence; and secondly, that we should exactly
perform the good works prescribed for the gaining of the
indulgence.
Do
indulgences free us from performing works of
penance?
By no means: for there are
few in the proper state to receive a plenary indulgence in its
fulness, since not only purity of soul is necessary but also the
inclination to sin must be rooted out, it therefore cannot be the
intention of the Church to free us from all works of penance by
granting us indulgences. She cannot act contrary to the word of
Jesus: Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Luke
XIII. 3.) She rather wishes to assist our weakness, to supply our
inability to do the required penance, and to contribute what is
wanting in our penance, by applying the satisfaction of Christ and
the saints to us by indulgences. If we, therefore, do not wish to do
penance for our own sins, we shall have no part in the merits of
others by indulgences.
Can
indulgences be gained for the souls of the faithful
departed?
Yes, by way of suffrage, so
far as we comply with the required conditions, and thus beg of God,
for the merits of His Son and the saints, to release the souls in
purgatory. Whether God receive this petition or not, remains with
Him, He will act only according to the condition of the deceased. We
must, therefore, not depend upon the indulgences and good works
which may be performed for us after death, but rather endeavor,
during our life-time, to secure our salvation by leading a pious
life; by our own good works and by the gaining of
indulgences.
What
follows from the doctrine of the Church concerning
indulgences?
That an indulgence is no
grant or license to commit sin, as the enemies of the Church falsely
assert; that an indulgence grants no forgiveness of sins past or
future, much less is permission given to commit sin; that no
Catholic can believe that by gaming indulgences he is released from
penance, or other good works, free from the fight with his evil
inclinations, passions and habits, from compensating for injuries,
repairing scandals, from retrieving neglected good, and glorifying
God by works and sufferings; but that indulgences give nothing else
than partial or total remission of temporal punishment; that they
remind us of our weakness and lukewarmness which is great when
compared with the zeal and fervor of the early Christians; that they
impel us to satisfy the justice of God according to our ability.
Finally, they remind us to thank God continually that He gave the
Church a means in the inexhaustible treasure of the merits of Christ
and His saints, to help our weakness and to supply what is wanting
in our penance.
1. See Instruction on Satisfaction
on the fourth Sunday in Advent.
2. The word jubilee signifies deliverance, remittance.
With the Jews every fiftieth year was so called, and all the
prisoners and slaves were to be set free in this year, according to
the command of God, the inheritances which had been sold, restored
to their masters, the debts cancelled, and the earth left untilled.
This was a year of grace and rest for the Jews. This Jubilee of the
Jews is a figure of the Catholic jubilee, in which the captives of
sin and Satan are liberated, the debt of sin remitted, and the
inheritance of heaven, which the sinner had sold to Satan, is
restored to him. |