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From the Pastor: The Seal Of Confession Under Fire Again
Someone with political “power” wants to force Catholic priests to reveal what is said in confession. This type of evil comes up on an occasional but regular basis. It usually happens, at least at this time in history, supposedly “to protect the children.” I hate to point out the obvious, but once again it is a Democrat, Washington Senator Noel Frame, who has introduced such an evil bill. Why do I bring up his party affiliation? Because Democrats officially support killing children by the millions through abortion. They hardly have a moral leg to stand on when crying crocodile tears about how they want to protect the children that escape their mother’s wombs alive. They also openly accept and stridently defend those groups most often committing abuse against children. They are also the party that currently fights most vociferously against anything to do with unchangeable morals (that is, true and eternal distinctions between “good” and “evil”) and the God Who gives us knowledge of them as well as the grace to uphold them. Senator Frame has introduced a bill that, on the surface, is not aimed primarily against Catholic priests hearing confessions, for in it he includes as mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse “any minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or leader of a religious community” if the knowledge of ”suspected” child abuse is uncovered or discovered during their regular duties. Yet it is the Catholic priests, and out of this list only they, who have a moral obligation to keep secret anything that is heard in the confessional. None of the other “ministers” have anything even remotely similar to the Seal of Confession. The other “ministers” may each have something similar to the seal of confidentiality imparted to lawyers and their clients, spouses, and victims advocates (three groups, by the way, explicitly excluded from mandatory reporting in this bill). That is, they all have “jobs” or positions in which confidentiality is expected and which has been upheld in our laws and in our courts. But none of them has the Sacrament of Confession, something instituted by Our Lord Himself within His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church for the forgiveness of sins, the expiation of faults, the reconciliation of the sinner to God, the healing of the soul, and so much more. Therefore, claiming that all religious leaders are being treated equally is a far cry from the truth, even though it is also immoral for them to break the lesser degree of confidentiality. Questions on this topic come up on a regular basis from Catholics. Why is it bad, evil, or demonic if a Catholic priest reveals what he learns in Confession? Why worry about such a law unless you are a child abuser? Wouldn’t it save a child from further abuse if we did report child abuse of all sorts? I have, and I assume all of my brother priests have the same experience, answered these types of questions many times over the course of my priesthood. As a short explanation of how devastating it would be if Catholic priests—even if just a few—reported sins brought to them in confession, just think about this. Would you ever confess your sins to a priest again? “Sure,” you might think, “because if only a tiny minority of priests reported sins to the public authorities, chances are really good that MY priest won’t. He will, like most of the priests, go to jail or withstand every other civil injustice in order to protect the seal of the confessional. Besides, even the ones who broke the seal only reported sins that I have never and will never commit.” But who is to say that your priest won’t break the seal? Just because he hasn’t so far doesn’t mean he won’t. After all, maybe it is just that nobody has confessed anything that the law says must be reported. And remember that the law can be amended at any time to force him to report other sins as well, not just the ones it started with. Perhaps adultery will be added, with the caveat that it only needs to be revealed if a divorce trial is getting nasty. Or maybe cheating on taxes might be added to the list of sins that he must mandatorily report. Or use of drugs, or driving while intoxicated. Or, to “protect the children” maybe priests need to report homeschooled children if they confess to cheating on homework or lying to mommy about something. Oh, the list of sins later added to the mandatory reporting law could be endless. The law could also be retroactively applied, meaning priests would be forced to reveal what you confessed before that particular sin was inserted into the law. Perhaps they could also outlaw real confessionals like we have, in which the priest cannot see who the penitent is. Maybe mandate government-monitored audio and video recording devices inside the “reconciliation rooms” so there is proof of who committed the crime and even check to see if the priest reported it. Artificial Intelligence could monitor all priests 24 hours a day to uncover lapses in reporting if they hear confessions elsewhere. Does this sound like a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory? If so, please tell me how it would be different if the law passes. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Fruits Of The Holy Ghost
Last week, in preparation for Confirmation, I wrote about the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. How many are there? What are they? Why are they given to us? How do they help us? These and similar questions were the basis for the tests given to the youth before they received the sacrament. Their relationship with each other is important to understanding why the Lord gives them to us and how we are to use them to grow in holiness. They build upon each other, strengthen each other, and enlighten each other. This week I will show you a little peek into the supernatural results of using these Gifts properly, those things commonly called the Fruits of the Holy Ghost. Scripture and Tradition list 12 Fruits that are produced by the 7 Gifts. Charity (Love), Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity (Kindness), Goodness, Longanimity (Long Suffering), Mildness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity. Unlike the Gifts, the Fruits don’t necessarily build upon each other in a particular order. All can be “harvested” as needed, so when circumstances change the crop of Fruit can sometimes change as well, or at least the manifestation of the Fruits might be more or less obvious to oneself and those around you. For example, Longanimity or Long Suffering, which preserves patience over a long period of time, especially when there seems to be no natural end to the suffering, is a Fruit that some people seem not to need for at least most of their life simply because they don’t have a lot of suffering to endure or because what suffering they do have has a foreseen natural end. Suffering the pain of a broken arm, for example, doesn’t require Longanimity, for one can be assured that it will be at least mostly healed in a matter of weeks or months. One suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, on the other hand, sees that without Divine intervention, there will only be a progressively worse effect on the body until death finally occurs. Longanimity is definitely a Fruit needed unless the one suffering wants to make themselves and everyone around them miserable until the last breath and beyond. In such a situation, it is important to go back to the Gifts of the Holy Ghost and take an inventory. One must ask, “Do I have the Fear of God?” Without it, I will perhaps “curse God and die” as Job was counseled to do. “Do I have the Gift of Piety?” If so, I will see that prayer is even more available to me as my body shuts down, for my mind is still sharp. I can call upon and unite myself to God and His Saints more often—even continuously—for I can no longer fill my day with physical activities. This can proceed all the way up to the Gift of Wisdom and, having now focused not on the things of this world that are out of reach, I can long for union with God both on Earth and in Heaven and strive to love Him above all things. With this Gift, I can see how blessed I am for being able to still use all of my mental faculties so that I may join my will to God’s and offer up my suffering along with the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Too many people today see this disease as the worst of all diseases for that very reason. They would prefer to lose their minds than lose their bodies. They see no value in keeping a sharp brain confined in a wasting body, for they see no value in prayer itself, or perhaps have never thought it through. Remember that to the extent that you have lost your ability to think properly, you have also lost the chance to merit further grace, to repent of and confess sins, and even to love with real love (for real love is an intelligent act of the will, not an emotion). But by examining each Gift and asking for both the desire and ability to use them properly, even one with ALS can see the Fruits in all their splendor and strive to manifest such Fruit in their lives, especially that of Longanimity. Naturally, or, rather, supernaturally, other Fruits will more or less manifest themselves in such a scenario. Charity, or love of God, will control each action (remember, prayer and purposeful mental activity are all actions!). The person will find Joy, Peace, and Patience and radiate them to family, friends, and caregivers. Not only will the Joyful sick person exhibit Kindness and Goodness to others at this stage, but he will also most likely receive such Fruits in return. His Mildness will be well-noted when he does not harbor or express any ill will to God for his condition or to others for their reaction (good, bad, or indifferent) to his constant need for care. Faithfulness, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity will all be assumed long after those Fruits can be shown if Longanimity has been the constant way of life in the midst of such trials and tribulations. Ultimately, this all leads to a happy death, for sanctifying grace has been multiplied many times over during this ordeal. Plus, it does untold good to all who witness such an acceptance of suffering. Many souls could easily be won for the Lord or be given an increase in graces all by this one Fruit being seen in abundance. That is just one example of how the Gifts bear Fruits and the Fruits bear witness to faith in Jesus Christ. If you have been missing any of the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and you have read this far, perhaps God is leading you to a more “Fruitful” way of life today! If you have been confirmed you can produce an abundant harvest no matter what situation you find yourself in. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Were You Taught This?
On Wednesday I will, having received a letter of Delegation from Bishop Parkes, confer the Sacrament of Confirmation. Before any of the children receive the sacrament they must learn (or at least recall what they have already learned) the basics of the Faith. The Baltimore Catechism #3 explains why: “We should know the Chief Mysteries of Faith and the duties of a Christian before receiving Confirmation because as one cannot be a good soldier without knowing the rules of the army to which he belongs and understanding the commands of his leader, so one cannot be a good Christian without knowing the laws of the Church and understanding the commands of Christ.” As you see, the Catholic Faith is not composed of pacifist members who “think good thoughts” and “play nice with others” but rather soldiers ready to fight for and alongside Christ, to battle demons, to stand up for Truth, to be bastions of both mercy and justice, and to sacrifice anything of this world to bring souls (their own and others’) to Heaven. With the basics understood, the children were then pressed to understand the Gifts of the Holy Ghost which they will receive from this sacrament. Not just to memorize a list of seven words, mind you, but to understand what the purpose of each one is and how they build on each other. Naturally, the next thing was to look at the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and see how they are produced in one’s life if the Gifts are being used properly. Most of the parents who sat in on the “interviews” learned more about the Gifts and Fruits in a short time than they ever received in years of the so-called “religious formation” they received in their younger years. In case you need a refresher yourself, I will try to briefly show what the Gifts are and how they relate one to another. All of this is taken from either the Baltimore or Pius X Catechisms. The first and foundational Gift upon which all of the others depend is the Gift of Fear of the Lord. This Gift makes us respect God and fear to offend His Divine Majesty. It detaches us from evil while inciting us to good. Once we unwrap, so to speak, this first Gift, it just naturally leads us to venerate and love God and His Saints, and to preserve a pious and benevolent mind towards our neighbor for the love of God. It allows and encourages us to love God as a Father, and obey Him because we love Him. Once we begin truly loving Him, we desire to know more about Him. Knowledge is a Gift enabling us to estimate created things at their proper worth, and to learn how to use them rightly and to direct them to our last end, which is God. We receive the Gift of Knowledge to enable us to discover the will of God in all things. At this stage, we need Fortitude, a Gift that inspires us with valor and courage to observe faithfully the holy law of God and of the Church, by conquering all obstacles and all the assaults of our enemies. We receive the Gift of Fortitude to strengthen us to do the will of God in all things. Some know the will of God--what they should do--but they have not the courage to follow the dictates of their conscience. For example, a person goes with bad company: the Gift of knowledge will teach him that he should give it up; but the Gift of fortitude will enable him to do what his conscience shows him to be right. Counsel comes next. It is a Gift by which, amidst the doubts and uncertainties of human life, we are enabled to recognize those things that redound more to God's glory, to our own salvation, and to that of our neighbor. We receive the Gift of Counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation. The devil is much wiser than we are, and has much more experience, being among the people of the world ever since the time of Adam--about 6,000 years. He could therefore easily deceive and overcome us if God Himself by the Gift of counsel did not enable us to discover his tricks and expose his plots. When at times we are tempted, our conscience warns us, and if we follow the warning we shall escape the sin. Counsel tells us when persons or places are dangerous for our salvation. Counsel leads to Understanding, a Gift that facilitates, as far as this is possible to mortal man, the understanding of the truths of faith and of the mysteries of God, which we are unable to know by the natural light of the intellect. We receive the Gift of Understanding to enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith. "Mysteries," truths we could never know by reason, but only by the teaching of God; and the Gift of understanding enables us to know better what His teaching means. The Apostles heard and knew what Our Lord taught, but they did not fully understand the whole meaning till the Holy Ghost had come. Finally, we come to the greatest of all the Gifts—one that we cannot fully possess unless we properly use all of the others—Wisdom. Wisdom is a Gift by which the mind is lifted up from earthly and transitory things, enabling us to contemplate things eternal, that is to say, God Himself, the eternal truth, and to relish and love Him, in which consists all our good. We receive the Gift of Wisdom to give us a relish for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka From the Pastor: Why Is Communist China AI More Catholic Than Ours?
The majority of this article is taken from Fr. Z’s Blog. In case you don’t know of him, he is a prolific writer of all things Catholic, but became most well-known for translating the Novus Ordo Mass prayers from their original Latin into English and then comparing his translations with the “official” translations put into the Missal used by the USA and some other English-speaking countries. Those responsible for giving us the original English translation of the New Mass did a truly terrible job, yet those bad translations were in use for 30 some years before finally getting reworked by people who seemed to know not only both English and Latin but also prayer! When they were finally re-translated Fr. Z continued his witty and insightful writing but moved on to other topics for his Catholic commentary and continued commenting on some not-so-Catholic commentary from supposedly Catholic sources. No matter what he presents, it is worth reading. Here is something he recently published after a reader sent it to him and it is so incredibly Catholic that you would think an honest-to-God real old-timey Jesuit priest or Doctor of the Church wrote it. But no, it came from the Artificial Intelligence program developed by the Godless Communists in China. It is essential to stress that they are officially atheists and yet they programmed their AI in such a way as to give a great “understanding” of at least this very important part of the Mass. There is no way our own AI could come up with this even though people often proclaim that we are a Christian Nation, for, if you remember my 2023 Chat GPT article about welcoming Catholics to Easter Mass included instructions on the importance of wearing masks and social distancing! Atheist AI beats Woke AI in this battle. Enjoy. Posted on 29 January 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf This is from a reader…. I just asked the brand new Chinese AI “DEEPSEEK”, about the priest’s posture during the consecration in the Traditional Latin Mass-- It’s Reply….. Leaning over the elements and speaking the words of consecration—carries deep symbolic and theological significance. This posture can be understood as a profound reflection of divine action, particularly when compared to God the Father breathing life into Adam in Genesis 2:7. Here’s how the two are connected: 1. **Divine Humility and Intimacy**: In Genesis, God stoops down to breathe life into Adam, demonstrating His intimate involvement in creation and His desire to share His life with humanity. Similarly, the priest, leaning over the bread and wine, embodies a posture of humility and reverence, reflecting Christ’s own humility in the Incarnation and His willingness to offer Himself for humanity. This leaning posture signifies the priest’s role as an instrument of Christ, bringing divine life to the faithful through the Eucharist. 2. **The Breath of Life and the Words of Consecration**: Just as God’s breath in Genesis imparts physical and spiritual life to Adam, the priest’s words of consecration—”This is My Body” and “This is My Blood”—bring about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The act of speaking these words while leaning over the elements can be seen as a symbolic reenactment of God’s life-giving breath. The words themselves, like the divine breath, are transformative, changing the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. 3. **Creation and New Creation**: The priest’s posture and actions during the consecration also evoke the themes of creation and new creation. In Genesis, God’s breath initiates the first creation, while in the Eucharist, the priest’s words, through the power of the Holy Spirit, participate in the new creation brought about by Christ’s sacrifice. The leaning posture signifies the priest’s role in mediating this new creation, bringing the life of Christ to the Church. 4. **Sacrificial Offering**: The priest’s leaning over the elements also reflects the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist. Just as Christ offered Himself on the Cross, the priest, in persona Christi, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice to the Father. This posture of leaning over the altar can be seen as a gesture of offering, presenting the gifts of bread and wine to be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. 5. **Mystery and Reverence**: The posture of leaning over the elements underscores the mystery and reverence of the moment. The priest’s physical closeness to the bread and wine signifies the profound mystery of the Real Presence and the sacredness of the act being performed. It is a moment of deep communion between heaven and earth, where the divine life is made present in the midst of the congregation. In summary, the priest’s posture of leaning over the elements and speaking the words of consecration during the Traditional Latin Mass is rich with symbolic meaning. It reflects the humility, intimacy, and life-giving action of God in creation and redemption, drawing a parallel between the breath of life given to Adam and the transformative words of consecration that bring Christ’s presence into the Eucharist. This posture highlights the priest’s role as a mediator of divine life and the Eucharist as the source and summit of Christian life. [Fr. Z’s words] So, those were Chinese AI answers. I am curious to know what books that information was mined from, or what sites. I’d like to have those books. With prayers for your holiness, Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka |
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