What to say to a Mass-bound fallen-away Catholic, con’d.
Fr. James Poumade, regular visitor to Catholic Light, diocesan priest of Arlington, Va., and future godfather of our pending baby, weighs in on Sal’s dilemma.
As a priest and a moral theologian, I can say without a single shred of doubt in my mind whatsoever that Sal did the right thing. There are a few operative principles here:
Scandal, in the moral sense, meaning something that leads one into sin. Lessening someone’s reverence for the Eucharist in order to make them feel welcome is not a good way to restore them to the right practice of the faith. It teaches people that the Church’s teaching and respect for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament can be discarded when they make people feel bad.
Additionally, people who hear of the situation from her may get the idea that missing Mass, etc., is not a mortal sin. We already have enough Catholics of that persuasion.
It is true that we do not know if she would have committed a mortal sin, subjectively. Depending on her level of knowledge, she may well still have committed a venial sin. Anyone who says, “Oh well, it’s just a venial sin,” needs to take a good long look at his own conscience before he starts throwing stones at Sal. The Sacraments should bring grace, not cause sin, which would likely have been the case here. Even if no sin was imputed because of total ignorance, she still would not have received any sacramental or sanctifying grace. That is a misuse of the Sacraments, which is not spiritually healthy for anyone.
More to the point, yes, it’s possible that subjectively Sal couldn’t know whether or not it was a mortal sin for her. That is precisely why he HAD to stop her from receiving. All we can do in that case, since we don’t read souls, is to go by the objective reality of the situation. Objectively it would be a mortal sin.
So out of love for that soul and for Jesus Christ, he had to say what he did. If you see someone innocently about to set fire to a building, you don’t tell yourself he probably doesn’t know that it’s wrong and keep going.
Now, some seem to think that any mention of confession or of not receiving is harsh. I would agree if it were done in an arrogant or severe manner. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Instead, gently, lovingly and patiently, this is a perfect chance to explain the doctrine of the Real Presence, the beauty of Christ’s love in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and why, for love’s sake, we need to get our spiritual houses in order before we can receive Him.
Why did the Fugitive cry? I have no way of knowing – and neither did Sal. Perhaps her tears actually signal the start of a painful but necessary healing process. (“And you, My disciples, will you also leave?”) Perhaps they don’t at all. Either way, Sal did what a Catholic should do, and most likely in the manner that it should have been done.
Now we can say that it’s between her soul and God.
Would I have denied her Communion if she approached me? If a Catholic comes to me in the Communion line, I am not allowed to refuse him in most circumstances. But I can and do approach people with “issues” before and after Mass, which is what Sal did. For example, I can’t refuse Ted Kennedy if he comes up. But I can tell him before Mass not to receive, or suggest after Mass that he really should see me in the confessional.