Sunday, April 10, 2016

A Matter of Intention

Friday's release of the disastrous Amoris Laetitia has raised more questions than it answers. That is, I think, it's intention.... though is is the intention that causes me the most worry. You see, I think that the whole divorce and remarried being admitted to Holy Communion thing is a ruse to distract us from the real goal of this document. That is to change the intention of the Church in the matter of the consecration of the Holy Eucharist. The "pastoral" practice advocated in this document means that the intention of the Church in confecting the Eucharist will expand to permit the desecration of the Holy Eucharist by way of permitting persons in an objective state of mortal sin to receive Holy Communion. I asked a friend, a bishop of the Catholic Church to answer my queries on this matter. I will keep you appraised (while protecting his identity) of the answer.
My Lord,
Without changing any doctrine of the Church, it seems that Pope Francis has permitted situation ethics to take precedence over the rule of law, even the natural law, in the pastoral practice of the Church (cf. AL. #304 including footnote. I recommend a fuller reading of St Thomas to see the context from which this quote has been torn).
It seems also that he is using this situation ethics to recommend a guideline which is open to the prospect of admitting living in "irregular" situation, even though these be "an objective situation of sin", to the sacraments (cf, AL. #305 and footnote in which he specifically mentions confession and the Eucharist.).  
My question has to do with the nature of the Eucharist and the intention of the Church. It is my understanding, and please correct me if I am wrong, that in order to confect the Eucharist there must be valid matter, form and intention. The priest need only intend to do what the Church does and the Church will supply the proper intent to cover any defect in the priest's own belief or understanding. The intention of the Church, then is to follow the Lord's command to "Do this in memory of me" to transubstantiate the bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for our sanctification, vivification and consolation on our journey towards our true homeland in heaven. It is also done that we might also give due honour, worship and glory to God, that we might receive the bread of life, and adore Him who saved us by His death on the Cross and revealed the resurrection and who revealed that He would be with us even to the end of the world. The Church then, and the Clergy in particular, has the solemn duty to safeguard the Sacred Species from all harm, dishonour, blasphemy and desecration. To this end, the Church since the days of St Paul has counselled that whoever eats and drinks unworthily bring judgement on themselves. Our Lord taught specifically that divorce and remarriage is adultery and the Church has maintained the discipline of not admitting the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion (cf, Familiaris Consortio #84.)
If a priest, then, using the moral relativism of Amoris Laetitia #304, determines that a person living in an objectively sinful situation is not subjectively that sinful, and in the process of accompanying them on their journey and using the principal of "gradualism" decides to admit certain divorced and remarried persons to Holy Communion, is he not changing his intention. Is he not intending to permit the blasphemous reception of Holy Communion by an unrepentant person, and if he intends to allow the desecration of the Sacred Species for whatever "pastoral" reason he may use as justification, is the consecration still valid. For the same reason that a priest cannot validly consecrate hosts for a Satanic Black Mass, the intention is either directly or indirectly to desecrate the Holiest of the Holy, and that is not the intention of the Church, at least up until now.
That brings me to my next question, has Pope Francis, for all intents and purposes just changed the intention of the Church? Has he not severed the Church from the roots of the Apostolic Tradition? I am not asking this for any reason other than my own clarification. I am not trying to put you on the spot. I am genuinely at the doorstep of the Church, and while I will never abandon Christ or the faith, I am at the point where I am ready to reject the magisterium of Pope Francis in total. I think we could be witnessing the final harvest, the separation of the chaff from the wheat. I need guidance from someone I trust.
I am ever yours in Christ,
Temple Police.

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