The Sacraments - Confession The Eucahrist

     I know that many people call it reconciliation these days, and I like that.  It is fitting, if we understand the meaning of the sacrament.  When we are baptized, all sin is removed including original sin. But after having been baptized we are capable of committing sin again.  Once we do this, if the sin is grave, we place ourselves out side of the kingdom of God/Heaven.  Therefore, we need absolution or cleansing.
The genesis of this sacrament as all the sacraments was written by the first Catholics in the Gospel.  We documented Jesus establishing the sacrament along with that of Holy Orders in two places.  First when Jesus gives to St. Peter the keys to the kingdom of God/Heaven on earth, thus establising the papcy the epsicopate and the preisthood at once.   He also gives St Peter the power to forgive sins, with the words whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

     Later on after his death and ressurection, he ordianed the remaining 10.  With the words, whose sins you forgive are forgiven, whose sins you retain are retained.  Thus the Lord instituted the papcy, the episcopate and the preisthood.  And of course, even though we did not write this down, the Gospels being a sort of outline for the training of bishops.  Jesus told his first bishops, as he always said when instituting a sacrament, continue to do likewise.

    And so we carried on the traidion with St. John ordaining St. Polycarp, and Polycarp in turn ordainingSt. Ireanus.  And that is the line of St. John -- the disciple that Jesus loved.  St Polycarp and St. Ireanus as a boy actually observed St. John writing his personal account of his relationship with Jesus -- the Gospel according to St. John.  This is Catholic history of tradition.  We have direct lineage to Our Lord and eye witnesses to the writing of the Gospel according to St. John.

    This morning I met with Father Oliver. He celbrated the 6:30 am spanish speaking mass at my home parish St. Andrew in Pasadena, Ca.  It is interesting that the bell tower of St. Andrew still works and it dominates the landscape of what is known as old Pasadena. It can be seen from the Rose parade route. The parade starts just west of Old Pasadena.

    Father Oliver is a very special friend to me, much like Father Paul whom he replaced at St. Andrew, and yet the two priests are very different.  Father Paul having come to the priesthood later in life, while Father Oliver, I think was a  preist all his life.   Or certainly he entered the seminary at age 13 in the Philippines.  Both men are very special to me.

   I first met Father Oliver before he came to St. Andrew.  I used to work in El Segundo.  Father Oliver also worked in El Segundo at St. Anthony's parish.  We met for the first time when during the Christmas Season of  2007, he heard my confession, and I went to mass.  St. Anthony's was in walking distance from my job.  I knew that Fr. Oliver had been given special charisms as Father Paul, but I won't tell you how I know these things.  Strange how God works though.  The one priest other than father Paul that I had developed a relationship with was Father Oliver.  Father Oliver was Father Paul's replacement in my home parish.  We are all in the same archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is the largest in the country.  If you know anything about L.A.'s geoography you know that El Segundo is pretty far from Pasadena. Father Paul's replacement by Father Oliver was no mere coincidence.

   So I cornered Father Oliver after the 6:30am Mass this morning, and asked if he would hear my confession.  Sometimes, as we all do, I struggle with a particular sin.  I do not like to walk around with sin on my soul even though given my situation as a trauma survivor this particular sin is mitigated, I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I most often opt to confess it.

     I like to go to confession once a week whether or not I have commited a mortal or grave sin.  I think this is a good practice for all.  A grave sin or mortal sin is the deliberate breaking of a commandment.  Whereas a venal sin or minor sin, which is not minor when one contemplates what purgatory is like, is one that is accedntal, one where we perhaps have a good motive but a bad end.  How many of us tell white lies to spare the feelings of another.  We should always tell the truth, but in a kind way.  Sins such as these would be venal.  I like to keep my soul clean and there is grace that I get from weekly confession.  There is grace from every sacrament.  God pours it out which is good, because, if you are anything like me you waste the graces given to you.   They slip through my hands like water.

     I go back every week, and I look forward to communion -- the Holy Eucharist the body and blood of Our Lord.  This nourishes my soul as does every sacrament.  We must always remember this.
  
     When we go to confession there are not two people present, myself and the priest but three.  Me,  the priest, and Jesus.  Three souls are present the body brings the soul to the grace that is present in the sacrament.

     And then their is the ultimate of the sacraments -- the Eucharist.  To be cleansed by confession each week and to take the Eucharist is my fruit.   Anyone who does not go to confession regularly and communion as well is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Jesus warned us not to follow such as these.  You shall know them by their fruit.  Jesus was not talking here about the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but the fruit of their actions.  do they go to confession regularly, and do eat my flesh and drink my blood regularly.  There is great joy that comes from these graces.  It is difficult to explain to a protestant, who has never experienced these graces, and thus does not know what grace is.   to them grace is some sort of feeling.  you can hear them praise the Lord, yet it rings hollow.  Because there is not the depth.  The soul receiving the graces directly having been nourished by Our Lord's body and blood.  How do you explain to someone who has only feasted on old tuna sandwiches, what it is like to enjoy a full 7 course banquet prepared uniquely for them.  You can't they have no reference point.  This is a sad but true reality of grace in relation to protestantism.

      When we go to take the Eucharist it is the body bringing the soul to be fed.  It cannot be said that we understand these sacraments completely.  We do get the grace, but the sacraments themselves are mysteries.  Glorious mysteries.  We go to confession and we eat His flesh and we drink His blood because that is what He told us to do.  We go to confession again out of obedience to Jesus.  We take the Eucharist again because Jesus said whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life in him.  Many shook their heads saying this is a hard teaching who can accept it and followed him no more.  These were the first protestants.  Then and there they began the tradition of disobedience and settling for a stale old tuna sandwich.

copyright 2010 Fred Celio