June 7, 2013

Letters to the Editor

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No letters were printed this week; here is the letter from last week:

More than ever, we need the sacrament of confession, reader says

Sadly, the sacrament of confession is too often dismissed by Catholics because of their misunderstanding of sin. When a person commits a mortal sin, all sanctifying grace is lost and the soul is completely cut off from God. The sacrament of confession is necessary to be in God’s grace and ultimately obtain heaven.

Many Catholics today think that mortal sin is difficult to commit. They define mortal sin as only murder and adultery. Catholics who define mortal sin in this way do not know God. To know God is to know what offends him. According to the Catechism of The Catholic Church, “For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent” (#1857).

Some of the most commonly committed mortal sins can be found in our daily lives. Intentionally not attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, or denying that the holy Eucharist is truly Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity are just two examples of mortal sin. And one of the most serious mortal sins is receiving holy Communion while not in the state of grace. “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor 11:29).

More than ever, we need the sacrament of confession. It is a powerful sacrament where souls are brought back to life, and many graces can be received to resist sin.

During this Year of Faith, may the Holy Spirit guide all of us to know God more intimately through the sacramental graces received in the sacrament of confession.

- Rhonda Branham | Bloomington

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