FORGIVES SINS QUIZ (For study clubs and discussion groups) 1. Only God can forgive sin. 2. How did Christ show He had power to forgive sin? 3. What is meant by delegation of power? 4. Why do some Christian sects reject confession to a priest? 5. How many Churches did Christ establish? 6. Which Church alone dates from the Apostles? 7. When the priest gives absolution who really forgives the sin? 8. Confession to a priest is humiliating. 9. Why is sin an act of pride? 10. How does Confession help to repair the pride of sin? 11. Confession encourages sin. 12. Confession does not improve people. 13. Confession is open to great abuse. 14. It is enough to keep the Commandments of God. 15. For what kind of sins is Confession necessary? 16. What is an indulgence? 17. By what authority does the Church grant indulgences? 18. Indulgences encourage the delay of conversion to death bed. 19. Who granted the first plenary indulgence? Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Librorurm. Imprimatur : * Francis J. Spellman, Archbishop of New York , February 5, 1942, Copyright, 1942, by The America Press, COD FORGIVES SIN! Why Confess to a Priest? Martin J. Scott, S.J. You affirm that you are a Christian, yet you deny the doctrine of Confession. Isn’t that rather incon- sistent ? Inconsistent? What do you mean? Why can’t a man be a Christian without believing in Confes- sion? Christians believe in the Apostles’ Creed, and make its recitation part of their service. Now that Creed states distinctly the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins. That; is why I said it is inconsistent to deny Confession and affirm oneself a Christian. I return the compliment, and say that you are in- consistent in affirming that belief in the forgive- ness of sin means belief in Confession. Of course the Creed states the forgiveness of sins, and I firmly believe in the forgiveness of sins, but not in confession to a priest. You admit, since you are a Christian, that Christ is God, and that to the Church He founded, He dele- gated certain of His Divine powers. One of such powers was that of forgiving sin. He said solemnly : “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you. . . . 1 >3acWWecf 2 God Forgives Sin ! Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (Saint John, xx, 23) Well, I don’t see how that implies confession to a priest. By the very fact that the Church has the power of forgiving or not forgiving sins, it follows that the sins must be known by those who exercise this power. From the days of the Apostles, it has been the duly authorized ministers of the Church who have exercised this power. I am not convinced that the forgiveness of sin implies the confession of sin, or that1 the priest has the power to forgive sin. I think you quote the Bible to suit your belief. Unless I am mis- taken, the Bible distinctly says: “Who can for- give sins but God alone?” You are not mistaken. Those are the very words of Christ Himself, and they are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. How then can man forgive sin, in view of that plain declaration? God alone forgives sin by His own power and in His own name. The priest forgives sin, not in his own name nor by his own power, but by delegated power, somewhat the same as an ambassador act- ing for his sovereign. It is for this reason that Saint Paul said of the ministers of the Church: “For Why Confess To A Priest? 3 Christ we are ambassadors.” (2 Cor. v, 20) Christ first demonstrated that He has the power to forgive sins, and then He delegated this power to the Church. You say that Christ demonstrated His power to forgive sins. Demonstration means giving actual proof. Where in the Bible do we read that Christ gave evidence for His right and power to forgive sins? I’m asking this just for information. Since you appeal to the Bible, I shall point out the demonstration as given in the Bible. Before I refer you to the text, however, let me say that the appeal to the Bible in order to justify Christian belief and practice is not the only way to justify Christian Faith. The Church was widely and firmly established before the Gospels were written. They are merely a partial documentary record of Christian belief and practice. To give you an example, the Bible commands us to keep holy the Sabbath day. As you know, the Sab- bath day is Saturday. Christians, however, keep Sunday holy. There is not a word in the Bible about keeping Sunday, instead of Saturday, as the day of Christian worship. How then did it come about? The Church, Divinely authorized, made the change. If you appeal to the Bible for justification for Sun- day as the day of worship, you will not find it. I mention this in passing, in order that you may know that the Bible is not the sole authority for Christian 4 God Forgives Sin ! belief and practice. The living Church, not a book, is God’s spokesman to mankind. However, as you lay such stress on the Bible, let me ask you to turn to Saint Luke, v, 21 ; Saint Matthew, ix, 2; or Saint Mark, ii, 3, and there you will find a positive demonstration of Christ’s power to forgive sins. Although if you believe that Christ is God, I don’t see why you want that power demonstrated. I’m sorry to admit that, although I asked you for Biblical corroboration of your statement, I haven’t a Bible. Do you mind giving me the substance of the demonstration as found in the Gospels? I am glad to do so for several reasons, principal of which is that it affords evidence furnished by His very opponents. While Jesus was preaching to the multitude on a certain occasion (Saint Luke, v, 21), He was interrupted by the approach of four men carrying on a stretcher a helpless cripple. Jesus knew that they expected Him to cure this palsied man, as He had cured so many others. But first. He did something entirely unexpected. Let me explain. The Jewish leaders had turned against Jesus because He declared that His King- dom was not of this world. Moreover, on various occasions He had pointed out their vices and re- proved them for their injustices. Hence they de- termined to destroy Him. They were afraid to act openly against Him, because they feared the people, who regarded Him as a prophet. Accordingly they Why Confess To A Priest? 5 trailed Him, observing everything He did, in order to accuse Him of some breach of the Jewish or Ro- man law. Their purpose was to have Him haled before the Roman or Hebrew tribunal, and thus have Him discredited, and, if possible, put to death. Jesus, knowing their evil designs, and knowing that t'here were agents or spies from the Jewish Council present, took occasion of the fact to exercise a power which the Jews attributed to God alone, namely, to forgive sin. In the hearing of the multitude, He said to the cripple: “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” This exercise of Divine power startled the multitude. For the Jews did not believe that any man, not even Moses, could forgive sin. “And the Scribes and Pharisees began to think, say- ing: Who is this man who speaketh blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone? And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, He said to them : What is it you think in your hearts ? Which is easier to say : Thy sins are forgiven thee ; or to say : Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, He saith to the sick of the palsy : I say to thee, arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house. And imme- diately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay, and he went into his own house, glori- fying God. And all were astonished, and they glori- fied God.” (Saint Luke, v, 21-25) But did not the prophet Nathan forgive the sin 6 God Forgives Sin ! of David? Why then did the Jewish leaders on this occasion accuse Jesus of blasphemy because He forgave sin ? Nathan did not forgive sin in his own name, but in the name of God, saying: “The Lord hath taken away thy sin.” (2 Kings, xii, 13) But Christ by His own power forgave sin. Consider for a moment the nature of what Jesus did on this occasion. Anyone could say to another : “Thy sins are forgiven thee,” but how could we know they were forgiven? Jesus virtually said to those who accused Him of blas- phemy: “You say that only God can forgive sin, and you are right. But that you may know that I am God, I am going to do what you admit no one but God can do. Only God, merely by a word, can restore this cripple to soundness of limb. If, there- fore, I by a word heal the body of this man, a thing which all of you may see, you will know that My word also heals his soul which you can not see.” I must admit that no one, after that manifesta- tion of Christ’s Divinity, may reasonably question His power to forgive sin ; but how does that have a bearing on the doctrine of confession to a priest ? I am leading up to that. You know that Jesus came upon this earth in order to show us the way to a blessed eternal life, and to give us the aid to walk in that way. By His doctrine, He teaches us what we should believe, and by His Sacraments, He aids us to live by that belief. He knows our nature and Why Confess To A Priest? 7 He knows our human frailty. Among other aids, He instituted the Sacrament of Penance, in order that those who might lose His friendship by sin, would be able to regain it by repentance. By the Sacrament of Penance, He empowered the ministers of His Church to grant pardon in His name to those who sinned. This is known as delegated power, such as is termed in law the power of attorney. If a per- son of influence and wealth desires for some reason to have another person act in his name, he gives that person the power of attorney. This is done by stat- ing in the presence of witnesses that he designates a certain person to represent him in his financial and other affairs. The person so designated, previous to his appointment, might not be able to have a bank cash a check for fifty dollars. But five minutes after his appointment, if he presented a check for fifty thousand dollars, every bank in the country would be glad to cash it. What made the difference? The delegation of power conferred on him by one who possessed the power. Now this is precisely what Christ did by the insti- tution of the Sacrament of Penance. “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them and He said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost : whose sins you shall for- give, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (Saint John, xx, 21) If these solemn words have any meaning, they confer on the ministers of Christ’s religion the power 8 God Forgives Six ! which the priest exercises in the confessional when in God’s name he absolves the penitent sinner. Why is it that, in face of these Bible words, some Christian denominations reject confession to any one but God alone? For the same reason that they reject the Mass and other Sacraments instituted by the Divine Founder of Christianity. By their fundamental doctrine of private judgment, they constitute themselves the in- terpreters of the Bible, and thus accept from Scrip- ture whatever meaning suits them, with the result that they virtually become founders of their own religion. Is that the reason that there are literally hundreds of Christian sects, each one at variance with the others? Precisely. But Christ founded one Church only. He founded a Church, not churches. And Saint Paul declared that any religion different from the one preached by the Apostles was false, even if preached by an angel from Heaven. (Gal. i. 8) Every Chris- tian denomination except the Catholic Church has as its founder someone who was not Christ. History- gives the name and date of the human founder of every Christian sect. If an angel from Heaven was not entitled to preach a doctrine different from that of the Apostles, surely no human being was entitled to do so. Why Confess To A Priest? 9 You doubtless imply that the Catholic Church, and she alone, is the Church of the Apostles? Absolutely. She is the only Church that teaches everything in the Apostles’ Creed. One of the ar- ticles of that Creed is : I believe in the Holy Catho- lic Church. The Catholic Church not only teaches everything that the Apostles held, but she is the only Church that goes back in unbroken line of succes- sion to the Apostles. If the Apostles returned to earth today, they would find that every doctrine they taught was now the Creed of the Catholic Church. But if the founders of the other denominations came back to earth, they could hardly recognize the churches they founded, so much have they changed. Why is it, in view of what you have stated, that these various denominations have many cultured and intelligent adherents? That is another matter, on which, if you so desire, you may obtain information by consulting works on the Gospels and on the Church.* To return now to Confession. The main thing to realize regarding confession to a priest is that the priest in the con- fessional is the representative of Christ. The priest is, as it were, a wire from earth to Heaven. When the sinner confesses to the priest, it is really to God that he confesses. When the penitent receives abso- lution from the priest, it is God Who forgives. *Confer: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and They Said He Blasphemed. The Scott Series of Pamphlets, Nos. Ill and IV. 10 God Forgives Sin! It requires a lot of faith to believe that. Precisely, and that is one reason why Christ insti- tuted this Sacrament. Every time a penitent kneels in the confessional, he is making an act of faith in Christ as the Divine Founder of the Catholic re- ligion. And let me say, in passing, that no merely human being could have instituted confession to a priest. Unless it was God Who instituted this Sacra- ment, it never could have obtained acceptance among mankind. I quite agree with you on that point. However, an objection which I have always had to confession to a priest is that it is awfully embarrassing, not to say humiliating, to disclose one’s secret sins to a fellow-man, even though that man be a priest of God. I agree with you that, at least in some cases, it is humiliating and embarrassing to confess one’s sins to a fellow-man. But this again is one of the rea- sons for the institution of this Sacrament. Sin is an act of pride. It is opposing one’s will to that of the Creator. It is only fitting that an act of humility should in part atone for the act of pride implied in the defiance of God’s law. Really, that is a feature of Confession I never ad- verted to. Yet there is a good deal of truth in what you say. Yes. If you analyze sin, you will find that it is a defiance of the Creator by the creature. The sinner Why Confess To A Priest? 11 virtually says to God: Not Thy will, but mine be done. Of course the sinner does not actually say those words, but he acts them, which is worse. That is what makes sin so serious. An act which con- stitutes a sin, I mean of course a mortal sin, is a deliberate transgression of a serious law of God. Such an act breaks the friendship between God and man, as is evident. An act of humility is an appro- priate means of restoring that friendship. Let me say, however, that ordinarily Confession is not hu- miliating. In fact, it is one of the most consoling practices of the Catholic Church. For, as you know, although Confession is necessary in case of mortal sin only, it is advisable for minor or venial sins. It is known that many a Pope went to Confession every day, not because he had serious sin on his soul, but in order to receive the grace of the Sacrament, and furthermore, in order to employ every means pos- sible to be a worthy celebrant of Mass, and to be, as far as humanly possible, a worthy representative of his Lord and Master. For Confession not only remits sin, but is also a pre- ventive of sin. Before Confession, the penitent ex- amines his conscience, taking a sort of spiritual inventory of his soul, viewing it, as it were, in a spiritual mirror. In this way he finds just how he stands with the Lord. This regular examination is a very great help to keep from slipping into serious sin, for when a person is careful about minor faults, he is not likely to fall into those which are serious. 12 God Forgives Sin! Besides all this, there is the grace of the Sacrament, Sanctifying Grace, which is conferred every time one goes to Confession. It is safe to say that no one who is faithful to Confession is in danger of losing his soul. You see, therefore, that the Sacra- ment^ are not mere arbitrary institutions, but a means devised by Divine Wisdom and Goodness for the salvation and sanctification of mankind. Nevertheless, I have often heard it said that Con- fession is an encouragement to sin. You might as well say that medicine is an encourage- ment to illness. Because a physician may remedy an ailment is no reason for incurring the ailment. It is true that Confession gives a remission of sin, but only to those who are rightly disposed. If a person, for instance, stole a sum of money and went to Con- fession with the intention of stealing again after forgiveness, his sin would not be forgiven if he went to Confession a hundred times. Moreover, un- less he agreed to restore the stolen money, he could not receive forgiveness. It is so with regard to every other sin. The intention of doing one’s best to avoid the sin in the future, and of doing all in one’s power to repair whatever loss or harm that was caused by the sin, are conditions requisite for forgiveness. Still, I know people who go to Confession regu- larly, and I don’t see much improvement in them. Confession will not ordinarily change one’s nature. Each one of us has certain characteristic traits, Why Confess To A Priest? 13 some good, some bad. Such traits, if bad, result naturally in various undesirable and even reprehen- sible actions. These actions, because they are not the result of malice or ill-will, are not serious sins, in fact may be no sins at all, but simply defects of one’s character. Such defects may be minimized but hard- ly eradicated by Confession, even with the best of good will. In not a few cases, however, even these characteristic defects are uprooted by the practice of Confession. How about those persons who go regularly to Confession, and yet disgust people by their lack of the ordinary decencies of life ? My dear sir, respectability is not virtue, nor is vul- garity vice. A person may have bad manners, but be willing to die rather than commit a mortal sin. Some of the most vicious persons, on the other hand, are models of good breeding. There are cultured people who would vigorously denounce a breach of etiquette, but who would think nothing of boasting of intimacy with another’s husband or wife. Christ called these persons white sepulchers, fair to behold, but full of rottenness within. This is not to say that religion has not a refining, and even a most refining, influence on life, but only to reply to those who judge of virtue by social re- finement. There are those who actually judge the truth of religion by the respectability or prosperity of its adherents. By this standard, the Apostles 14 God Forgives Sin! would fare badly. When Jesus and His disciples stood before Herod, they compared socially very unfavorably with that ruler and his court. But Herod and his court were steeped in vice, regardless of their external respectability. Should not Confession, however, curb the selfish- ness and other low tendencies in those who go to Confession regularly? My dear sir, human nature is ordinarily a stubborn beast. It yields grudgingly to corrective and refin- ing influences. After three years’ association with Jesus, the Apostles still retained many of their char- acteristic defects. Nevertheless, they suffered tor- ture and death for living and preaching His doctrine. You will find, however, that wherever true religion is practised for a sufficient period, it produces in the entire community the loftiest standards of true cul- ture known to mankind. The peasants of Oberam- mergau are evidence of this virtuous effect of Chris- tian precept and practice. Moreover, although those who go frequently to Confession should have pretty much the same minor accusations to make, they might have much more serious sins to confess if they neglected Confession. I must admit that you have cleared up a good deal of misunderstanding I have had about Con- fession. I readily perceive that if it is rightly practised, it is indeed a most effective help for virtuous living. Why Confess To A Priest? 15 Confession is, nevertheless, one of the things about the Catholic Church which frequently deters per- sons from entering it. When, however, such per- sons eventually embrace the Faith, they find that Confession is one of the most consoling and helpful practices. For in the confessional, one may open one’s soul as to God. The confessor is not only a dispenser of God’s mercy, buti also a sympathetic friend and capable adviser. There are things which men and women would not discuss with any living being, but which they freely confide to their confes- sor and abide by his counsel. Jesus said: “Not they who are well need the physician, but they who are ill.” There are ailments of the soul as well as of the body. In the confessional, the priest is the physi- cian of the soul. What reply would you make to opponents of Catholicism who assert that the priest in the con- fessional has the opportunity of doing harm as well as good to the penitent, and that he often makes use of his information for his own ends, which are sometimes very base ends? To this charge, I answer that there is no institution on earth so safeguarded against abuse as the con- fessional. It is not; on record that a priest ever be- trayed a confessional secret, even though he had to suffer imprisonment, exile or death for his fidelity to his sacred trust. As a class, the priests are the most virtuous body of men in the world, consecrated by vow to live chaste lives, and whose sacred duty 16 God Forgives Sin! it is to help others to live virtuously. Christ Him- self was falsely accused on various occasions, and we should not be surprised that the ministers of His Sacraments should meet with like treatment. What would you reply to a person who said he was content with keeping the Ten Commandments, and as long as he did that, there was no need of going to Confession? To that person I would say that the surest way of keeping the Commandments is God’s way. He Who gave us the Commandments is also the Author of human nature, and knowing our nature as only He can know it, He has instituted Confession as a most effective way of living as He has commanded us to live. But suppose a person knows he is not guilty of mortal sin, why should he go to Confession, for you stated previously that Confession was neces- sary for mortal sin only? True, Confession is necessary in case of mortal sin only. But he who aims solely at avoiding mortal sin is on slippery ground. A prudent man not only avoids crossing the danger line, but keeps at a safe distance from it. A person who values his health avoids not only deadly disease, but the minor ail- ments which may lead to it. He who confesses venial sins receives the Sanctifying Grace of the Sacra- ment, and besides, by the preparation which Confes- Why Confess To A Priest? 17 sion entails, makes a checkup on his spiritual state, observes tendencies to serious faults, and thus by foreseeing danger, avoids it. People who are conscious of no serious disease go at stated times to a reliable clinic for a checkup on their state of health. The confessional affords a spiritual checkup, and he who is solicitous for his soul’s welfare will avail himself of it, not only for mortal sin, but also for venial sins. Nuns in con- vents, priests, members of Religious Orders, rarely have serious matter for Confession, yet go to Con- fession regularly every week or oftener. It is a wise counsel to resist beginnings, for a remedy is often too late, not only for health of body, but also for health of soul. Frequent Confession of venial sins may not free one from imperfections, but will surely keep one from serious lapse. Now that we are on the subject of Confession, there is a matter in connection with it about which I am very hazy. Do you mind informing me just whati is meant by an indulgence? In order to understand the doctrine of indulgences, it is necessary to have a right understanding of sin. Sin, that is, mortal sin, means knowingly, freely and deliberately doing what is against God’s commands. If a person at the time of doing the act does not know that the act is seriously wrong, or if knowing it to be wrong, he is not free to do it or not to do it, or if he does it thoughtlessly, that is, without 18 God Forgives Sin ! deliberation, the act is not a mortal sin. You see, therefore, a mortal sin means deliberately doing what you know to be seriously wrong, and doing it willingly. Such an act is clearly a defiance of the Divine Law-giver. Because the Law-giver does not immediately chastise the offender does not lessen the offence. If a person seriously violates a law of the State, two consequences follow. First, he loses his citizenship, and secondly, he is sentenced to a term of imprison- ment. If a person seriously breaks God’s law, two consequences follow. First, he loses his citizenship or inheritance to the Kingdom of God, and secondly, he is subject to chastisement. By absolution in Con- fession his citizenship or eternal inheritance is re- stored and his obligation to undergo eternal chastise- ment in hell is remitted. But the obligation to sub- mit to some chastisement here and now or hereafter in Purgatory frequently remains. This chastisement is termed the temporal chastisement due to sin. It is ordinarily satisfied by some act of penance. Now, an indulgence means that after the guilt and eternal consequences of sin are remitted, the tem- poral punishment due to sin is mitigated, by the power conferred on the Church by her Divine Founder. (Saint Matthew, xvi, 19) Drawing on her spiritual treasury of satisfactions offered to God by all the Saints, the Church enables the repentant sinner to satisfy for the temporal punishment in- Why Confess To A Priest? 19 curred by sin, by a milder form of penance. That is why it is called an indulgence. To illustrate: In the early ages of the Church, the temporal punishment due to sin after the guilt was remitted was satisfied by long and severe penances, sometimes of days, years or even for life. An in- dulgence means that the chastisement due to sin which was satisfied by former severe penances, can now be satisfied by works of mercy, or approved devotions, or various acts which have a tendency to make one grateful and pious. When the priest in the confessional gives a penance for sins committed, it may or may not satisfy for the chastisement due. Only God is the judge of the satisfaction, for only God knows the heart of the sinner. For this reason, Catholics often offer up self-imposed reparation for their sins, in the hope that it will satisfy the justice of God. I am still a bit confused about indulgences. Would you mind clarifying them a little more ? By an indulgence, the Church substitutes prescribed acts of piety and mercy as satisfaction for sin, in- stead of those severe canonical penances of the early ages. For instance, if you gain an indulgence of forty days or seven years, it means that by comply- ing with the conditions of the indulgence, you sat- isfy for sins to the same extent as did those who, in the early days of the Church, performed penances of forty days or seven years, etc. A plenary in- 20 God Forgives Sin! diligence means the total remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. If a person should die di- rectly after receiving a plenary indulgence, he would go straight to Heaven, provided of course that the indulgence was gained in its perfection. Does that mean that a life-long sinner or a mur- derer would go straight to Heaven if he gained a plenary indulgence at the point of death? Yes, if he gained an indulgence perfectly, which means if he complied fully with the conditions for gaining the indulgence. Doesn’t that encourage one to put off conversion to the last moment, and meanwhile go on sinning? Doesn’t it look rather unjust? Jesus did not think so. It was He Who granted the first plenary indulgence, and He granted it to a murderer who was at the very point of death. It was on Calvary, when the criminal on the cross alongside Jesus turned to Him and said: “Lord, re- member me when Thou shalt come into Thy king- dom.” And Jesus answered him: “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” By these words, Jesus remitted all the temporal punishment due to that criminal’s sins. By temporal punishment is meant, as you know, the chastisement which must be undergone either in this life, or in Purgatory hereafter. Unless I mistake, you aid previously that an in- Why Confess To A Priest? 21 diligence was possible only after the guilt of the sin was remitted, but Jesus did not remit the guilt in that case, but bestowed Paradise directly, with- out any reference to guilt. When Jesus changed water into wine at Cana, He made no reference to the miraculous thing which He effected by His will only. So in the case of the crim- inal to whom He granted a plenary indulgence, He made no reference to guilt. Doubtless He saw in the soul of this man all the conditions requisite for absolution, and having remitted the guilt of his sins, He then remitted the temporal punishment as well. If you remember, the criminal, before he asked Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom, made an act of contrition in his own way, saying to the other crim- inal : “Neither dost thou fear God, seeing that thou art under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done no evil.” (Saint Luke, xxxiii, 40) That was not only an act of contrition, but also of sublime faith as well, for he proclaimed the cruci- fied Jesus to be his God : “Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom But all death-bed confessions are not like that. Take, for instance, the case of Dutch Schultz, who received the last Sacraments a few years ago. That man’s life was spent in racketeering, mur- dering and vicious deeds of the vilest character. Yet he asked for a priest when dying and received 22 God Forgives Sin! the last Sacraments. Do you believe it was right for that man to go to Heaven, simply because at the last moment he received the rites of the Church ? Who said he went to Heaven ? Who said he obtained complete remission of the temporal consequences of sin? God alone knew the disposition of his soul. If he was not rightly disposed, and God is the judge, the rites of the Church did not save him from either the eternal or the temporal consequences of his evil life. The Sacraments of the Church are admin- istered to all who request them, but it does not fol- low that they produce their effect on those who are not rightly disposed to receive them. Judas received Holy Communion, but it did not benefit him to salva- tion. So, the last rites which are administered to all those who desire to receive them, depend for their effect on the cooperation of the recipient. Dutch Schultz, even if the guilt of his sins was remitted, might have to satisfy for the temporal chastisement due them by suffering in Purgatory to the end of time. Don’t think that you can fool the Lord. If we have a sense of justice, so has He Who made us. Just the same, it seems hardly equitable that a hardened sinner should be saved by a last minute conversion, while others struggle against evil all their lives in order to save their souls. To that I make the reply of Jesus in the parable of Why Confess To A Priest? 23 the laborers ia the vineyard, in which those who entered at the last hour of the day received the same hire as those who labored all the day long. To each one of those who complained of this, Jesus said : “Is thy eye evil because I am good?” (Saint Matthew, xx, 5) Let us be solicitous for our own salvation, and leave God’s mercy and justice to His own wise dispensation. Another thing often bothers me about confession to a priest. Suppose the priest is a bad man, in the state of sin, how can he be the representative of God in the confessional? Saint Peter denied his Master with an oath, yet Christ made him His representative on earth. Saint Peter had his human weaknesses all through life, yet he was the Vicar of Christ. A judge who dis- penses justice in the Federal or State tribunal may be a morally bad man, but his decisions are as much respected as those of a virtuous judge. Peter as the Vicar of Christ, a judge as the administrator of the law, and a priest as the minister of God’s mercy in the confessional, act not in their personal but official capacity, which is independent of their private morality. Of course, an official should, and generally does, con- duct himself in a manner befitting his dignity, but in case he fails to do so, it does not affect his official acts. However, let it be said that if any body of men 24 God Forgives Sin! on this earth have shown themselves worthy of act- ing as the ministers of God, it is the priesthood. I am glad I’ve had this talk with you. It has cleared up a lot of misconceptions I have had re- garding Confession. I hope I have made it clear that Confession is not a merely arbitrary institution, but a Sacrament admir- ably adapted to the needs and welfare of mankind. Confession not only fosters piety, but also enables one to acquire great merit from the sacramental grace which flows from this Divine institution. This is why saints as well as sinners have recourse to Confession, the saints in order to advance in holiness, the sinners in order to repair the past and to enter upon the sure road which leads to everlasting happi- ness. The next pamphlet in this series discusses Marriage : Divorce Is a Disease Which Destroys Marriage For a Modern World—in language of the day . Questions and objections on fundamental doctrines of the Catholic Church answered by MARTIN J. SCOTT, SJ. THE SERIES COMPLETE No. i HAVE YOU A GOD? WHAT IS HE LIKE? No. 2 PROVE THERE'S A SOUL THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER! No. 3 MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN WERE THEY FOOLED? DID THEY LIE? No. 4 HUNDREDS OF CHURCHES BUT ONLY ONE IS CHRIST'S No. 5 THEY SAID HE BLASPHEMED HE SAID HE WAS THE SON OF GOD WHAT SAY YOU OF JESUS CHRIST? No. 6 SCIENCE HELPS THE CHURCH THE CHURCH FAVORS SCIENCE No. 7 NO POPE CAN BE WRONG IN TEACHING DOCTRINE No. 8 THIS IS MY BODY No. 9 GOD FORGIVES SINS WHY CONFESS TO A PRIEST? No. 10 DIVORCE IS A DISEASE WHICH DESTROYS MARRIAGE THE SCOTT SERIES FOR EVERY HOME, EVERY SCHOOL, EVERY LIBRARY 10c. the Copy—Complete Set $1.00 THE AMERICA PRESS 70 East 45th Street New York, N. Y. 1*^ 1% AMERICA A CATHOLIC REVIEW OF THE WEEK AMERICA means An accurate, sound, reliable source of informa- tion. An analysis of the meaning and effect of history- making events near and far. The interpretation of the news of the week, prob- lems of the day, from the Catholic viewpoint and in defense of traditional American principles. 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