The Catholic Church has called a synod of it's Bishops, a meeting in laymen's terms. One topic being discussed is receiving Holy Communion when you are not in a state of grace with the Church.
What is Grace you may ask? Well, Grace is a "nudge" to a holy state of life. Sanctifying Grace is a state when the soul is holy and supernaturally alive.
So the Catholic Church teaches that we need to be "Clean" to receive communion. The Sacrament of confession or reconciliation was established at the Council of Trent in 1551.
What was that time period like? What were the norms of the time? Compare it to the early church, or the Church in the first century where we have clear leaders in the church who were women, yet today women are excluded from many duties of the church.
Jesus came at a time in human history when men were in charge and women were almost a second class citizen. If you are still in that line of thought we probably can predict your position on any forward equality movement.
If we can look at the history of the bible and watch it's growth we will see clearly that man has a better understanding of what God wants from his people. No sacrifice of animals needed, no incense before statues, no rolling around in the dirt and wearing a hair coat.
Can you imagine how many of our friends and relatives would be dead if we still stoned people for adultery??
I can speak on this religious topic because I have a degree in Theology, or better yet I have a spiritual relationship with Christ. People want a degree to prove authority, which was the issue when Jesus spoke with the Scribes and Pharisees, they wanted to know what authority He had.
Jesus had the authority of the Love which flowed from him know as the Holy Spirit.
Jesus called all to the table, in fact he stated in a parable, that you should go out and invite the lowest and most outcasted to your table to eat. His table is much better than mine because I have soup and sandwiches most days.
If you believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist and can heal the wounds of the soul, why do we want to refrain those that don't have that "degree" to prove they are living a life of love and christian ideals.
The answer is: because man has said so.
Here is a personal experience that I had which really opened my eyes to the hindrance of closed minded religious views.
I was on vacation in Harrisburg, Pa visiting my parents. The summer was a hot one and my stay was planned for two days. I had not been to a Latin Rite Mass for many years and wanted to revisit this form of worship.
I spent the morning in the sunshine walking along City Island praying the rosary and preparing for Mass.
I went to the doors of the church and was met by a priest I extended my hand and began to say good morning father when I was met with "What are you doing here?" I was taken back and replied "I've come to pray at Mass, father." as I withdrew my unwanted hand from the priest he responded; "Not here you're not." I asked; "Why not father? I have come a long way to celebrate here."
The priest who refused to shake my hand said; "You may not wear shorts to Mass, but since you have traveled so far you may come in, but you must sit in the back and you may not receive the Eucharist."
Great compromise father!! I thought for a moment and replied; "Father, you are too kind, but I can see your law has interfered with the Life of Christ. Be sure I will not enter this den and also be sure you will be hard pressed to enter the Kingdom."
Do you see how we can violate Love by abiding by the Law?
It's like the issue of cohabitation. If two people are in love and are committed to each other then by the very act on their part they are "married" joined together in a holy Love. God blesses us with love, man blesses us with the degree to prove we are married.
If you believe God is Love, and you believe God's ways are unknowable, than to understand God's Love is unknowable. As we grow as a human family over the course of time we will be able to more easily understand what is Love for humanity but not the entirety of God's Love.
When I die I don't want one dollar wasted on flowers. Why? because the flowers are for you not me. I will be in Paradise where there are no Roman collars and no ball and chains.
