The earth briefly stopped in its track, meaning this year is going be longer than any year, maybe even two days longer than a leap year. The whole world was in the state of confusion. What had caused this obstruction in the orbit of the earth?
The Holy Roman Catholic Church had spoken and she said that from now henceforth, today through tomorrow to go, all homosexuals and their siblings, LGBTQ+, must come for blessings and take a shorter route to Heaven.
After all, Jesus said, the prostitutes and armed robbers are leading the ‘jama’ to Heaven and way behind them, bible-believing, Holy Spirit filled Christians are struggling to get in the queue. A great celebration is awaiting the arrival of the homosexuals in Heaven, the Church seem to imply.
This was what made the earth to stand still, trying to understand the Catholic Church.
Here is a church that has condemned the acts of LGBTQ+ as sins that are close to the eternal sins, which are sins that cannot be forgiven here on earth and in the life hereafter. Then to turn round to say LGBTQ+ can come for blessings, is just NOT ON.
With the world now overburdened with sins, blessings have become scarce and are now essential commodities,which need to be rationed. Certainly not to be wasted on these sinful, ‘ginful, wineful’ persons. What the Holy Roman Catholic Church is saying clearly contradicts its stance on LGBTQ+ and this cannot hold, it cannot be accepted. But did the Church contradict itself?
Anytime a hardened criminal is about to be executed, a priest is called to pray over him and bless him. Does that mean, the priest and the church he represents condone the crime that prisoner had committed? Certainly not.
The whole problem here is the word, bless or blessing. Many people use these words, but do not understand what they actually mean, or they assume they do.
To bless could mean to ask for God’s help and protection for someone or something, or to call or make someone or something holy. So, here in plain language, the priest is asking for God’s help in making the LGBTQ+ person, turn away from his sin and enter a holy life with God. The prisoner about to be executed is presented to Christ to change his soul and make him worthy enough to enter Heaven, just as He pardoned Dismas, the Good Thief on the cross.
And blessing means, to be in favour with, of one mind with, and in tune with the will of God. It is about aligning oneself with the Great Liberator-Jesus Christ.
What would make a homosexual, individual or couples, approach a Catholic priest and ask for blessing? Would it be that the Holy Spirit is moving these people to the path of righteousness? No matter how insignificant or unrelated that act might be, it could eventually lead such sinners to Christ.
The homosexuals may ask for their work, car, house or journey to be blessed and gradually that close association with the priest, will open their eyes to the Word of God and lead them to repentance, conversion and finally to Christ.
The main reason why people have become shocked with the news that Rome has mandated Catholic priests to bless homosexuals, is the perception that the Catholic Church will now bless same-sex marriages.
In the Catholic concept, blessing couples, does not necessarily mean blessing their union, as in marrying them under the Church’s law. Among the Seven Holy Sacraments, which were instituted by Jesus Christ, Himself, is the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
It is the solemnization of marriage and this refers to performing a sacred ceremony, which would make the marriage, sacred and binding in the eyes of God.
In some other churches, marriages are only blessed and divorce is allowed. In the Catholic Church divorce is not allowed in marriage. But marriages can be annulled when it is later found out that certain important conditions were not met during the celebration, and so in the eyes of God no marriage took place.
The Catholic Church is full of laws and the divine laws are paramount. The Church is the custodian of these divine laws, which are God’s laws. Marriage or matrimony, meaning a union between a man and a woman is one of such laws and since it is God’s law, the Church cannot change it.
In summary, the Pope has not authorised the union of irregular relationships, which include same-sex.He cannot legislate that and the Church cannot, either.
What the Pope has instructed the priest to do, is to remind us of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45. He instructed us to love our enemies, if we are to become God’s children.
So, just as God allows the sun to rise on the evil and the good and the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous, we must know that He blesses both the wicked and the just. The Catholic priests can bless people in irregular relationships but cannot solemnized their marriage, until after they have decided to do the right thing.
The Catholic Church will not shut her doors on sinners, but will rather pray that they see the light.
Blessed be Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Merry Christmas to you.
By Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
