Episode 995: Hope for Catholics Living Scandalous Lives

In an article by Marco Tosatti in La Stampa commenting on the meetings of Cardinals which took place on February to discuss the family, he states: "The current opinion is that (Cardinal) Kasper's theorem tends to allow permission in general for the divorced and remarried to receive communion, without the previous marriage being recognized as null..." (March 24, 2014)
Card. Tagle of Manila already announced he will allow Communion for the divorced & remarried
Kasper’s plan aims to draw millions of fallen-away Catholics back to the Church and the Sacraments. The watering down of doctrine to the point of compromising the dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church is not the kind of ecclesiastical decision-making that Our Lord Jesus taught.

His plan is to accommodate the divorced and remarried, men and women who once received the Sacraments with the tranquility of a certain conscience and the real hope for salvation. But now, because of their flagrant disobedience to the Commandments, they are out of communion with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, they harbor in their souls the dreadful consequences of unforgiven mortal sins.

We are all sinners, but as members of the Church Militant, we patiently continue to work out our salvation with "fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12), but confident of the graces of courage, tranquility and perseverance that emanate from the hearts of Jesus and Mary. For many souls today, the return to the state of sanctifying grace is made complex because of the sinful choices they have made.

Given the constant and clear moral teaching of the Church that the Sacrament of marriage is indissoluble, divorced and remarried persons obviously are not admitted to receive Communion. Many of these souls abandoned any religious practice because they were well aware they were giving public scandal and did not want to face the prospect of going to Mass and being denied Communion.

I agree that this is truly a heartrending experience. But, I also agree that the censure imposed on these souls is a protection for all those who live in a marriage life following Catholic Morals. It is a necessary punishment first, for the good of the sinner’s soul; second, for the good of the entire Church, who is encouraged to practice virtue and avoid scandal.

It is not difficult to understand the spiritual drama playing out inside one of these souls. Reconciliation remains an unrequited goal because of the complexity of the conjugal relationships and the reality of a man’s responsibilities to the family he has raised or taken on. He wants to be reconciled with Our Lord Jesus Christ, but does not have the courage to break with his scandalous life, ask forgiveness and give a public example of repentance. In order to be in union with God and His Holy Church and return to the life of sanctifying grace, all men and women must obey the Commandments and Catholic Morals.

The real solution is chastity

The solution for this soul is to put himself, his loved ones and his family back on the narrow path to Heaven. But first, he must think seriously about his present situation. He should seriously consider the state of his soul when he will die and will be judged. What if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his immortal soul? How important is it to him to be reconciled with God? How important to him is the revitalization of a certain hope for Heaven in the depths of his soul? Is he willing to pay the price of discipleship and take up his cross daily?

The weighing of souls at the judgment
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing
unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to
this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that
you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the
perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:1-2)

The perfect Will of God for all of us is that each be saved. Souls out of the state of grace should take action, have courage. Their everlasting souls are pearls of great price. Their decision will determine their final destiny: Heaven or Hell.

The solution is chastity. By living a chaste life he can cleanse his soul from the sin of fornication, repent, give public example of the rejection of his scandalous life, return to the Sacraments, repair and compensate for all his sinful transgressions, and, most important, find peace with his Creator.

In closing, chastity in these days is an antidote for the culture of lust that pervades our apostate society. Chastity is a powerful force to stem the avalanche of lost souls heading into the eternal abyss. For those souls that agonize over whether they will be saved and go to Heaven because of the choices they have made in their relationships or marriages, this is a way to repair and compensate for the offenses against our Creator.

Millions of persons, who were once practicing Catholics, have been forced by their own perverseness and obstinacy to leave the state of sanctifying grace, which alone can guarantee their salvation. But the gift of chastity is a special grace given by the mercy of God to help sincere souls to break out of the swirling vortex of human concupiscence and take flight with a renewed spirit on that path that leads to eternal life with Our Lord, the Virgin Mary and the Church Triumphant.

“Therefore if anyone be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.” (2 Cor: 5:17)

A Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of Angels,
For Protection

A Bernardine Sister was shown in spirit the vast desolation caused by the devil throughout the world. At the same time, she heard the Blessed Virgin telling her it was true, Hell had been let loose upon the earth, and that the time had come to pray to her as Queen of Angels and to ask of her the assistance of the Heavenly Legions to fight against these deadly foes of God and of men.

“But, my good Mother,” she replied, “you who are so kind, could you not send them without our asking?”

“No,” Our Lady answered, “because prayer is one of the conditions required by God Himself for obtaining favors.”

Then the Blessed Virgin communicated the following prayer, bidding her to have it printed and distribute it gratis.

PRAYER

August Queen of Heaven, sovereign Mistress of the Angels, who didst receive from the beginning the mission and the power to crush the serpent’s head, we beseech thee to send thy holy angels, that under thy command and by thy power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them hence into the abyss of woe.

Most holy Mother, send thy angels to defend us and to drive the cruel enemy from us.

All ye holy angels and archangels, help and defend us. Amen.

O good and tender Mother! Thou shalt ever be our Love and our Hope.

Holy Angels and Archangels, keep and defend us. Amen