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Question Title Posted By Question Date
Faith and Morals teaching Tom Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Question:

The question I have is one of a persons belief in our Roman Catholic principles? I know people in my own family who state that they can beliveve only what they want and can go to communion whenever they want irregardless if they go to mass only once a year or two times and even if the only go evey two years. They also state the they don't have to believe in Christ's teachings and still belong to our faith?

Another person who was raised a Catholic says they can just lead a good life without going to Church or receiving Sacremants and still receive the benefits of Heaven with God even though they do what the do!

On another subject is it possible within our faith for a person to receive a divorce in public court and then get married in public having a valid marriage in the church with three children and still receive Communion such as he and her does without an annulment be administered!

Can any of those mentioned above be excommunicated from our faith if the are invested fully in their veiws after learning that they are wrong and still receive the Sacrement of Communion without Confession! Can they be excommunicated for their beliefs? I belive they should have excommunication or the Church lives in a void having less than full believers as part of the Church and not holding anyone accountable for their heretic beliefs? Thanks for any answer you can give me on this subject!



Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+


Dear Tom:

Your family members and friends that are saying all this are dead wrong. These people are placing their souls as risk of going to hell.

One cannot receive communion unless they believe all that the Catholic Church requires of the faithful to believe, unless the faithful are obedient to the all teachings and disciplines, and only with mortal sin is removed from their soul through the Sacrament of Confession.

If these people you describe are receiving the Eucharist with these beliefs that they have then they are committing a sacrilege against the Eucharist (against God). St. Paul said that many are sick and some even die who do that.

If these people obstinately doubt or deny any defined dogma of the faith that is required for belief, then they are heretics and are automatically excommunicated.

If they deny any definitive teachings of the Church that are not technically defined dogma, but nevertheless are required for belief then they may not be automatically excommunicated, but they are barred from the Sacraments.

One is also barred from the Sacrament whenever grave sin is on one's soul.

I would pray and pray hard for these family members and friends; they are sorely wrong, and are arrogantly flipping their nose at God and risking their souls to hell unless they repent and resign from being their own god.

A married Catholic who gets a civil divorce is STILL considered married in the eyes of God and the Church unless the Marriage Tribunal rules that a Sacramental marriage never existed.

Thus, without an annulment or some other declaration that all impediments to marriage are resolved, a divorced Catholic cannot get married.

If a Catholic, divorced or not, marries outside the Church, then the marriage is invalid.

Anyone in an invalid marriage is living in a state of sin (sin of adultery or fornication) and cannot receive the Sacrament.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary


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