The “mercy of the Catholic Church”? What about God’s mercy?

I agree with you. I don’t deny offering this man a Catholic funeral may cause scandal. Indeed, St. Paul clearly exhorts us to avoid scandal, because of the weak may be lead astray in his discussion of eating the meat offered to idols (1 Cor. 8). Indeed at canon 1752 states “…the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.”

What I am criticizing is the idea that we should declare that we know in particular which people are cut off from the presence of God and are unrepentant in their sin on their deathbed. I pray that this man did repent and received God’s mercy, but we do know that he did die in serious sin and we cannot pretend that serious sin is not serious. Thus the sanction from a Catholic bury does make sense in light of possible scandal, but does not declare the man died in mortal sin or unrepentant, that is a judgement left to God.

Too often we get into deep seated divisions in our Church. Real Catholics™ vs. those Catholycs, the lepers of the Real Church™. We are the Real Catholics™, because we are of Apollos, or Paul, or John. They, those wretched people over there, are not, they are of Peter or Barnabas. How often does St. Paul exhort us against these sorts of divisions?

Others Catholics may fall into impurity and even fight against the sexual teachings of the Church, but how often are we fighting against the teachings to love our neighbor and seek unity with Christians?

St. Paul exhorts us:
“Live in harmony with one another” (Rom 12:16)
“Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor 1:12)
“For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?” (1 Cor 3:3)

St. John, the beloved disciple warns us:
“We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.” (1 John 3:14-15)

And Our Lord and Savior exhorts:
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.” (Matt. 12:25)
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21)
“But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” (Matt. 5:22)

Is not our Holy Father Pope Benedict, the Pope of Christian Unity?

I do not say that we should not speak the truth. We should loudly and proudly as Catholics. Indeed, charity without truth is sentimentality, but truth without charity is cruelty. We should do our best to be faithful Catholics.

But what scandal does it bring the Church when we sow division? How does labeling part of the Body of Christ “Catholyc” work for the salvation of souls? I will admit that in my weakness, I almost left the Church because I was disgusted by the in fighting of my brethren, but thanks be to God that he gave me the strength to accept a Church of sinners and acknowledge myself as one of them.

Should we not be working for unity, rather than cursing our brothers for their weakness? Why are we not running after the lost sheep? What is greater, a sin against purity, or a sin against charity?

The sanctimonious rhetoric that’s spewing in this blog makes me remember why I left the Catholic church.

None of you–I repeat: NONE of you–are without sin. And yet you condemn others for what you think are their sins. That is not your place, as your Lord Jesus Christ commanded that you judge not lest you be judged.

I pray the Catholic faith withers and dies like the hatefilled serpent it has become. You are blind to your own transgressions, and revel in casting-down others for theirs. You should be ashamed.