Due to our fallen human nature, sin is an unfortunate reality of life. No matter how hard we try, we always ?slip up? in some way. Sometimes our sin is great, other times it?s not so bad. Could you imagine how devastating it would be if God didn?t give us a second, third, hundredth, or ten thousandth chance?

In the first reading from today?s Mass (Lv 13:1-2, 44-46), The Lord gives Moses the rules for pronouncing lepers ?unclean?. It involves going to the priest and allowing him to make the determination. Reading the next several verses of Leviticus 13 (beyond what is read at Mass) states that the priest can also declare a leper ?clean? if certain conditions are met.

In today?s gospel reading (Mk 1:40-45), a leper approaches Jesus and states, ?If you wish, you can make me clean?. The Lord touched him and replies, ?I do will it. Be made clean.? Just as in the first reading, the leper is healed. In this case, the healing comes directly from the ultimate high priest, Jesus Christ.

So many times, we are the ?unclean lepers? due to our sinful actions. What a pity that many people don?t realize that there is a solution. Like the lepers in the readings, we simply need to present ourselves to the priest in the Sacrament of Confession. It is there that the high priest, Jesus, heals us of our sins. Don?t be fooled into thinking that you?re confessing your sins to an ordinary man?that?s not true. The Church teaches that it is Jesus Himself who hears and forgives our sins.

If it?s been awhile since you?ve been to Confession, please consider going soon. Then, like the healed leper in today?s gospel reading, you won?t be able to contain your joy once you are cleansed!

Maybe it?s not the best choice for Valentine?s Day, but today I?d like to reflect on Adam?s pathetic response to God after he ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. There are so many things that I could write about from today?s Mass readings. First, there is God?s promise of a savior that will redeem us from evil. This verse is known as the ?protoevangelium? (Gn 3:15) and is one of the most important verses in the Bible. Next, in the gospel (Mk 8:1-10) we read the miraculous story of Jesus feeding the four thousand. The miracle performed by Christ is a foreshadowing of how He would institute the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which provides us with a taste of Heaven on earth!

With those themes to choose from, I don?t know what is making me write about Adam?s excuse. I guess that there?s just something so familiar about it that it really hits close to home. To refresh your memory, after being confronted by God about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam?s response is ?The woman whom you put here with me–she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.? (Gn 3:12) It appears that not only is Adam blaming Eve, but he is also blaming God for putting her there! That really takes a lot of guts. Instead of owning up to what he did, Adam tries to put the blame on everyone else.

When I read this, my first reaction is outrage that Adam could be so cowardly. As I thought more about this I realized that I have done the same thing many times in my life. ?I know I should forgive this person, but it?s really their fault because they won?t accept my apology???I know I should be kind to so-and-so, but they?re just so nasty that I can?t???I shouldn?t have gotten mad at my wife, but she really provoked me???I know that the Church teaches that artificial birth control is wrong, but they need to get out of the dark ages and change with the times?, etc.

I could go on, but I?m sure you get the idea. We need to be responsible for our own sinful actions. The devil can tempt us all day long, but he can?t make us sin. We are responsible for our own sins and will have to answer for them someday. A good first step would be to ask for The Lord?s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession. By doing that, we will also receive the grace to avoid sin in the future. Of course we?ll stumble from time to time, but as long as we take responsibility for our actions and seek God?s forgiveness we?ll be ok.

The story of Nadya Suleman and her octuplets has dominated the news over the past few weeks. In case anyone is unaware, Ms. Suleman recently delivered octuplets after undergoing in-vitro fertilization. To make this story even more compelling, she already has 6 children and is currently on welfare. She reportedly has received death threats, primarily because taxpayers are angry about supporting an unmarried mother with 14 children who intentionally set out to have a large family.

Where do I start with this one? Let?s first examine the teaching of the Catholic Church on in-vitro fertilization. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

Have you ever felt that God wasn?t answering your prayers? Maybe you?ve been praying for a family member to return to the Church, a new job, a pregnancy, or a healing from a chronic illness. You pray and pray and the intention seems to go unanswered. Is it possible that God isn?t listening?

Most of us are familiar with the following Bible verse:

The Lord God gave man this order: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.” (Gn 2:16-17)

Have you ever thought about how that verse applies to us today? In his 1986 encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem , Pope John Paul II offers some insight into this passage:

According to the Book of Genesis, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” was to express and constantly remind man of the “limit” impassable for a created being. God’s prohibition is to be understood in this sense: the Creator forbids man and woman to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The words of the enticement, that is to say the temptation, as formulated in the sacred text, are an inducement to transgress this prohibition-that is to say, to go beyond that “limit”: “When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God [“like gods”], knowing good and evil.”

“Disobedience” means precisely going beyond that limit, which remains impassable to the will and the freedom of man as a created being. For God the Creator is the one definitive source of the moral order in the world created by him. Man cannot decide by himself what is good and what is evil-cannot “know good and evil, like God.”

Hardly a day goes by when we don?t hear of a Catholic politician publicly dissent from the Church?s teaching on any number of issues. The current U.S. Vice President and Speaker of the House are prime examples. They have decided that they know better than the Church on the issue of abortion. I was reading an online article on a newspaper website when one of our bishops criticized a government official for supporting international funding for contraception and abortion. The online comments on the article attacked the bishop mercilessly. Sadly, many of these comments were written by Catholics who feel that they also know better than the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

How many of you know people in your own lives who ignore the infallible Church teachings on premarital sex and artificial birth control? How about Catholics who get divorced and ?remarried? outside of the Church? Many of these individuals continue to receive The Lord in Holy Communion, ignoring the Church teaching that they are committing a grave sin. They all know better than the Church.

The reality of the situation is that despite what Mr. Biden, Ms. Pelosi or any other Catholic may feel, the Church has the authority to set moral laws for its members. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (and the Code of Canon Law) :

The Church, the “pillar and bulwark of the truth,” “has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth.” “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls.”
(CCC 2032, CIC 747)

No matter how you and I feel, we don?t know better than the one true Church founded by Jesus and granted the authority to teach authoritatively. ?Cafeteria Catholicism? is a serious problem in today?s world and we should be careful to avoid falling victim to it. One of the best things that we can do is provide a good example by following all of the Church?s teachings. If it is necessary to point out the error of someone?s ways, we should always, always, always remember to be charitable and prudent. Many times Catholics don’t understand the teachings of the Church and it may be up to us to gently enlighten them.

All of us will stand before God someday and have to account for our actions in this life. I don’t know about you, but the last thing that I want is to try to explain why I “knew better” than His Church in deciding what’s good and evil!

One of the biggest traps that Christians can fall into is worshipping God with our lips while our hearts are somewhere else. In the gospel reading from today?s Mass, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for this practice:

“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! (Mk 7:6-9)

Most of us are going to look at these words and feel relief that we don?t fall into this category, but is that really the case? Some of the most faithful Christians commit this offense often and don?t even realize it. I have to admit that I have fallen into this trap many times.

As Catholics, do we ever look down on people of other faiths? Do we ever criticize or feel superior to our fellow Catholics who may not know much about their faith? How do we react to the people who ?show up once a year? and cause Christmas Mass to be overcrowded? Do we ever lose our temper with family members because they interfere with our prayer time or religious observances? Do we ever daydream while we are saying the responses at Mass? Are we ever thinking about other things while we are walking down the aisle to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion? When we confess our sins do we really intend to try our best never to sin again? When we pray the Lord?s Prayer do we truly ?forgive those who trespass against us??

If you are guilty of any of these practices, join the club! That?s why it?s important to examine our consciences on a regular basis. The Sacraments of Confession and The Eucharist provide us with the grace that we need to eliminate some of these bad habits from our lives. God knows that we are not perfect and that we need His help to live good lives. We just need to try our best to ensure that we are not just worshipping Him with our lips, but also with our hearts.

We are well aware that Jesus performed many healings during His ministry. In his gospel, St. Mark tells us that sick people were healed simply by touching the tassel of Jesus? cloak (Mk 6:56). As in the time of Christ, there are many people today who are in need of healing. Often it isn?t a physical healing, but a spiritual one that is needed. How do we receive that healing today?

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is present in the Sacraments. The main way that we receive healing from the sickness of grave (mortal) sin is through the sacrament of Confession (a.k.a Penance or Reconciliation). Even though we confess our sins to a priest, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) informs us that it is God, not the priest, who forgives us:

Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.” Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name. (CCC 1441)

In order to ensure that His healing ministry would continue, Jesus entrusted the Apostles with the authority to forgive sins in His name. The successors of the Apostles are the Bishops, assisted by priests. This process of apostolic succession makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness directly from God and be reconciled with the Church.

The Catechism does an excellent job of explaining the sacrament in greater detail (Click here to read) and I strongly encourage you to read it. Rest assured that Jesus is still performing miraculous healings every day through this great sacrament. If you haven?t been to Confession in a while, why not give it a try?

?Jesus will be waiting to meet you there!

If you?re having a bad day, the First Reading from today?s Mass may not do initially do anything to cheer you up:

Job spoke, saying:Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?Are not his days those of hirelings?He is a slave who longs for the shade,a hireling who waits for his wages.So I have been assigned months of misery,and troubled nights have been allotted to me.If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?”then the night drags on;I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;they come to an end without hope.Remember that my life is like the wind;I shall not see happiness again. (Jb 7:1-4, 6-7)

Upon further reflection, however, this reading reminds us that our earthly life isn?t the whole story. Someday, if we follow God?s commandments, it will be possible to live forever in total happiness. In a sense, that should make anything on this earth bearable. All sickness, financial difficulties, discomfort, unhappiness will come to an end someday.

In a few weeks, we?ll begin the season of Lent. Throughout those seven weeks, we will be able to look at our lives and make some changes. We can reflect on those things which may be keeping us from a closer relationship with The Lord. As Job reminds us, this life can be difficult at times but it is temporary. Therefore, we shouldn?t put all of our effort into pursuing only those things that bring us pleasure. All earthly things, even if they feel good, will come to an end someday. Instead, we should concentrate on accumulating heavenly treasures.

So today, let?s remember that we can unite all of our daily sufferings with the suffering of Christ (Col 1:24)?By doing that we can assist in the salvation of mankind. We can also console ourselves with the ?depressing? words of the prophet Job who reminds us that one day the ?drudgery? of this life will come to an end. By looking at things that way, it may just be enough to cheer us up if we are having a bad day!

(Reprinted from the February 2009 edition of The Catholic Truth Newsletter)

This question comes up a lot, especially from Catholics. Unfortunately, it shows a misunderstanding of the ministerial priesthood and the structure of the Church. In rebutting this argument, we need to point out that the Catholic Church is not run like a business. There isn?t an organizational structure where lay people report to priests. We all have different ?jobs?, but we shouldn?t think of one group being better than another. Clergy, religious and the laity all have different roles to play in advancing the Kingdom of God (Rm 12:3-8). The fact that it isn?t possible for women to be ordained priests doesn?t imply that they are inferior to men.

One piece of little known information is that all baptized Christians already share in the priesthood of Christ. This priesthood is referred to as the common priesthood. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Lay people share in Christ’s priesthood: ever more united with him, they exhibit the grace of Baptism and Confirmation in all dimensions of their personal, family, social, and ecclesial lives, and so fulfill the call to holiness addressed to all the baptized.
(CCC 941)

This common priesthood is different than the ministerial priesthood (transmitted through Holy Orders), but it is vitally important to the mission of the Church. Priests aren?t in our workplaces or homes and therefore we are expected to work ?in the fields? and preach the Good News to all whom we encounter. When we unite all of our work with the priestly sacrifice of Christ, we are indeed ?priests? although not in the ministerial sense.

While it?s difficult to address this topic in the limited space available, it is important to point out a few facts. Jesus chose twelve men to be His Apostles. These men became the first priests. He could have easily chosen some women to be part of that group, but He did not. His Blessed Mother would have been the most likely candidate, but she was not chosen. Jesus certainly went against the grain many times and would not have hesitated to do this if He so desired. The argument that women weren?t chosen because they were ?second class citizens? in the time of Christ just doesn?t make sense. Jesus repeatedly broke the rules and associated with tax collectors and sinners. He certainly was never afraid to make waves. In her infinite wisdom, the Church has interpreted the actions of Christ to mean that only men can be ordained to the ministerial priesthood. Additionally, when a priest offers the sacrifice of the Mass, He is literally ?standing in? for Christ, who is a man. Having a woman perform that task would be similar to a director casting Meryl Streep to play Martin Luther King in a movie. It just isn?t a good fit.

Finally, it?s pointless to debate whether or this will ever change, as it has been settled once and for all by Pope John Paul II in his 1994 Apostolic Letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. In answer to the question of whether women can be ordained priests, the late Holy Father stated:

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.

That infallible declaration ensures that this matter is settled and will never change. If we encounter someone who disagrees with this definitive proclamation, we should simply recommend that they trust in the Holy Spirit?s protection of the Church?s teaching. The same Spirit who was present at the first Church Council in Jerusalem, in which the Apostles declared that Gentile Christians were not bound by the Mosiac Law (Acts 15:28), continues to guide the Church today.