The Holy Father, Holy Communion, and Manifest Grave Sin...

There is some "discussion" on another Catholic blog denigrating Bishop Sheridan's recent pastoral letter about Holy Communion and the grave responsibility the faithful have with regard to the life issues of abortion, stem cell research, same sex unions, etc. Unfortunately, various perjorative 'terms' are being cast about regarding those who happen to agree with Bishop Sheridan.

Some conclude that his pastoral letter unjustly singles out Catholics voters and that his letter could not be properly understood by the faithful. It would seem that many have misunderstood what Bishop Sheridan has said and what the Church teaches.

As the Holy Father states in Ecclesia de Eucharistia:

Along these same lines, the Catechism of the Catholic Church rightly stipulates that “anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion”. I therefore desire to reaffirm that in the Church there remains in force, now and in the future, the rule by which the Council of Trent (*) gave concrete expression to the Apostle Paul's stern warning when it affirmed that, in order to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner, “one must first confess one's sins, when one is aware of mortal sin”.

The judgment of one's state of grace obviously belongs only to the person involved, since it is a question of examining one's conscience. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who “obstinately persist in manifest grave sin” are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion.

(*)Council of Trent, Session XIII, Canon 11. If anyone says that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, let him be anathema. And lest so great a sacrament be received unworthily and hence unto death and condemnation, this holy council ordains and declares that sacramental confession, when a confessor can be had, must necessarily be made beforehand by those whose conscience is burdened with mortal sin, however contrite they may consider themselves. Moreover, if anyone shall presume to teach, preach or obstinately assert, or in public disputation defend the contrary, he shall be excommunicated.

*** See also:

PARTICIPATION OF CATHOLICS IN POLITICAL LIFE (From the SCDF)
John Paul II, continuing the constant teaching of the Church, has reiterated many times that those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose" any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them.[19] As John Paul II has taught in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae regarding the situation in which it is not possible to overturn or completely repeal a law allowing abortion which is already in force or coming up for a vote, "an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality".[20]

One may also wish to review Catholics and Political Responsibility or Fr. Stphen Torraco's Moral Duties concerning Voting or Catholic Answer's Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics.