Come Home, Joe, But Leave the Public & Manifest Grave Sin Behind

by Fr Richard Heilman | November 25, 2020 10:48 PM

Come Home, Joe, But Leave the Public & Manifest Grave Sin Behind

Our relationship with God is best understood by the story of the Prodigal Son[1]. The son chooses (free will) to leave the love, protection and tranquility of being home with the father, in order to indulge in his sensual pleasures.

If you look closely at the story of the Prodigal Son, you’ll notice, first, the father neither goes off to find the son and drag him home, nor does the father tell the son he is free to bring the prostitutes home with him. To love God or not is our choice. Without free will, we are only robots controlled by another … it is not the free “choice” of love. And, Jesus tells us of the “evidence” of our love: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

And so, we see the “unprotected” (devil fodder) and “empty” (living outside his destiny) son comes to his senses and realize home is where he needs to be.

The most powerful part of the story is seen in this image (to the right). It is my all-time favorite image. This depicts the father of the Prodigal Son running out to embrace his son who is coming home. The artist does a magnificent job capturing the facial features of the father, running after he caught sight of his son. It’s a face that is about to explode in tears of joy.

It is easy to see that the father was watching the horizon every moment of every day, hoping THIS day, THIS hour would be the moment the son “decided” (free will) to return home. AND, we’ll have no talk of ANY diminished dignity. NO!! Get the robe and the ring and the sandals – all signs of being the prince of the king. Then the party begins! (A feast fit for royalty). The father wondered if his son, whom he loves SO MUCH, was lost forever … now he has him home, safe and sound.

THIS is my Catholic Church!! This is what REAL mercy is all about. My Church has its loving arms WIDE OPEN at ALL TIMES, always ready to welcome those who want to be home. But, like the father, we are not saying, “Bring the prostitutes home with you.”

This is where “some,” in the leadership of our Church, have a skewed and dangerous understanding of mercy. You see, by justifying, condoning or even ignoring the very public and manifest grave sin of Joe Biden, we are, in essence, saying, “Come home and bring the prostitutes with you.” And, of course, THIS message is then received by all of the faithful, which requires no need of repentance and reform.

The Church’s teaching on this could not be more clear:

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 [c. 915]. (John Paul II, enc. “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” (17 April 2003).

So, what are you saying, Church leaders? In opposition with very clear biblical and Church teachings that abortion and homosexual acts are gravely sinful (separating us from God), are you saying that is no longer true? Are you implying that God is now saying, “Come home and bring the prostitutes with you”? Maybe the whole idea of being separated from God when we engage in mortal sin is a “hateful concept” for you? Could it be that, in God’s plan for redemption, it is an act of love and mercy to allow the sinner to feel the horrible effects of separation, until they come to their senses? Of course it is.

[2]This view of “some” in Church leadership is called “false mercy.” Instead of offering a Church with perpetual, loving open arms for the “repentant” sinner … a way out of their prison of sinfulness, they offer a very “unloving” false notion of mercy that says, “Go ahead and remain in your dark and destructive sinful life … God is perfectly okay with that. Just come home, and bring the prostitutes with you.” These Church leaders are offering a home that is actually a prison.

Our Church is truly a Field Hospital. It is a place to be healed and restored to spiritual health. It is not a place for people to come and bleed to death while we withhold the only real healing medicine – a state of grace.

Yes!! We are a Church of sinners; sinners who seek God’s redemption. We are not a Church that condones and sanctions sin, as though we are incapable of ever avoiding sin[3]. All are truly welcomed home to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church to be forgiven, healed and set free, but leave the prostitutes behind.

Come Home, Joe! We welcome you with loving open arms! But, leave the public & manifest grave sin behind.

Source URL: https://romancatholicman.com/wp/come-home-joe-but-leave-the-public-manifest-grave-sin-behind/

---