IN CL 9/11/03, Fred Dunn from Mt Isa wrote, ‘Words of comfort to the divorced. Not from Jenny Davies (CL 2/11/03) … go out joyfully and welcome the confused and traumatised back to the Church that they love, welcome them as Jesus welcomes’.
I get the impression from Fred Dunn’s letter that he believes that I have no understanding of divorce or those suffering its effects.
If one happens to be the innocent party in a marriage breakdown nothing changes in the reception of the sacraments, but when a person divorces and remarries without an annulment and then demands the Church to accommodate him or her with the reception of Holy Communion, sacrilege is heaped upon adultery. 1 Cor 11:27-29 ‘… anyone who eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthly will be behaving unworthly towards the Body and Blood of the Lord … because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the Body is eating and drinking his own condemnation’.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1650 and Mark 10:11 and 12 deal with the question of those who divorce and remarry committing adultery.
St Paul wrote, ‘ … refute falsehood, correct error and call to obedience with the intention of teaching.’
The Catholic Church is the best teacher and thanks be to God some priests have the courage to adhere to its teachings.
One such priest, Fr Pat McKenna, knocked on my door one day and discreetly asked to speak to me outside as I had visitors. Although it must have been difficult for him, he asked, ‘Were you brought up a Catholic?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘Well you must know as a divorced and remarried person you cannot receive Holy Communion.’
Oh, yes, I became very angry and defensive. Sound familiar? Fr McKenna stood his ground and continued, ‘You may not receive Holy Communion. You may instead receive a blessing’.
I was indignant, ‘Who does he think he is?’ With deaf ears I failed to hear that Fr McKenna was my teacher correcting error. I remained indignant for the length of time it took for me to find another priest (there is no shortage) who would assist me in my sacrilegious Communions.
The strangest part of all was that when I was within my Catholic marriage I knew there was no receiving Holy Communion unless one was in a state of grace, but when I embraced a sinful life the boundaries became blurred. With impaired vision I saw hypocrites everywhere in the pews of the Church until our good God enlightened me that I was the hypocrite. That liberating moment paved the way for what was to follow.
I read of a Protestant couple who wished to embrace the Catholic faith. He had been married and divorced. The couple visited a priest of renown in Italy who tested their sincerity by saying that they would have to live as brother and sister while the Church investigated his first marriage and subsequent divorce.
The priest asked if they were willing to abide by the Church’s decision even if it was negative. They both agreed. (I read some years later that their leap of faith was rewarded when they were received into and married in the Church).
Although I had only married the previous year, in my newly enlightened state, my hunger was such that I was willing to sacrifice all in order to receive the sacraments.
God invites us to take the first step and his grace will carry us the rest of the way in the call to holiness (Ephesians 16:19). An annulment was granted but long before that time I knew that a celibate life was my path to sanctity.
Fred Dunn said to ‘welcome them as Jesus welcomes … Do not turn them away’. Could we be Christian and do less? However more is demanded of us once we have turned to Jesus for He said, ‘Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more’.
People, besides seeing hypocrites in the Church, speak of feeling alienated at Mass. It is well to remember that the Mass is Calvary and our purpose at Mass is to give glory to God the Father through the Sacrifice of His Divine Son (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1356-1361). Alienation more often than not is in the heart. We keep hearing that the Church has got to change with the times. Do we seriously want our Church to be contaminated with the vice that consumes our generation? God will not be mocked.
My eternal gratitude to Blessed Mary MacKillop’s sisters, who endured great hardships to teach me my faith in Mt Isa and thank you Fr McKenna for telling me the truth that set me free.
JENNY DAVIES
Holland Park West, Qld
