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Question:

Dear Father Angelo,

My name is Martin, I am 25 years old, I recently discovered this precious website.

Here is my first question: Jesus gave authority to His Church to remit sins, granting the ministers of the sacrament of reconciliation with total, unquestionable judgement. What happens therefore if a priest absolves a sin, while another priest does not absolve the same sin? You will probably reply that, in the act of celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, the priest is guided by the Holy Spirit.

Second question: can the repentance for the sins that a man has commited, and the sorrow for his own state of spiritual weakness, which force us (me in particular) to displease Jesus and all his Saint Friends and his Most Holy Mother, along with the sacrament of reconciliation solicit the Divine Mercy at the moment of the Last Judgement? I am living in the fear of dying in a state of mortal sin, and be damned. I so much despise my state of weakness to the point that I believe I deserve Hell! 

Third question: could you explain Jesus’ feeling toward the apostle John and why Peter, to whom Jesus conferred the primacy upon the Universal Church, was not the beloved apostle?

I thank you in advance for your reply.

Answer:

Dear friend,

1.     Reconciliation involves contrition, confession to a priest, absolution by the priest, and penance. A Catholic priest who administers the sacraments acts not on the basis of his own power or moral perfection (which unfortunately he often lacks), but rather “in persona Christi”. Therefore, the authority to absolve penitents from their sins cannot be disputed by other men, nor by the authority of the Church. However, it can be disputed by God, and the priest will become accountable to God for the way he administered this sacrament during his life on Earth.

2.     In case the priest does not remit the sins, the sins will remain not remitted, as the Lord said: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23).

3.     In case the priest makes a mistake, and does not remit the sins to a person who is sincerely repentant, that person remains unabsolved, yet receives God’s grace, as God can grant his Grace also outside the sacrament of reconciliation. Thus, in this way the Lord compensates for the priest’s defect.

4.     With regards to the second question: I cannot say whether or not contrition could deserve the grace not to die in a state of mortal sin. Certainly we must ask the grace to die a good death, that is, to die in the grace of God, and in the solace of the sacraments. In The Litany of the Saints (Latin: Litaniae Sanctorum) the Church prays the following: a subitanea et improvisa morte libera nos Domine (“from an instantaneous and sudden death deliver us, O Lord”). Nothing prevents you from asking this to God, in your daily prayer. The Lord will not answer negatively to such an insistent request, if this is made with love.

5.    With regards to the third question: you asked me why the beloved disciple was not Peter, since God gave him the primacy to govern the Church too. I believe that this is part of a beautiful, divine project.

No man should think that, because he does not govern the Church, God’s love for him must be inferior as compared to the one who governs it.
Thus even a child, who does not govern the Church, can be a greater saint than the Pope is.
Holiness is not related to authority, to power.
Instead, it is inextricably related to love and charity.
There are so many people who are not priests, yet they are holier than priests!
Saint Francis, Saint Catherine, Saint Claire, Saint Therese were not priests, however they are holier than many who were constituted in the priesthood and in the Church’s authority.

I wish you well, I remind you to the Lord and I bless you,

Father Angelo

Translated by Irene Visciano