So do we have any Catholic people out there who still allows themselves to be swayed any by this particular event? Perhaps there or other old wives tales that may still come forth from time to time. Chime in and give us your take on where these quaint folklore situations fall into your lives. Tell us totally fiction or some fact depending on the custom?

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Which if you think about it is probably one of the reasons those precious gifts from God can be so darn annoying at this time of year. Who want to go around with worm/cricket breath or be around that?

To quote Peter David: But I Digress…

What used to be such a time of joy for me has really become a trial in recent years. I have come to dread and despise the “Holiday Season” in the US. While the secularists and multi-culturalists are busy taking God and especially Christ out of the public life, they are at the same time trying to substitute something else. Outside the holidays it is generally an earth worship thing it seems, while during the holidays, it becomes the god of consumerism.

It’s this last one that I hate the most. It makes the time of year we should be reflecting on the coming Holy Day into nothing more than an orgasmic expression of what’s in it for me? Sure we go out and buy LOTS of gifts for others, but now we also have the new thing of buying something special for ourselves for some people. We try to out do last year’s gifts. We try to be a better giver than last year. We try to overcompensate for the puny gift we gave Aunt Marge with something bigger.

The giving just isn’t about charity anymore. Faith, Hope and Love (or charity if you please) are the three great theological virtues. Of these St. Paul tells us that Love (charity) is the greatest and that the other two without it are nothing. We are nothing.

Mrs. Fric and I have resolved to make Christmas different from now on. We aren’t sure how we are going to do it or how to transition the children on it, but I do not want to spend another year feeling guilty about participating in the consumerism run amok. We want our family to experience a true Advent season and a true Christmas season. While I believe that Easter is the most important Holy Day, Christmas is right up there. We need to be grateful and remember how awesome it is that God Himself would humble… Nay… Humiliate Himself to become one of US. Only His Divine Love for us is cause for it. We certainly aren’t worthy of it. Yet He did it anyway.

Let’s all try to remember this every day, but especially this time of year.

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Unfortunately, she is also a divorced Catholic, through no fault of her own. Her husband divorced her, despite attempts to save the marriage. This DRE has explored the possibility of a Declaration of Nullity, but it looks like there won’t be grounds for it. At the time she got married, they met the conditions that make a marriage sacramental.

This means they freely (of will and without obstacles) were married in a valid ceremony. They were both baptized Catholics and were open to life. There appear to be no hidden agendas, lies or distortions at that time that would make the marriage not valid in the eyes of the Church.

This lady was lamenting that it was unfair that her husband can do whatever he wants and she cannot. After all, she is the wronged party. It seems especially unfair considering how some places hand out these decrees like candy. Or at least have had that reputation in the past. She followed up with the statement that she would never go against Church teaching in this matter and doesn’t even want that now anyway.

Mrs. Fric was empathetic to the DRE’s situation, as am I. But she thought it unfair of the Church too. I bet that a lot of people have this opinion and that it extends into other areas of Church teaching too.

For instance, look at the number of people that claim a right to the Eucharist when holding opinions and doing things that are objectively sinful and/or contrary to Church teaching or dogma. And doing it publicly for all to see. When the Church says that these people are not to receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, these people cry fowl. How dare the Church do this to them.

Not that my DRE friend believes that by the way.

The common thread here is that people who cannot get declarations of nullity and cannot receive communion licitly have not had anything done to them by the Church. The former either brought it upon themselves or it is forced upon them by an estranged spouse. The latter do it to themselves by their very actions.

The Church, in an effort to maintain the integrity of the sacrament of marriage and the Eucharist must remind people that the state has consequences, no matter who brought them to it. It may seem cruel to say someone is still married when their ex is on his fourth new wife already. But he is the one who is sinning mightily against the true spouse and his sacramental marriage. He commits serial adultery no matter what the courts say. Her state remains unchanged, because it cannot change until death do they part.

In the case of obstinate sinners, they bring condemnation and ignominy on themselves and scandal to the Church. By withholding the sacraments (except confession which should only be used to repent fully) the Church is preventing that person from committing more and more sins. It is pastorally sound and wise to do this. Not to them, but for them.

That’s my take on it. What’s yours?

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