The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, December 02, 2005, Image 15

www.carroll.edu Campus Ministry ■t 15 Bless me Father, for I don’t understand! Church holds special place of honor for Mary by Casey Jones Intern Writer One of the most misunderstood practices of the Catholic Church is the Sacrament of Penance, also called Confession or Reconciliation. Many do not understand the concept of confessing one's sins to a priest. The answer to the question of why we should go to a man for confession and forgiveness of sins is simple In the twentieth chapter of St. John's Gospel beginning at verse 22, \And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (see also Matthew 18:18) Here we see that Jesus gives his apostles the authority to forgive sins. We see in the James tells us that if someone is sick or dying we should, “call for the elders [in Greek presbyters still used today to refer to priests] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.. .and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiv­ en” (James 5:14-15). The scrip­ tures reveal to us that Jesus desired for the apostles to share in what St. Paul calls a \Ministry of reconciliation\ (2 Cor 5:18). There are several writings from the early church that facilitate the necessity of confessing ones sins. One of the earliest Christian writings, dating back to 70AD , the Didache states \Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil con­ science.\ St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 110) and St. Iranaeus (d. 189) both write of the necessity of those who stray from the teach­ ings of the Church to confess and be reconciled. The Early Church Fathers had a clear understanding of the teach­ ings of St. Paul who tells us that if one member of the body of Christ suffers, so do the others (1 Cor 12:26). We are all one body of Christ, and if we sin it is damaging to the whole body, which Jesus entrust­ ed this ministry of Reconciliation to the Church. (CCC 1474) The Church requires us to go to confession at least once a year. Also, if anyone is conscious of grave sin, they must be receive the sacrament before receiving Holy Communion. This also goes back to scripture, where St. Paul tells us \Let a man examine him­ self, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.\ (1 Cor 11:28-29) More CONFESSION on page 16 Saint of the Month: St. Nicolas On December 6 the Church celebrates the feast of St. Nicolas. The man, who has become known to us as Santa Claus, was actu­ ally a Bishop in the fourth century AD who was known for his kindness and service to the poor. He was exiled and imprisoned under the emperor Diocletian, and attended the Council of Nicea in 325. He is known for acts of charity, often done in secret, with money or food mysteriously appearing in the homes of poor families-- their benefactor unknown. Nicolas died in the year 343 on December 6 and is buried in the Cathedral Church of Myra. S t . N icolas ...P ray for U s ! By Elaine Rendler OCP Publications Marian feasts are divided into two categories: those that cele­ brate Mary's vocation, and those that celebrate her personally. The Annunciation is an example of a vocational feast; that is, it is a cel­ ebration of her role in salvation history as the Mother of God. The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, however, is a person­ al feast of Mary; it is the celebra­ tion of her sinless conception. While the church holds a special place of honor for Mary in its liturgical calendar, personal devo­ tion to Mary also shares a unique role in our tradition. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined in 1854, from whence it acquired status as a principal feast of the Roman church. The feast is much older in origin, however, and goes back at least as far as the seventh century, though it is not the most ancient Marian feast. The oldest feasts celebrating Mary are those associ­ ated with her role as the Mother of God: her birthday, Purification (now the Feast of the Presentation), Annunciation, and Assumption. These feasts origi­ nated in the Byzantine church and were adopted by the Roman church as early as the seventh or eighth century. Kirchen Komments Carroll Alumni to be ordained a priest On the evening o f December 9, 2005. Deacon Eric Gilbaugh of Carroll's 2000 class will be ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop George Leo Thomas in the Cathedral of St. Helena at 3:00 PM. On December 10 at 9:00 a.m., Fr. Gilbaugh will celebrate a solemn Mass o f thanksgiving. Both of these events are open to the public. Dec. 8 is Holy Day of Obligation Thursday, Dec. 8 is a Holy Day o f Obligation. Mass times on campus are as follows: in St. Charles at 11:10 a.m., Borromeo at 11:30 a.m., and 9:30 p.m. in St. Charles. Catechesis and Catholic Apologetics by Father McCallum on Wed. evenings Fr. McCallum has started a catechesis and Catholic apolo­ getics session on Wednesday evenings. He will give a presen­ tation on a variety of topics and is willing to answer ques­ tions you have. The next presentation will be on Wednesday, December 7 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Look for more dates in January. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament On Wednesday afternoons at 4-5:00 p.m., there is Adoration o f the Blessed Sacrament in Borromeo Chapel. Evening prayer is said at 4:45 p.m. and Benediction follows. This is a great opportunity for prayer. - ' ---------- 1 / . . i 1 _ ____ --L __________ - - - - VOLUME-89, NO.-3 -Friday,-December 2-, -2005