12/28/2018

Q: Will your sin be forgiven if you say sorry when you are about to die?
 
Joseph Englefield
Steubenville
 
   A: I get this question from time to time from people of all ages. Of course, Jesus Christ gave us the sacrament of penance (see, John, Chapter 20, Verse 23) and we read throughout the New Testament how the priest is in the person of Christ in the proclamation of the Gospel, as well as in the forgiveness of sins. In fact, God gave the Levitical priests in the Old Testament the ability to be instruments of forgiveness for the chosen people in the Temple sacrifices. Of course, your question asks whether or not one is forgiven their sins just before they die if they are not given the benefit of the sacrament of penance.
   To this point, we believe in God’s mercy and love for each and every one of us. We, also, are aware that God knows your heart and mine better than we know our own.  This does not absolve us from celebrating the sacrament of penance, for we must be careful not to gamble with our eternal life when we have opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of forgiveness.
   However, this being said, through our reflection on sacred Scripture, we are aware that no one is more compassionate and merciful than God himself. And, forgiveness of sins is reserved for God himself and his priests. This is why we pray for the eternal souls of our loved ones who have died, and we place their eternal future in the merciful hands of God. Perhaps the words of archangel Gabriel to our Mother Mary are fitting even for those who are at the moment of death and seek God’s forgiveness:  for nothing is impossible for God.
 
   Q: What does the bishop do?
 
Derrick Wheeler
Marietta
 
   A: I get asked this question a lot, as do many of our priests, for there are some out there who believe that for a priest, we begin our day celebrating Mass and then we spend the rest of the day preparing our homily for the next day. In fact, as a successor of the apostles, I continue on what was entrusted by Jesus to the apostles when they received the Holy Spirit. We bishops are heralds of the Gospel who preserve the deposit of faith, also known as the treasury of faith. While protecting these truths, the bishop exercises three offices within his ministry: he sanctifies, he governs and he teaches. My fellow priests and deacons in the Diocese of Steubenville are a direct part of my ministry in these three offices.
   I’m grateful for the technology of our time that permits me to travel our diocese from parish to parish, but I must say the most challenging temptation I confront is not how many locations I visit, but instead how long I should remain there. I regret that I do not spend as much time in each place as I would like for it is a delicate balance that can easily be compromised: either spending not enough time with a specific community or not visiting enough communities. Please pray that I focus on this balance.
   The line of bishops in the Catholic Church, both East and West, is unbroken.  In other words, the Holy Spirit has been ordaining us bishops since that first Pentecost in which the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. To this day, there are many activities a bishop partakes in. Even within one day, my principle role is to bring Jesus Christ to you and to bring you to Jesus Christ. I intend and hope to get all of you to heaven.
 
   Q: Do you get confused when you change your miters (hats) in Mass?
 
Emma Rusciano
Cadiz
 
   A: The short answer is sometimes. The “hats” I wear at Mass whether or not it is the miter (the tall hat) or the “zucchetto” (the hat that looks like a yamaka). There are liturgical guidelines for wearing a miter or a “zucchetto” and each has a symbolic meaning or purpose for a particular moment of a liturgy.
   The challenge of wearing one of the “hats” is that I also try to focus on intense prayer during each of the liturgies. Consequently, I must depend on habit (or on my master of ceremonies) in order to know when the miter or “zucchetto” comes on or off.  A possible follow-up question would be have I ever made a mistake with one of my hats?  Another short answer is: yes.  Do I expect to make a mistake again in the future? No, but, of course, I could always blame my master of ceremonies if I’m not wearing the right hat, or wearing a hat at all, at the proper moment.
   Out of reverence for the holy Eucharist, did you know that a bishop does not wear anything on top of his head when in the presence of the Lord’s body and blood? This is why no bishop wears a “zucchetto” during the eucharistic prayer or at eucharistic adoration.
   Vestiture is symbolic of a person as are gestures and words, but we also know in all three they must become habit-forming in order for us to exercise our proper function at any liturgy.
            May you and your family have a most blessed Christmas and New Year, as we fittingly celebrate Our Lord’s birthday, all the while anticipating his second coming.