BETRAYAL OF THE HIGHEST MAGNITUDE

George Offerman

Many Catholics and most protestants I have come in contact with over the years have wondered “Why is such a big deal made over receiving communion?” and “Why is it politicized and who has a right to determine who is worthy or not?”. If one believes that communion is symbolic, and is not the true presence of the Body of Christ, there may be substance to that argument. However, it is not what the church teaches, and this teaching goes back to the days of the Apostles. But when looking at the behaviors of the majority of the American Bishops, and some of those in Rome, it is apparent that they are suffering from a ‘crisis in faith’ as they do not defend the Eucharist, and by their collective silence, have originated and perpetuated betrayal of the highest magnitude against Christ Himself.

It is very well known that the field of psychology has one of the highest proportions of atheists of any profession. Yet the central tenet or highest law of psychology and counseling is that of confidentiality. The confidentiality laws are clear, and they are continually emphasized while in school. One can lose their license to practice if they violate confidentiality EVEN ONCE, and no matter what a professional counselor or therapist’s personal beliefs, lifestyles or behaviors are, (and they vary greatly) it is extremely rare when confidentiality is violated. When confidentiality is violated, the profession is in 100% agreement that sanctions need to take place, and the only disagreements may be the degree of sanctions imposed. But I have not ever heard any professional in my field defend the violation of confidentiality.

I look at our profession, with the varying beliefs and personality types, and see the unified stance on a man made law of confidentiality. I could never imagine ever hearing a professor in any of the ethics classes we were required to take ever question the premise of confidentiality, or argue that it is “up to us to decide what to do” or “if the court threatens to throw you in jail if you do not violate confidentiality, just go ahead and sell out your client”. No, we were informed about the few ‘ethical’ therapists who went to jail versus violating confidentiality, and they were presented as the “modern saints or martyrs” of our profession. No one made fun of them, and no one accused them of ‘politicizing’ their beliefs. In fact, we were encouraged to model their behavior if need be. (No one has ever been martyred over the confidentiality law)

Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I do believe personally in the need for confidentiality of the client. It is the cornerstone of effective therapy, and the client needs to know that their information will not go anywhere. I would be willing to go to jail before violating confidentiality, because without upholding this very central tenet of therapy, good treatment cannot take place. I was also on the Virginia Board of Social Work for four years, and on the disciplinary committee. During the four years I was on this committee, we had one case of breach of confidentiality, and it was one that was incidental, but still serious. We were even unified on the sanctions we levied on this social worker and no one protested or condemned our actions.

Confidentiality is the central tenet of our profession, as the Eucharist is to the Catholic Church. The cornerstone of Holy Orders, in which men are asked to give up marriage, having families and pursuit of worldly rewards and life styles, is the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which at its essence is the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ (transubstantiation). Through the laying on of hands by a legitimate Bishop, the new priest’s soul is permanently altered with an indelible mark that changes the character of this man, and he is uniquely qualified to offer this Sacrifice. This priest is charged with upholding the absolute integrity of the Eucharist, which includes the safeguarding of the Eucharist against those that are in public scandal or known mortal sin (Cannon 915). It is not optional for the priest to ignore this, and the essence of Holy Orders mandates he safeguard the integrity of the Eucharist, even if it requires his life. Our church has a significant number of Martyrs and Saints who laid down their lives for the integrity of the Eucharist.

Yet people like Nancy Pelosi, the late Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and others who claim to be Catholic (they don’t know anything about the faith) snub their noses at the Traditions and Faith of the Catholic Church, and in essence, are telling the Bishops that they know better about these matters than the Bishops themselves. The Bishops, by their silence, are in agreement with these pseudo (moronic) intellectuals and have betrayed the central Tenet of Catholicism. Our faith teaches that one cannot present him/herself at the table of our Lord if he/she is in mortal sin. Furthermore (Cannon 915) if it is public sin and the individual perpetuates this sin, has been informed of the grave nature of the sin and has no intention of repenting, he/she is to be denied Holy Communion by the Bishop, Priest, Deacon, or Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister. PERIOD. No discussion, no negotiation.

The whole thought process behind examination of consciousness prior to communion, is to examine how one has been living his faith, not to change and interpret the rules and traditions for himself. Child killing is condemned by the Catholic Church. Participation in child killing at any level is a mortal sin. The only examination Ms. Pelosi and co. need to do is determine whether they have been advocates for perpetuating legalized child killing or not. (Which she has by her own admission). She and the others have thus disqualified themselves to receive communion, and need to confess this sin, and then resolve to ‘sin no more’ in this manner. By going up and receiving communion in the state of mortal sin, they have compounded the sin, and if they die in this state, condemn themselves to hell. This is what our church teaches. To not teach this is a betrayal not only of our Lord, but of the person in sin, as it gives them no opportunity for reconciliation. Ultimately, this will be on the heads of the Bishops and Priests, who are given the divine mandate to protect the integrity of the Eucharist and faith, but do nothing to correct them.

For the Bishops and Priests to say nothing, and ignore this is a betrayal way worse than any therapist taking out an ad in a large paper and revealing details of therapy sessions. It is very sad when one of the most atheistic professions can abide by a man made code of ethics in a unified manner outshines a divinely mandated organization that is to present and safeguard this most precious gift to a fallen world. When man’s laws supersede God’s, trouble is around the corner. It is not about making people feel better, it is about teaching the faith that God, through Jesus Christ, revealed to us regardless of how we feel about it. If the truth is too difficult for the American clergy to deal with, then leave ministry, and get out of the way of those who still live by the faith and teach it with integrity.