CALLED TO COMMUNION - Dr. David Anders - May 26, 2020

dr. David Anders starts now what's stopping you from becoming a Catholic why can't women become priests one eighty three three two eight eight EWTN I don't understand why I have to earn salvation one eighty three three two eight eight three nine eight six why do I need to confess my sins to a priest what's stopping you this is called to communion with dr. David Anders on the EWTN global Catholic radio network everybody welcome again to call to communion here on EWTN radio this is the program you may have heard about it for our non Catholic brothers and sisters and if that is you if you've got a question about the Catholic faith maybe you're a little unsure about how to get the answer for that question we are here to help you on this day after Memorial Day we're live today on this Tuesday afternoon we'd love to hear from you at eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six you can also text the letters EWTN to five five zero zero zero wait for our response and then text us your first name and your brief question message and data rates may apply now if you're listening outside of North America please dial the u.s. country code we have a special number for you two oh five two seven one two nine eight five and of course you can always shoot us an email CTC at ewtn.com our producer is Charles berry he has a ready for you as his Brian penny who's going to take that phone call that you make at 288 EWTN also we have a deaf person standing by on social media so if you want to post a question via YouTube or Facebook live we are streaming there right now I'm Tom Price along with about 10 12 feet away dr. David Anders Tom how are you today very good how are you my friend and how was your Memorial Day very nice oh good how about yours well it was good we had a dear friend over a priest and I grilled out some some good Memorial Day food or in a holiday food and and then we watched a a war movie which was kind of tough sledding Gallipoli I don't know if you've ever seen that haven't seen that one it's a tough one one of Mel Gibson's first movies but at all it's all about the war effort in Australia world war one it's a tough tough movie to watch but you know on Memorial Day that's the kind of movie that we like to see well you know that makes sense and my hats off to you what we do the best we can so right now we're going to answer a couple of emails that we've received before we get to some of these phone calls at 8 3 3 2 8 8 e WT n here's an email from Tom who says why does the exception clause differ in matthew 19:9 between different Christian Bibles the Catholic Bible seems to understand it vastly differently and with no wiggle room for sexual immorality or the like so what are we talking about here with the exception in Matthew 19 Jesus says that what God has joined together man cannot separate and that divorcing your wife for any reason except for and the Greek word is pornea except for pornea is unlawful and so the question becomes what does Christ mean when he says except for pornea now there are other parallel texts in the Gospels that don't have the exception clause he's just not allowed to divorce your wife period Matthew 19 is one that has it in there okay now there are a couple different ways even within the Catholic tradition of handling that exception clause what none of them permit is remarriage after divorce and so however you render porn a whatever you think Jesus is alluding to in the exception clause what is unambiguous is that if you do separate from your wife or from your husband that you have to remain unmarried or else be reconciled to your husband that comes out explicitly in st. Paul's commentary on this teaching and we get this in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 and 7 and Paul tells us he says you know man one can't divorce her husband man can't divorce his wife but if she does let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband right so that part is very very clear now there's a there's a very strong likelihood that that what Jesus meant was you cannot separate from your spouse unless the marriage is found to be unlawful right so a good example of an unlawful situation to be let's say I go out and I you know meet some girl and we had over to the wedding chapel in Vegas and say mom you know why I wouldn't be been found in any respect you know but okay you go over to the altar at the church and we say our vows and then I find out six months later that she's actually a bigamist whoops and I will actually be a I'd be the big muscley and rebuy Andrea try thick bigamy is when ma'am there's one one wife I'm getting the words backwards but you know what I meant she's got another family someplace sure all right that she had from me okay and so I married her under false pretenses well it turns out that her original relationship to her husband and kids you know back in you know Arizona or wherever she's from that's actually the valid marriage that she's in and I was she perpetrated kind of deception on me and so we don't actually have a valid marriage you know that'd be an example of an unlawful Union no there's no marriage to dissolve at all because it wasn't even valid to begin with Paul also talks about this reality when he deals with the young man we read about this in Corinthians also who took his father's wife so presumably his stepmother and and Paul says absolutely adamantly the guy's got to repudiate the woman he's got to move out he's got to get rid of her why because due to the Jewish understanding of consanguinity this woman was his kin even if his father was dead and it's not his biological mother she's still his kin and you're prevented by law from coupling with a member of your family that's incest and so he's no absolutely not this is an unlawful Union never was valid to begin with he's got to repudiate her and then the guy dies and his excommunication is lifted he comes back into the church those are the kinds of situations that seem to be in view when we have this exception clause and and one of the things that counts in favor of that two things first many Protestants want to argue that Jesus has adultery in mind as an exception if your one spouse commits adultery you can divorce them but the word for adultery in Greek is not porn is it smoked ayah it's a different word mmm and we also have some elucidation in Acts chapter 15 where the Apostles describe which of the mosaic laws actually have to pertain to Gentile converts and one dietary law namely they don't want the Gentiles to eat the eat the blood of sacrificed animals and there's certain provisions within the Jewish sexual ethic that they also wanted to be imposed on Gentiles and Paul's explanation of that fact in first Corinthians about the guy and his mother-in-law a stepmother seems a perfect illustration okay very good now if you would like to send us an email for a future show here is the address ctc at ewtn calm ctc at ewtn.com in a moment we'll be talking with Ernie in Green Springs Ohio and we've got a line open for you as well right now at eight three three two eight eight EWTN if you have a question for dr. David Anders eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six the Tuesday edition of call to Communion here on EWTN stay with us [Music] now there's a fast and easy way to get in touch with EWTN the EWTN everything number call 1-800 for 47 EWTN to get the latest information on programming special events pilgrimages and more our EWTN family viewer services representatives are ready to help you with whatever your needs may be the EWTN everything number one eight hundred four four seven EWTN father John Ricardo the ultimate answer to the question of where I meet Jesus because obviously in imperfect ways I meet him almost anywhere I meet him in creation whether it's the majesty of a sunrise or a sunset you sense and you see something of the person of God is majesty as power is awe I can have access to them in ways in many places and fashions the fullest place we meet Jesus the place for you and I on earth most have access to the father where we accomplish God's will on earth are those minutes on Sunday which so many of us find tedious and somehow see is an obligation so please God by the power of His Holy Spirit he will give us the grace to understand more profoundly what it is that really happens when you and I come to church the people you know and trust are on EWTN [Music] it's called a communion here on EWTN we would love to hear from you today at eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six want to say a few words here before we go to the phones about aw TNS religious catalog you know there's a lot of stores brick-and-mortar stores that are closed or they have very limited hours or only letting a few people in at a time you know it's very understandable you have to do what you have to do however ewtn religious catalogue is open 24 hours a day at ewtn our c-calm if you're looking for a gift for that special someone perhaps a graduation ceremony that just didn't happen the way everybody thought it would and you want to send them something very nice I can certainly recommend ewtn religious catalogue here's the address EWTN our si.com ewtn our si.com do check it out today or any day that you wish 24 hours a day if you're ready now let's go to the phones at eight three three two eight eight EWTN we begin with earning in Green Springs Ohio listening on annunciation radio Ernie what's on your mind today um dr. Anders this is a question that's really kind of just open-ended it's more like a statement and I'd like to see if you could just talk about this in your own direction and it has to do with like um you know freewill human agency you know and the capacity to do great evil are also very good you know GK Chesterton the D a boot capacity did be a great center is also to be grating so like you know how in the in Narnia the beaver says keep your eye on need anybody say that is just about to become human or about to become unhuman and using this is kind of like a mix metaphor but I hope you my where I'm coming from here anybody think quotes known yet it means welcome on this job that's right that's right the the in nature you know the lion doesn't hurt her the antelope right he just you know it's dude right and furthermore lions don't want to kill all the animal but you know within you know the human context and with you know you you know how do you think about you know a a lion so to speak who shoots an antelope because the antelope tells the lion to wear a mask for the benefit of the rest Lions okay yeah thanks I really appreciate the question so really we're talking about the nature of humanity we're talking about human freedom an agency we're talking about moral good and evil and the Catholic take on all of these things so you know you brought in the illustration of Narnia and the beavers talk and I remember the beavers speech very very well he in the land of Narnia of course there are some creatures that are human and then there's some that only appear to be him and like the White Witch who's the evil villain in the story has the appearance of humanity but she's not really human and the Beavers point was if you see something that looks like human and isn't or used to be human and isn't or is about to become human and isn't then you keep your eye on it your hand on your hatchet right and most of what Lewis wrote was shot through with metaphor allegory and of course what he has in mind here is the dehumanizing of 20th century culture and he had particularly the Nazis in mind right because they had a tremendously dehumanizing philosophy and not only the Nazis but all of the materialists and atheists of the 20th century that thought they could remake humanity according to some utopian model whether that be the Marxist model or the national socialist model or whatever model might be the idea that you know there is no intrinsic humanity and I can just kind of impose my will on it and shape and bend humanity to my own whim and and of course in doing that they deform the human person they don't bring about his or her lip liberation and that's really what Luis is critiquing there in that particular picture and and that's and that is a Catholic way of looking at human anthropology that that the nature that God has created is good is fundamentally good and that's a key difference between Catholic and Protestant thinking right the Protestant view typically of historically over the last five hundred years has been human nature is is so radically deformed by sin by original sin has to become corrupt in every in every aspect of its being so that humanity can literally do nothing good whatsoever at all at everything a human person does is so tainted with evil as to be despicable that's the Protestant view that's the Calvinist view of total depravity it's not the Catholic view Catholic views that our human nature is fundamentally good but it's wounded its wounded and so you know we're limping along we're limping along and and sin is a deformation of our of the the natural goodness in our character and of course the most elevated good about us being made in God's likeness and image is that we're rational creatures and that because we're rational we can act for a reason we can deliberate between reasons and that's where in our freewill consists right and in the form the more we act against reason the more we deform our humanity and become like animals but unlike animals who have no moral agency no moral responsibility our animalism has a particularly perverse character because humans can imagine and can plan acts of horrendous evil now are we responsible for those acts is it really human free agency that's involved the answer is yes it's because of freedom that we have moral culpability if we weren't free then we wouldn't be morally responsible for our actions and and here's where grace comes into the story grace comes in not to contradict the tendencies of human nature but to restore and heal and purify them to enable us to regain a humanity that we have sometimes spent a lifetime trying to deform with our various neuroticism Xand fixations and attachments and fetishes and so forth and there's an image in christian spirituality from the Byzantine tradition the likes of nausea ANZUS and Gregory of Nyssa these kinds of guys and Chrysostom you imagine the soul is sort of like a mirror right a mirror reflecting the divine image but it's besmirched it's not destroyed its besmirched with mud and filth of various kind and the work of Christian spirituality isn't a measure to sort of polish up the mirror and let the divine image re-emerge and shine brightly again right so the intrinsic nature of the human person is beautiful but been wounded and besmirched and covered up with this with this pollution and you know I if you think about something fairly innocuous and almost secular in its philosophy something like AAA or al-anon 12-step programs you know one of their steps is to say being willing to let God remove my my faults remove my defects why so that I can open up to kind of genuine open human life that really brings happiness and satisfaction beautiful Ernie thank you so much for your call it was it was a delight David as I'm watching you through the glass here as soon as Ernie said the word Narnia you got this big smile it's like okay let me have it let me have it well see I'm you know I'm working on a manuscript right now actually and it's all about relationship to Christ in the Catholic tradition and currently I'm stuck in a chapter where I'm deeply enmeshed in the writings of CS Lewis and how they were for me a bridge from my Protestantism into the Catholic faith and these kinds of questions about the relationship of reason and freedom and charity is just that's where my head is right now good stuff in that game absolutely Ernie thanks again for your call that opens up a line for you now we have one line open at eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six call to Communion in progress on this Tuesday afternoon here on EWTN let's go now to my Killeen in Martha Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts listing on the EWTN app it my Killeen what's on your mind today hi dr. Anders I love your self I've learned so much for you thank you so much for yourself oh my god I have just learned so much but I'm not really needed to be I've been having this conversation with a friend of mine who I believe is a born-again Christian wonderful man but he is just confused and I am not sure how to address this with him I posted something today that said you just have to believe in you're saved and just below that was another caption that said yeah that's not really how it works and I commented on that thing yeah not quite that's not quite how it works well this friend of mine commented that yes if you believe if only you believed you are saved and I have to read you a couple of his comments for you to actually get the gist of this he says my number one goal in this life is to make it to heaven period only I myself can do that I am accountable to no one no one else no Coke no priest no minister no one only God knows my heart and my intention the minute I believe in Jesus Christ God the Son my Savior at that moment I am saved I have received salvation I have secured my home in heaven yep I know that coming from I know that theology very well I know that theology very well how I was raised and it is in fact the theology that Martin Luther invented in the 16th century and that he taught the world Luther once said if a man wants to be saved he has to act as if no other human being exists in the world right as orderly private and interior relationship between himself and God established by faith alone Luther once said the virtues are commendable but they do not count points for justification right I'm actually reading that right now from Luther's commentary angulations and so so Luther believed Luther believed will me back up let me back up whereas Luther gets his idea from nobody before Luther believed this for 1500 years nobody not east west north south Catholic Orthodox Coptic Assyrian new name no version of Christianity anywhere in the world heard anything like Luther's doctrine for fifteen hundred years but Luther himself was a neurotic person who suffered from excessive compulsive disorder and manic depression that's my my diagnosis 500 years after the fact but based on his ownself description right and and if you've ever met somebody who's OCD who's obsessive-compulsive you know they their hands are sparklingly clean but they go to the sink and they wash it and they wash and they wash and they wash and they'll wash that skin off their hands thinking they've got dirt on their hands and they're never satisfied because it's a it's a it's a pathology right I read about a guy one time who's whose obsession was car hood ornaments and if he accidentally bumped into an automobile he became obsessively worried that he'd knocked their hood ornament off off kilter and he once traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles and became so obsessed with the idea that he'd disturbed a hood ornament in the O'Hare parking lot that he got on a plane and flew back to Chicago to try to refine the car and straighten the hood ornament Wow and that's how crazy people can get who have OCD well that's how Luther was in the moral sphere and that's a common form of obsessive compulsive disorder right that he thought no matter what he did what he did what he did what he did what he did he could never do enough to satisfy himself that he was living a decent moral life he could always find something to pick away at his conscience and it drove him crazy it also drove his confessor crazy guy named johann von stop it's it was the Augustinian cannon that was his RCM monk he was his his confessor in the south that's once said Luther would you go commit murder or adultery or something she has nothing decent to confess cuz you're driving me mad with all this crazy stuff you're done but Luther while he was neurotic was also a genius and genius people are very creative and he he he developed a very idiosyncratic theology to try to think himself out of his own problem and it was grounded in a very bad reading of st. Paul's letter to the Romans and st. Paul's letter to the Galatians because in those texts st. Paul says that a man is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Christ no that's that's the Catholic point of view but by works of the law what does Paul have in mind Paul means the Mosaic legislation and the context of Paul's letters was do Gentiles have to follow them as the follow the Mosaic law we can read about the controversy in Acts chapter 15 and the Apostle said no Gentiles don't have to follow the Mosaic law you know have to circumcise your son you don't have to avoid pork you don't have to wear this kind of clothing you know you can be part of the covenant people of God by virtue of your faith in Christ not not because you followed the Mosaic law but the point of being incorporated into Christ is mortal transformation and so the way we're actually saved is when we believe in Christ God changes our hearts gives us the Holy Spirit and then we love God and love neighbor and therefore Christ can save us in the last day you know he says people will come and say Lord Lord and he'll say away from me I never knew you because you didn't do good work she didn't feed the hungry clothe and they could give drink to the thirsty etc you do these good works in the grace that God gives in response to our faith that's the Catholic point of view what Luther thought Luther thought that Paul was saying that no law no morality no human activity counts in our relationship with God that was Luther's point of view that it's just faith alone that all you have to do is believe and then God imputes to you a righteousness that you haven't actually earned he looks at you as if you were righteous when in fact you remain objectively sinful so you're saved by faith alone and that was Luther's view Luther made that up as a way out of his neurotic condition so basically what he did is he took his own pathology and then theologizing it made it normative for all Protestant Christians and that's where your body is getting his ideas from okay Michael lean is that helpful for you thank you thank you so much it is called a communion here on EWTN quick question here from Teresa as we're going to break why or how did Saturday worship become allowed to fulfill the Sunday obligation okay thanks so so we we used to not have Vigil Mass in the Latin Catholic West until the reform of the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council we had mass was typically in the morning and in up until you know the 20th century would be preceded by very long fast mean 12-hour fast and this kind of thing and it was actually Pius the 12th before the Second Vatican Council who began the process of liturgical reform particularly round the easter liturgy because so much of the Easter liturgy has nighttime candle light type imagery in it and that would have been there was a vigil liturgy in Christian antiquity and pious kind of scratches his head going why are we saying this night this night candle candle candle if we're doing this at you know nine o'clock in the morning we really need to reform the Easter liturgy that should have liturgy to allow for that full symbolism to come out now the Easter Vigil liturgy is one of the most beautiful my judgment in the whole in the whole year but it's an anticipation right of what's getting ready to happen on Sunday morning and so that anticipatory mass on Saturday evening vigil that's where that starts in the modern Catholic West very good thank you for your email Teresa got a lot more show to go here on EWTN s call to communion I do stay with us the EWTN warriors rosary is a fitting tribute to all the spiritual warriors who have stood by us over the years each rosary is a unique creation visit ewtn our c-calm the leading catholic voices are on ewtn radio our mission is to transform the world one woman at a time through a spiritual program of formation that helps them to see who they are as daughters of the Most High God and to enjoy the gift that God has given to them by virtue of their femininity women of grace with John ed Williams tomorrow morning 11:00 Eastern on EWTN radio I'm Doug Keck this is an EWTN bookmark brief just had the pleasure of speaking with father Edward Looney about his book a Lenten journey with a mother Mary available through our catalogue of course tell us father Edward what's this book all about sure a Lenten journey with mother Mary helps us to really understand Mary's message to listen to the words that she spoke to all these different visionaries and Fatima and Lourdes in Bahrain Bono champion Wisconsin all the approved apparitions to listen to Mary's message but then not only to listen but to begin to live them in our daily life now is this restricted that you need to you only users during Lent or is this a book that can be used it really at any time you could really use it of course I think people look for something during the season of Lent but it would make a great retreat during the month of May during the month of October any of those key Marion months or even at the beginning of a new year very good a Lenten journey with mother Mary and father Edward loonie is the author available through our catalog look for the entirety of you coming soon on the network and this is in any wtn bookmark brief and we thank you for stopping by [Music] do you have children affected by the pandemic we want to hear what they think about it tomorrow 12:00 p.m. Eastern on take 2 with Jerry and Debbie now back to call to communion with dr. David Anders [Music] glad you're with us for the Tuesday afternoon edition of call 2 communion here on EWTN our phone number and we do have two lines open 8 3 3 2 8 8 EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six before we get back to the phones a quick question from Kate who's watching us on youtube this afternoon Kate says my ex Catholic aunt says Matthew 18:19 disproves our ability to ask for the intercession of the Saints because it says quote on earth please clarify that scripture Thank You Matthew chapter 18 has to do with chert the question of church discipline right the context is when you find someone in the church who is committing sin and they are unrepentant you the individual Christian can go to them and admonish the center that's one of the spiritual works of mercy to admonish the center if they don't listen to you the text says you bring another guy along if he doesn't listen to the two of you then you take it to the church to the church authorities if he doesn't listen to the church then you expel him right you kick him out of the church you excommunicate him and then I tell you if you agree on this then the Lord will will grant what you ask in other words he will in fact be discipline airily expelled right God will vindicate the judgment of the church about the excommunication of this unrepentant member we actually see this played out in first Corinthians when you have a fellow who's in a immoral sexual relationship and Paul exhorts the Corinthians to boot the guy out and they do he's actually says hand the man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his soul can be saved on the day of judgment bring him to repentance the guy gets kicked out comes to repentance comes back to the church Paul says okay now it made em readmit him and then I absolve him in the presence of Christ he actually exercises the power of priestly absolution lets the guy come back in that's the context well the saints in heaven are not involved in the disciplinary decisions of the church they're not they're not involved in kicking recalcitrant sinners out and then re admitting them that's for the that's for the the priests and the bishop to do so ultimately for the bishop to do all right so it has absolutely nothing to do with the question of the intercession of saints okay glad we could clear that up Kate thank you so much for your question via YouTube it's called a communion here on EWTN two lines open at the moment eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six here is Mike in Los Angeles listing on YouTube hey Mike what's on your mind today I come hi dr. Anderson mainly show listen I have a question about non Catholic mortal sin I was wondering if non Catholics non tastic Christians or for that matter any person who commits can may commit a mortal sin absent knowledge of mortal sin criteria and need for and method of absolution and if they can I was wondering if their relationship with God is severed in the same way it is when we Catholics commit mortal sin okay thanks so knowing the conditions of a mortal sin is not a requirement for committing a mortal sin meeting the conditions of mortal sin is a requirement for committing a mortal sin right so we know as Catholics that a person has to understand that what they do is wrong understand that it is gravely wrong right and they have to do it they have to do it freely without compulsion right and if they if if they've done those things then they are June only guilty before God but they don't have to be able to give like a philosophical account of the of the requirements of mortal sin they don't have to know moral theology they have to know for example that it's wrong to murder somebody and then go murder somebody with impunity that's that's the kind of thing they need to know and of course this happens all the time and in fact this is part of st. Paul's argument in the first chapter of the book of Romans that although they knew God they neither glorified him as God nor gave him thanks but the thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened they claimed to be wise and became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal humans and birds and Amazon reptiles and so forth then he goes on to the litany of sexual sins that that the Gentiles and pagans commit having blinded themselves to the light of nature that is evident to everybody in virtue of their common humanity so absolutely non-catholic Christians and non-christians commit mortal sins all the time right and and and in fact is very hard for them to avoid mortal sin very hard for them to avoid mortal sin because the means of grace are more remote from them right and does it sever their relationship to God this is Europe the other part of your question in exactly the same manner in which the Catholics relationship to God is severed yes or that questions no the Catholics in a better Catholic in mortal sin is in a better place than the pagan and mortal sin in what manner how so when you are baptized and become a member of the Catholic Church baptism imprints a character on your soul the baptismal character whereby you become a member of Christ's mystical body which is the church and that membership that identity never leaves you never leaves you even in mortal sin it does not leave you and so the sacraments of the Church especially the sacrament of reconciliation are appointed for members of Christ's body that are mortally wounded now that's just an awesome fault that Jesus made provision for the mortal sins of Catholics confession is not for non-christians it's not even for non Catholic Christians it's for Catholics Christ made provision to heal the mortal wounds of Catholics when you are a Catholic in mortal sin you do not cease to become a member of the church and you have a claim a right on the church's sacramental ministry to reconcile you and in fact if you are contrite I mean that's a big f but if you are contrite if you are penitent the priest cannot refuse cannot refuse to absolve you has to absolve you required to absolve you you have that right a non Catholic does not have that right does not have that right to demand the Sacrament of Penance right and then to expect for it to be efficacious but in the sense that any soul without mortal sin has been definitively or or I should say determinately turned away from God and lost that participation in the divine nature in a creative manner that we call grace yes in that respect they're the same but the Catholic has a claim on the administration's of the church great question Mike thanks so much for your call it is called a communion here on EWTN let's go to Gina now in Dumas Texas listening on FM 93.5 hey there Gina what's on your mind today well I'm responding to your earlier comment about fornication not being an exemption for faithfulness in marriage or staying married you said it does not be pornography yet so what does that mean all right thanks appreciate the question let me back up in restate because I want to make sure we get our terms clarifying okay so in Matthew chapter 19 Jesus says that you cannot divorce your wife for any reason except for pornea and then the question was what exactly is pornea now just so I can clarify what is the Catholic position on this question today in terms of you know canon law and what Catholics are allowed to do and not do sometimes a validly married the person may have to have recourse to civil divorce may have to may be may be a moral necessity to have recourse to civil divorce because they need protection against the aggression of the other party so you know think for example of the wife who has an abusive husband who's threatening to kill her and and and she can't get away from this guy and she needs the state to come in and actually physically protect her or her children and and sever this guy's rights to be in the home or to be near his kids or whatever and she she has to get away from the guy cuz he's dangerous well she may have to civilly divorce him but if she's validly married she can't they're after go and take another spouse if in fact she were validly married to that guy she couldn't go take another spouse but she can get away from the crazy guy she can't she's allowed to and she can have recourse of civil divorce to do that so we're really talking about severing the bond of a valid marriage and then procuring another spouse that's what's disallowed okay now what are those in in Catholic canon law you can do that you can sever the bond well no excuse me you in Catholic canon law if you're validly married you might be able to get a divorce in those kinds of extreme circumstances but the bond of matrimony the spiritual connection between the spouses can never be done away with I mean that's there until one of you dies until death do us part however however there are situations where Catholics believe themselves to be validly married and it turns out they're not actually validly married and we talked about that earlier in the show as well you have cases where you think your validly married but there's some impediment you didn't you didn't know about maybe maybe your spouse actually has another spouse someplace in another state so they're not actually eligible to get married well that would that be a deal breaker right there okay you know here's an exception the code of canon law has a whole bunch of things that can render a marriage invalid King David would not be able to get married in the Catholic Church today because there's an exception in there there's an impediment to valid marriage if you actually murder a woman's husband to make eligible and then go barrier Catholic Church says nope sorry that's an impediment you can't go murder the other guy to get the girl that's an impediment to valid marriage the King David be out of luck you know he couldn't do that right that's another impediment the laws of consanguinity you know you can't marry a close relative that's an invalid marriage but but far and away the most common grounds for an annulment that's a declaration that there's no valid marriage in the Catholic Church today it's kind of psychological incapacity so you know you take you take two you know 18 year-old kids that that you know they they're wet behind the ears and they don't know they don't know you know marriage from a hole in the ground and all they know is a Hollywood and you know they have these romantic ideas about you know running off to Tahiti together yeah living under the coconut tree and and and you know they're not even listening to the preacher when he says you take this whoa oh yeah oh yeah I do I do I do and then I have no clue what they're doing right have no clue what they're doing they have not actually promised to do what the Catholic Church intends by marriage nor are they even capable of making that kind of a commitment and the Church recognizes that level of insanity is very common in the world and when that sort of thing happened together you guys really didn't know what you were doing and you weren't intending what the church meant by marrying you weren't mature or psychologically competent even make those commitments so we're not counting that one but you know mature well-formed Catholic people who understand this is this is a relationship a covenant of love that's open to life for better or for worse it entails suffering it endures till death it's a complete and total self-giving that's what I mean entering into I do it eyes wide open mature Catholic couple who understands those things and enters into that kind of relationship can never dissolve that relationship all right and we hope that clarifies that for you G and appreciate your call it is called a communion here on EWTN couple lines open at the moment eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six I want to tell you about something that is really kind of gone wild or as they would say these days viral it is the EWTN app it's on my phone I hope that it's on your your phone your tablet mobile device whatever because it's fantastic you can listen to us live anywhere in the world you can download the show you can listen to it on demand whenever you want you can follow what our program schedule is what comes on after this program what's on before this program it's great you will really love it there's an awful lot dealing with EWTN television with news with prayers and devotionals so much is in this little app and it's absolutely free download it today by going to EWTN apps comm EWTN apps dot-com certainly glad it's on my phone it's called a communion here on EWTN let's go to Daniel now Daniel is listening to us in Baker City Oregon on Sirius XM 130 hey there Daniel what's on your mind today well thank you for taking my call very interesting your last caller somebody answered my questions but asked but now has created more questions it has to do if I missed the first part of the program we were talking about divorce and annulment I was married in the very early 70s about 50 years ago marriage lasted about four or five years I got divorced got remarried a few years later could not get married in secured anyway the my parents of cradle-to-grave Catholics my first wife was not Catholic but we were buried and encountered my parents wanted me to go through an annulment which I did they still not go down a stream of paperwork and the fee was paid two years later the parish priest got a hold of me and said that the merit the annulment had been granted and at the current marriage that I was involved in he could lessen if he did and I find out here about a year ago there was never a tear element I can't with my period that I was baptized in and they said as far as our records are here still married to your first life so now I'm trying to go to another call that is at least marriage of fifty years old all the witnesses the passed away it was her parents and my parents and the question I had was somewhat answered what an allowance taller but you talked about psychologically incapable of committing to a marriage I don't think it was a psychological act that existed I think that we're just too reluctant on her part to get involved into the Catholic faith and raising the children in the Catholic in the Catholic faith I have to joke by that marriage so now my question is with all these people problems would be annulment if I can't get into velvet I can never get remarried in the Catholic Church okay hang on hang on a second so so your your case is fairly complicated right it's fairly complicated and there are a lot of details involved and I'm really profoundly sorry that you were that you were served badly by someone some either somebody misinformed you or somebody didn't keep the records they were supposed to keep right and I assume that you've actually gone to the tribunal that would have made the decision all those years ago and and confirmed that they don't in fact have those records and I'm I'm also assuming from your question that the initial priests that you were reported to has probably passed on has probably died and you can't get a hold of him but this your your like in terms everything that you've attempted to do here is the right thing and so the situation you are in is really not your fault I mean you really were moving forward in good faith so I want to just first of all you give yourself a break okay secondly I I think that there's a very very good chance that you're gonna get a good outcome I'm not a canon lawyer I don't know the details but but I'm just gonna go out of lemon and I'm gonna say there's probably a good chance that you're gonna get a good outcome so don't be going down the road of oh my gosh do I never get to get married no you really want to do the right thing Church knows you want to do the right thing we're gonna get this thing figured out there and today it does not cost money to get it at home and there are professional canon law firms that are pro bono to help people like you that are in kind of thick paperwork you know purgatory and if you don't have somebody who's really qualified you know you need to go get yourself a professional canon lawyer who is you know one of these pro bono firms that can help you go through this thicket because yours is kind of a special case and in fact I'm gonna call a canon law friend ma I want to get off the air and go this is an odd situation right then what what can be done see what I can learn but have have good hope and have faith and courage I think it's gonna work out for you and I am so sorry I mean you really were badly treated and it is not your fault because you wanted to do the right thing you tried to do the right thing and somebody else dropped the ball but I think I think can't promise but I think it's gonna be made good well we certainly hope so Daniel thank you so much for your call here is Arlene now in Wayne Michigan hey Arlene what's on your mind today I would like to know my yep my yuck my kids their dog died and my dog was a died a long time ago and this always I always wonder if a dog is a man's best friend and he's a member of the family where the dog go to is there doggy heaven did he go today thank you so much for laying well I really appreciate this question thank you so so much so I need to I need to make some distinctions when a human who loves God dies we have a promise that is an amazing promise that promises that we will see God we will see God st. Paul tells us in first Corinthians 13 we will see God we will know him even as we are fully known now as you know Arlene God does not have a physical body I mean Jesus Christ became incarnate Jesus has a filtered water but the divine essence God and His nature does not have a physical body so we're not talking about seeing with the eyes God and His divine nature is not something I can see with my eyes can't hear them with my ears can't smell them with my nose can't touch them with my hand so the seeing when st. Paul says we'll see him we'll know him we're talking about a knowing that's deep deep deep within my soul the same kind of way that you know your own mind you don't see your mind but you know it from an inside that's the kind of seeing we're gonna have of God and we're capable of that because we have an immaterial soul that's made in God's image and likeness that kind of experience of God can only be had by somebody that's made in God's image and likeness someone that has a divine spark within them intellect in free will so that kind of experience of God only the redeemed in Christ can have that and Jesus did not die to save animals but to save human persons he became incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary and became a man he didn't become a dog or a cat or a cow or some other kind of animal so in that sense no however however the Scriptures promise that in the resurrection that God will not only raise our physical bodies but he will also renew the creation he will make a new heavens and a new earth and so the redeemed in Christ who will see God in His essence will also inhabit a physical universe now the Scriptures don't actually tell us whether that physical universe will contain animal life or not but I think there's good reason to think that it might we don't know this but I think there's good reason to think that it might and I'll tell you why why are so many millions and millions of species of animals today why there's so many stars in the sky why are there so many planets why are there so many elements why is the reality so variable variegated diversified into all these magnificent different things all of them so beautiful in their own way it's because none of them is adequate to reflect the glory and majesty of God all of them reflect the glory and majesty of God in a restricted way and there's something about the variety of creation that's necessary to speak forth the glory and the goodness of God now the human person reflects God in His image and in his likeness as rational and free and creative and that's the highest way to image and to imitate God but the animal also reflects God in elements of God's nature in God's goodness God's beauty these things we can see in the animal kingdom as well and so I would like to think that just like the physical creation now reflects God's glory in a myriad of ways including the the thousands of species of animals that in the next world God's glory will also be reflected in a myriad of ways including the existence of non rational creatures but that's just my speculation don't know that for sure all right and thank you so much for your call Arlene we have time for one more here is Steve in Spokane Washington and listening on Sacred Heart radio Steve what's on your mind today so when God commands Twelve Apostles to God command us the twelve apostles to grow baptized he also commands us to be baptized the same thing we see in the Holy Eucharist Christ commands the Apostles to consecrate the reading wine and he commands us to receive that I don't see the same command in confession he commands the twelve apostles to go confessions but I don't see him specifically telling us to go have our sins forgiven absolutely sure thinking I can so I think he does I think he does and you have to look in two different places to get the whole picture one of them is in Matthew chapter 18 where Christ specifically describes the use of ecclesial authority to eject sinners from the fellowship of the church we find your brother and son and he's unrepentant you kick him out Matthew excuse me chapter 20 deals with the flipside of that when he says to the Apostles receive the holy spirit whoever sins you forgive are forgiven whoever sins you retain are retained well the retaining would be the excluding the forgiving would be the receiving receiving them back into the Fellowship of the church and the dynamic of confession repentance forgiveness is commanded explicitly by Christ and the Apostles in sacred scripture so st. James tells us for example that we must in Chapter five we must confess our sins to one another so that we can be healed and he connects that to the apostolic ministry to the elders in the church laying out of hands and anointing with oil praying for healing and so forth it's connected to that ecclesial ministry even as drunk christ gives specific instructions for for excluding the non repentant and then forgiving and receiving back again the penitent so i think i think in fact christ does talk explicitly about this dynamic in all this text okay Steve thank you so much for your call and I really wanted to get to Janet in Louisiana who had a great question but as you can hear Jim we got the music playing which means we got to get out of here so please call us back tomorrow or on the day of your choice I promise just all you have to do is mention hey I couldn't get in because you ran out of time we will put you at the head of the line I promise dr. David Andrews thank you sir hey thank you Tom we do the program Monday through Friday here on EWTN we're live at 2 p.m. Eastern just about every day with an encore at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and a best of show on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern and of course you can check out the encore the you know the podcast or audio on-demand whatever you want to call it it's out there at EWTN radio dotnet on behalf of Charles and Ryan and Jeff and everybody else here I'm Tom price along with dr. David Anders thank you so much for joining us see you next time right here on EWTN radios call to Communion

Channel: EWTN

Views: 2,005

Rating: 4.9245281 out of 5

Keywords: Catholic, EWTN, Christian, television

Id: k7dmgWZZRQQ

Length: 54min 0sec (3240 seconds)

Published: Tue May 26 2020