Finally, priests are starting to stand up to those who are living in an objective state of sin – and their bishops are backing them up.
Democrat abortion-backer and Presidential hopeful Joe Biden presented himself for Communion at St. Anthony’s Parish in Florence, South Carolina and was politely refused admission to the sacrament. Biden does not deny it. (Laughably, the leftist Snopes claims it’s “unproven”). Meanwhile, Joe told a crowd of supporters “I got hairy legs that turn blonde in the sun. The kids used to come up and reach in the pool & rub my leg down so it was straight & watch the hair come back up again. So I learned about roaches…”. And yes, there’s video.
Not surprisingly, the press has abandoned the story. There’s no report about whether this self-described “devout Catholic” went to Mass or even received Communion this past Sunday – if Biden doesn’t want it covered, it won’t be covered in the main stream media.
Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so too does anti-Catholic sentiment.
On November 23, a judge who describes herself as “Catholic” and a lesbian who is “married” to another woman was called and privately informed by her parish priest, Fr. Nolan, that she was not to present herself for Communion. When she presented herself, she was denied.
Rather than seek spiritual counsel, she called the local television station. According to Wood TV, she is “lifelong Catholic”, “a beloved judge” who “comes from a family of prominent community members”, a victim of a “public shunning”. who claims the priest “has made it clear that gay people are not welcome”. The report also describes the decision to deny communion as “[Fr. Nolan’s] new rule”, as if he just made it up on the spot.
As for his backers at the parish, the site reports, “There are those who believe Nolan is in the right, but they would not go on camera. Others with kids attending school would not go on camera due to fear of reprisal, but all say they love the church and want healing.”
This was an opportunity for the faithful Catholics of that parish to stand up and support their priest. That they failed to do so is a testament to the power the gay lobby holds over everyone else.
Lifesite News uncovered the fact that the judge previously wrote a letter to “the judges in West Michigan” urging them to boycott the annual Red Mass (a Mass for judges and attorneys), arguing that Fr. Nolan had “publicly shunned” two “legally married women in the presence of their young daughter”, and his actions were “hurtful and humiliating”.
Intetestingly, Smolenski then wrote, “We acknowledge Fr. Nolan’s right, under the authority of the Church, to deny communion to those who are not in conformity with the teaching of the Church.”
Then, in a strange and fateful turn of events, she then presumed to lecture Fr. Nolan on his obligations as a priest, stating: “However, the pastoral letters of the Church and the encouragement of Pope Francis recommends the clergy to address the issue of participation in the sacraments in a manner that is just, private and allows spiritual direction.”
That bears repeating: she said, “Pope Francis recommends the clergy to address the issue of participation in the sacraments in a manner that is just, private and allows spiritual direction”.
So Fr. Nolan took her up on her offer.
He contacted her privately, He informed her of the nature of the problem. Her reaction was not to seek spiritual direction, but to run to the nearest friendly media outlet to accuse the priest of bigotry and causing harm and humiliation to her.
Others are piling on, with a college professor “who studies Catholic ecclesiology” calling the denial of communion “a very violent act”, stating, in a stupendously twisted theological argument, “To deny a parishioner who approaches the altar for communion … is to replace her conscience with his own, and to usurp the mercy of God… I can’t think of anything more antithetical to ministry than that.” The same article quotes another “theology professor”, who refers to the denial of Communion as “excommunication”. And parishioners have sent a letter to the Bishop stating that denying communion is “destructive to the culture of inclusion and diversity that are hallmarks of St. Stephen.”
Of course, the ubiquitous Fr. James Martin has to make an appearance, claiming that denying the sacraments to those living in a morally objective state of sexual sin is discriminatory because it ignores other sins.
This is what we are up against. Thankfully, the bishop is backing the priest, and gently rebuked the judge:
Father Scott Nolan, pastor of St. Stephen Parish, has dedicated his priesthood to bringing people closer to Jesus Christ. Part of his duty in pursuing that end is to teach the truth as taught by the Catholic Church, and to help it take root and grow in his parish. Mercy is essential to that process, but so are humility and conversion on the part of anyone seeking to live an authentically Catholic Christian life.
It is equally clear that those in Judge Smolenski’s corner do not seek reconciliation with the Church: they demand nothing less than total capitulation. As another parishioner noted: “We don’t see Father Scott changing; therefore we’ve come to the conclusion that it’d be better for him and us if there were a change in our pastors”.
Indeed, that is what they’ve been trying to do to Fr. Nolan for three years. We must stand by our good priests and our good bishops.
And don’t worry about Judge Smolenski. She received an inclusive communion at the local Methodist Church, courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Joan VanDessel, “a part of the local (LGBTQ) community”.
All the faithful need catechesis on how to prepare oneself for receiving the Holy Eucharist and under what circumstances one must abstain. If a priest teaches these fundamental principles of Catholicism and warns all of the faithful at Mass- and perhaps even by mailing a letter to parishioners telling them that it is his duty to refrain from giving Communion to someone who is no longer living according to our faith, then people should not react so vehemently. A priest must make every effort to uphold the truth but also to prepare people for a change in the “common practice” of giving communion to anyone who approaches.