This will be a tough message for many to hear (I'm divorced too!) but it's good news that there is a solution so that we can once again receive Our Lord. I encourage everyone who reads this to take all necessary steps to get back into communion with the Church as soon as possible... these are dark times... getting and staying in the state of grace is paramount.
My question has always been, you can kill people or get an abortion or rape someone and be forgiven but remarry after divorce, you are damed forever! Even if you raise your children as good Catholics! Why? If we have a forgiving God why can this not be forgiven? But the Church WILL forgive with a costly annulment ? Also the Church made this annulment ruling not God which is changing the rule of ‘till death do us part’! It is as always rules are changed if the price is right!!
I appreciate your perspective. You ask a very good question. From what I've heard & read from various priests & people who study theology & our faith, marriage is a sacrament that is supposed to be for life. That assumes it is a valid marriage to begin with & that's why there's exceptions. Some people are not healthy mentally/emotionally to be in a marriage in the 1st place. Some people are abusive (another way of being unhealthy). I believe everyone deserves a second chance & if marriage is not healthy, people must do what is best for themselves & their child/children 💗 God Loves us & wants us to be at peace 💗✝️ God Bless 🕊
My daughter was married and her husband committed adultery unbeknownst to her. She tried to talk to her husband, but he wouldn’t listen and left her. As a good Catholic, she approached the diocese to get direction on how to get an anullment. According to her, and I believe her, the representative of the diocese was VERY judgmental and left an awful impression on my daughter. She’s not currently a practicing Catholic, but she has found a non-denominational church where she is feeling the love of God. She was very concerned about how we would judge her, but after we talked about it, we assured her that we were comfortable with her being at a church where she could experience growth in her Christianity! As her parents, we would prefer that she would practice her Catholic faith, but unfortunately the Catholic Church abandoned her! What a shame!
@@bernardhanlon1204i was shunned for 26 years by my original parish because of this, however when i sold my home and moved, i brought this issue up with my new parish priest, he heard my first confession in 26 years, and allowed me to receive the holy eucharist. The fire inside me once again burned bright in being able to practice my beloved Catholic faith and restored my faith in the Roman Catholic Church that once shunned me like a leper but now gave me mercy.
This is one of the best explanations I've heard about the relationship between what Jesus said about divorce and remarriage and what we are saying when we receive communion. Thank you father
Jesus told His Apostles and, by extention, their successors, 'whoever hears you hears Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me '. He gave us His church and left it in the care of chosen and ordained men. We should all be careful least we go against the Lord Himself and eat and drink judgement on ourselves.
This kind of teaching almost turns marriage into an idol. Marriage as a unity that never ends turns marriage into something entirely too important. Let's face reality. Real covenants are broken by real broken people. Of course, divorced and remarried people should receive communion. The gift of Jesus to the church is the gift of a broken body for broken people.
I have a former HS classmate that has been married 4 times...her last husband died of COVID...she thinks that receiving Communion is just like in protestant churches...her other 3 husbands are still alive.
Unfortunately Father, you didn't acknowledge Amoris Laetitia and how there can be "rare" exceptions to what you've outlined. Tim Staples and Bishop Robert Barron have some excellent videos on this.
Hence I’m not interested in being a Catholic. Wasn’t even Christian when I was first married. We were too young and too stupid to know what we were doing so now I can’t receive communion in a Catholic church..
I am divorced and remarried Catholic, I brought up a family with my second husband (no children in previous marriage) we could neither take communion, we respected this and received Blessings only for 27 yrs, we then decided to live as Brother and Sister and so can by permission now receive The Holy Eucharist. It is hard but being close to Jesus is more important to us!
@@clayneshore9215 Hello thank you for sharing. I also heard about living as brother and sister from the catechumen but I'm not quite sure how it translates to everyday life. As in (I'm sorry for not being prudent), living together under one roof but not having intercourse, or what is the limit in consideration of living as a brother and sister? (Feel free to ignore this message if too brazen)
Wow! It took awhile but you did the right thing. I was already 71 when I entered the church. My wife declined the annulment process but agreed to live as brother and sister. It had been a blessing for both of us. I can't imagine trading a few years of sexual pleasure for an eternity in hell. Praise be to God for His graces.
I would say it is the sexual act within in the subsequent marriage that causes the adultery. So, with confession and abstinence from the sexual act, there is forgiveness and communion is allowed for the couple as they live as brother and sister for the glory of God and for the good of their own souls.
Simply Jesus said, " Take this all of you, this is my body" He did not say EXCEPT YOU WHO ARE DIVORCED OR YOU WHO....." why do we keep turning people away from the Catholic Church?
As a Catholic convert, I ask too. Where in the Bible does it say this? I was baptized at 6 months old, and received my first communion around 9 - but other than those two things, my family did nothing involving the church or the Bible. We never prayed. So in 2019 I was married, then in 2020 I had a conversion. I went through RCIA and was confirmed in 2021. Then in early 2023 the same priest told me that I couldn’t receive Holy Communion because I wasn’t married in the church. We weren’t Catholic when we married! My husband still isn’t religious. It’s been maybe 8 or 9 months and my priest still has not helped me to understand what I need to do to receive the Eucharist. This doesn’t feel right.
@@katiejon17The answer is simple, I think you can get married by Catholic Church in order to receive communion. I think issue lies due to the fact that that you and your husband didn’t go through the sacraments of marriage of the church as this sacrament would be the blessing of your marriage that it is made valid by God. Tell your priest this if you can do the sacraments of marriage and you should be able to. Then this should solve your issue and you would be allowed to take the part in communion.
@@jamesii30 My husband is not interested in getting re-married (or anything) in the Catholic Church. The priest responded by saying ‘that would have been the easy route’ and that the alternative is “more complicated”... and then would forget every time I put this back on his radar.
@@katiejon17If you have a priest that is limiting you from the sacrament, this a sign that he is probably a good prelate, and you should find out what you need to do to rectify the situation. The Eucharist is the greatest treasure in the Church and worth doing it right on how to receive him.
@@glennryan646 Did you read my comments? My priest FORGETS about me, and tells me “it’s more complicated and takes more time”... then forgets again. But it is my fault? He’s “good” because he is “limiting” me from the sacrament by FORGETTING REPEATEDLY ABOUT ME?! And I’m the one who needs to “find out” what I need to do to be worthy of Jesus Christ? Well I have found out what I needed, and the priest passively helped to show me: I no longer go to a Catholic Church. And it wasn’t me that left the church, but the church that left me.
I went to a Catholic school and convent senior school. What nonsense is this! I’m divorced because my husband was committing adultery. After, divorce he got a papal dispensation 😂. The family friend was a priest. I remarried and have spent my life bringing up two disabled children and done my best to live my life in a kind, charitable way. Who are these people to deny anyone a relationship with god via the Eucharist. How can a man who certainly won’t be left to bring up children. Pontificate on matters that he has no direct experience of? It’s a form of control! It’s the same control that left women with a large families, poor and burnt out. The god of the New Testament is a loving, forgiving god, if people feel the need for the Eucharist welcome and embrace them!
@@XavierY828 that nice. Considering like Catholic priests he supposedly wasn’t married lol! My dishonest ex husband, who’s family friend was a priest got a papal blessing for our marriage. He also got a papal annulment for our marriage. The divorce grounds were HIS adultery 😂. He then went on to embezzle trade union funds. I asked the parish priest can I take communion? The answer was no because you are divorced. I couldn’t even be bothered to tell the priest that the marriage was annulled. A religion, run by men, for men, subjugating women.
@@XavierY828Indeed, unless people propose to God to recorrect and tip-ex his word and teaching in the scripture. Did they ever heard when Jesus met and talk to the samaritan woman (5-6 husband), Jesus said, that her husband is only one in God eyes. Jesus also clearly said to the pharisees about "because of their stone heartened heart that moses gave the divorce letter, but in the beginning that wasn't like that, God hated divorced so much". Unless one of them died or killed first, remarried or living together with another spouse is not a mortal sin, otherwise they committed living in an affair and adultery conditions of life, meaning that we were actively involved with/or without conscious state of mind were crucifying Jesus on and on and on and on by our delusional selfish wish as per our taste of understanding.
The Pope did not approve the blessing of same sex relations. Only the blessing of individuals for the individual to draw closer to God in their journey. I'm a sinner myself and my priest blesses me at the end of every Mass. I need as much of God's grace as I can get.
This will be a tough message for many to hear (I'm divorced too!) but it's good news that there is a solution so that we can once again receive Our Lord. I encourage everyone who reads this to take all necessary steps to get back into communion with the Church as soon as possible... these are dark times... getting and staying in the state of grace is paramount.
@Karen C - God bless you!
My question has always been, you can kill people or get an abortion or rape someone and be forgiven but remarry after divorce, you are damed forever! Even if you raise your children as good Catholics! Why? If we have a forgiving God why can this not be forgiven? But the Church WILL forgive with a costly annulment ? Also the Church made this annulment ruling not God which is changing the rule of ‘till death do us part’! It is as always rules are changed if the price is right!!
I appreciate your perspective. You ask a very good question. From what I've heard & read from various priests & people who study theology & our faith, marriage is a sacrament that is supposed to be for life. That assumes it is a valid marriage to begin with & that's why there's exceptions. Some people are not healthy mentally/emotionally to be in a marriage in the 1st place. Some people are abusive (another way of being unhealthy). I believe everyone deserves a second chance & if marriage is not healthy, people must do what is best for themselves & their child/children 💗 God Loves us & wants us to be at peace 💗✝️ God Bless 🕊
My daughter was married and her husband committed adultery unbeknownst to her. She tried to talk to her husband, but he wouldn’t listen and left her.
As a good Catholic, she approached the diocese to get direction on how to get an anullment. According to her, and I believe her, the representative of the diocese was VERY judgmental and left an awful impression on my daughter.
She’s not currently a practicing Catholic, but she has found a non-denominational church where she is feeling the love of God. She was very concerned about how we would judge her, but after we talked about it, we assured her that we were comfortable with her being at a church where she could experience growth in her Christianity! As her parents, we would prefer that she would practice her Catholic faith, but unfortunately the Catholic Church abandoned her! What a shame!
@@bernardhanlon1204i was shunned for 26 years by my original parish because of this, however when i sold my home and moved, i brought this issue up with my new parish priest, he heard my first confession in 26 years, and allowed me to receive the holy eucharist. The fire inside me once again burned bright in being able to practice my beloved Catholic faith and restored my faith in the Roman Catholic Church that once shunned me like a leper but now gave me mercy.
This is one of the best explanations I've heard about the relationship between what Jesus said about divorce and remarriage and what we are saying when we receive communion. Thank you father
Whether i take Holy Communion or not is between myself and Christ. No man or church is fit to measure or judge that. Paul said, "Examine yourself."
Jesus told His Apostles and, by extention, their successors, 'whoever hears you hears Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me '. He gave us His church and left it in the care of chosen and ordained men. We should all be careful least we go against the Lord Himself and eat and drink judgement on ourselves.
This kind of teaching almost turns marriage into an idol. Marriage as a unity that never ends turns marriage into something entirely too important. Let's face reality. Real covenants are broken by real broken people. Of course, divorced and remarried people should receive communion. The gift of Jesus to the church is the gift of a broken body for broken people.
I have a former HS classmate that has been married 4 times...her last husband died of COVID...she thinks that receiving Communion is just like in protestant churches...her other 3 husbands are still alive.
No. To all of that. Jesus himself said not to separate what God put together. Tell Him that. It's not an idol.
@@brien1513 Except He also said divorce is acceptable for the cause of fornication.
Unfortunately Father, you didn't acknowledge Amoris Laetitia and how there can be "rare" exceptions to what you've outlined. Tim Staples and Bishop Robert Barron have some excellent videos on this.
Well what if they are married but still continent
Hence I’m not interested in being a Catholic. Wasn’t even Christian when I was first married. We were too young and too stupid to know what we were doing so now I can’t receive communion in a Catholic church..
I think you should seek a spiritual advisor before you turn down the chance to come home.
Was you marriage within the Catholic Church?
You want to be your own Jesus. It's not up to you.
I am divorced and remarried Catholic, I brought up a family with my second husband (no children in previous marriage) we could neither take communion, we respected this and received Blessings only for 27 yrs, we then decided to live as Brother and Sister and so can by permission now receive The Holy Eucharist. It is hard but being close to Jesus is more important to us!
@@clayneshore9215 Hello thank you for sharing. I also heard about living as brother and sister from the catechumen but I'm not quite sure how it translates to everyday life. As in (I'm sorry for not being prudent), living together under one roof but not having intercourse, or what is the limit in consideration of living as a brother and sister? (Feel free to ignore this message if too brazen)
Wow! It took awhile but you did the right thing. I was already 71 when I entered the church. My wife declined the annulment process but agreed to live as brother and sister. It had been a blessing for both of us. I can't imagine trading a few years of sexual pleasure for an eternity in hell. Praise be to God for His graces.
I was taught if you are divorced you can't receive holy communion
No, it's the remarriage without an annulment that prevents one from receiving holy communion.
I would say it is the sexual act within in the subsequent marriage that causes the adultery. So, with confession and abstinence from the sexual act, there is forgiveness and communion is allowed for the couple as they live as brother and sister for the glory of God and for the good of their own souls.
Simply Jesus said, " Take this all of you, this is my body"
He did not say EXCEPT YOU WHO ARE DIVORCED OR YOU WHO....." why do we keep turning people away from the Catholic Church?
As a Catholic convert, I ask too. Where in the Bible does it say this? I was baptized at 6 months old, and received my first communion around 9 - but other than those two things, my family did nothing involving the church or the Bible. We never prayed. So in 2019 I was married, then in 2020 I had a conversion. I went through RCIA and was confirmed in 2021. Then in early 2023 the same priest told me that I couldn’t receive Holy Communion because I wasn’t married in the church. We weren’t Catholic when we married! My husband still isn’t religious. It’s been maybe 8 or 9 months and my priest still has not helped me to understand what I need to do to receive the Eucharist. This doesn’t feel right.
@@katiejon17The answer is simple, I think you can get married by Catholic Church in order to receive communion. I think issue lies due to the fact that that you and your husband didn’t go through the sacraments of marriage of the church as this sacrament would be the blessing of your marriage that it is made valid by God. Tell your priest this if you can do the sacraments of marriage and you should be able to. Then this should solve your issue and you would be allowed to take the part in communion.
@@jamesii30 My husband is not interested in getting re-married (or anything) in the Catholic Church. The priest responded by saying ‘that would have been the easy route’ and that the alternative is “more complicated”... and then would forget every time I put this back on his radar.
@@katiejon17If you have a priest that is limiting you from the sacrament, this a sign that he is probably a good prelate, and you should find out what you need to do to rectify the situation. The Eucharist is the greatest treasure in the Church and worth doing it right on how to receive him.
@@glennryan646 Did you read my comments? My priest FORGETS about me, and tells me “it’s more complicated and takes more time”... then forgets again. But it is my fault? He’s “good” because he is “limiting” me from the sacrament by FORGETTING REPEATEDLY ABOUT ME?! And I’m the one who needs to “find out” what I need to do to be worthy of Jesus Christ? Well I have found out what I needed, and the priest passively helped to show me: I no longer go to a Catholic Church. And it wasn’t me that left the church, but the church that left me.
I went to a Catholic school and convent senior school. What nonsense is this! I’m divorced because my husband was committing adultery. After, divorce he got a papal dispensation 😂. The family friend was a priest. I remarried and have spent my life bringing up two disabled children and done my best to live my life in a kind, charitable way. Who are these people to deny anyone a relationship with god via the Eucharist. How can a man who certainly won’t be left to bring up children. Pontificate on matters that he has no direct experience of? It’s a form of control! It’s the same control that left women with a large families, poor and burnt out. The god of the New Testament is a loving, forgiving god, if people feel the need for the Eucharist welcome and embrace them!
According to the New Testament Jesus said there was no divorce, also not in the case of adultery. Matthew 19:9.
@@XavierY828 that nice. Considering like Catholic priests he supposedly wasn’t married lol! My dishonest ex husband, who’s family friend was a priest got a papal blessing for our marriage. He also got a papal annulment for our marriage. The divorce grounds were HIS adultery 😂. He then went on to embezzle trade union funds. I asked the parish priest can I take communion? The answer was no because you are divorced. I couldn’t even be bothered to tell the priest that the marriage was annulled. A religion, run by men, for men, subjugating women.
@@XavierY828Indeed, unless people propose to God to recorrect and tip-ex his word and teaching in the scripture. Did they ever heard when Jesus met and talk to the samaritan woman (5-6 husband), Jesus said, that her husband is only one in God eyes. Jesus also clearly said to the pharisees about "because of their stone heartened heart that moses gave the divorce letter, but in the beginning that wasn't like that, God hated divorced so much".
Unless one of them died or killed first, remarried or living together with another spouse is not a mortal sin, otherwise they committed living in an affair and adultery conditions of life, meaning that we were actively involved with/or without conscious state of mind were crucifying Jesus on and on and on and on by our delusional selfish wish as per our taste of understanding.
Yet the pope now says that same sex relations can be blessed.
The Pope did not approve the blessing of same sex relations. Only the blessing of individuals for the individual to draw closer to God in their journey. I'm a sinner myself and my priest blesses me at the end of every Mass. I need as much of God's grace as I can get.
No, he said the individuals can have two separate blessings in a manner that is in no way to be confused with marriage.