The "What you always wanted to ask a priest but were afraid to" thread

[Father Rick]

Hey everyone!

I haven't been over in this part of the forum very often, but thought this may be a good chance to get to know some of the folks here.

So... feel free to ask any questions you may have... or just chat about the weather or what's for lunch.

Blessings!

 

[kamikat]

When did you know you wanted to become a priest?
Was your family supportive?

 

[Father Rick]

When did you know you wanted to become a priest?

My father was a protestant pastor. When I was 7 years old at a church youth camp, I first sensed God leading me into ministry. My response at that time was "No, God. I don't want to be like my dad" due to the struggles I had seen him go through.

God let it go until I was 15, when, one night at church I had a vision of Christ seated on the throne in glory. While I didn't see His face, I did see the rest of His body, including the nail prints in his feet and wrists (hands). I went forward to pray, and He gave me another vision. In this one, I was taken back to when I was 7, and it was like I was back in the exact same spot as when He first spoke to me about ministry. This time I said yes.

After high school, I went to a Southeastern University (a protestant seminary) to prepare for ministry. I completed my B.S. there, and was working on my Master's when God began to lead me into the historic churches. I didn't fully understand what that meant at the time, but the short version is that I was ordained as a deacon not too long after and as a priest a year after that.

Was your family supportive?

My family was always supportive of my call to ministry (remember my father was a pastor), however, as Protestants, they don't fully understand the priesthood. They accept it as what God has called me to-- but they still give me funny looks sometimes.

 

[kimber1]

hey father rick can you tell me where or how or when it became "law" that if you miss Massit's a mortal sin? who came up with teh mortal sin list and where does teh Catholic Church come up with the authority to say that missing Mass and Holy days of Obligation are worthy of an eternity in hell?

 

[Father Rick]

hey father rick can you tell me where or how or when it became "law" that if you miss Massit's a mortal sin? who came up with teh mortal sin list and where does teh Catholic Church come up with the authority to say that missing Mass and Holy days of Obligation are worthy of an eternity in hell?

First, you have to understand the difference between venial and mortal sins.

In Greek, there is more than one word that we translate into English as "sin". One word means to deliberately transgress God's law. It's wrong, you know it's wrong, yet you willingly choose to do so anyway. This is what is classified as "mortal sin".

The other word means "missing the mark". It's the picture of an archer doing everything he can to hit a "bullseye", but because he is human he may not hit it perfectly every time. This is what is classified as "venial sin".

Scripture is clear that mortal sins can (and do) lead to God's judgement. I'm pasting a scripture that says this pretty clearly in a minute. (Hebrews 10)

Now, with those things established... Scripture also says

Jas 4:17 - Show Context Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Scripture also says

23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Here scripture specifically says that we are to not miss meeting together (aka attending church). Scripture here actually links this with mortal sin (one who keeps on sinning after knowing the truth).
I could go in and pull up Tradition on the subject for you as well, but since Scripture lays this out this clearly, for the sake of those who may reject Tradition, I just used Scriptural arguments.

I hope this helps.

 

[kimber1]

First, you have to understand the difference between venial and mortal sins.

In Greek, there is more than one word that we translate into English as "sin". One word means to deliberately transgress God's law. It's wrong, you know it's wrong, yet you willingly choose to do so anyway. This is what is classified as "mortal sin".

The other word means "missing the mark". It's the picture of an archer doing everything he can to hit a "bullseye", but because he is human he may not hit it perfectly every time. This is what is classified as "venial sin".

Scripture is clear that mortal sins can (and do) lead to God's judgement. I'm pasting a scripture that says this pretty clearly in a minute. (Hebrews 10)

Now, with those things established... Scripture also says Scripture also saysHere scripture specifically says that we are to not miss meeting together (aka attending church). Scripture here actually links this with mortal sin (one who keeps on sinning after knowing the truth).
I could go in and pull up Tradition on the subject for you as well, but since Scripture lays this out this clearly, for the sake of those who may reject Tradition, I just used Scriptural arguments.

I hope this helps.

thank you for such a quick response not sure if you remember me or not but i'm actually Catholic although choose for personal reasons not to hold that icon i'm a fairly new convert and while going thru the conversion process didn't have so much a problem with this. went thru Easter vigil okay, agreed with everything upon entering the Church.

time has now gone by and questions have built causing me alot of grief wondeirng the why's and how's that i guess i didn't really think about too much at the time. my desire to be Catholic was just so strong and i still feel Catholic but this is one aspect that i just can't wrap my head around. although i will say you're one of the first to ever show my that particular Scripture passage

i guess my biggest question is why does meeting in a building equate not sinning? God never said if we don't meet on such and such day (menaing the Holy days of Obligation) we'd go to hell if unconfessed. so how and why did the Church come up with this list?

sorry, struggling Catholic here. if this is better in pm or you don't have the time it's okay

 

[kamikat]

Kimber, I was raised Catholic, so I think I can answer this. Father, correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that the mortal sin in in failure to obey the Church. This is why eating meat on Fridays used to be a mortal sin and now it's not. It's not that the actual eating of meat was a mortal sin, it was that fasting from meat on Fridays was an act of obediance. The failure to obey the Church's rules, laws and guidelines are the mortal sin, not the actual act.

 

[kamikat]

Father, why do you become Old Catholic instead of Roman Catholic?

kamikat

 

[Father Rick]

Kimber, I was raised Catholic, so I think I can answer this. Father, correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that the mortal sin in in failure to obey the Church. This is why eating meat on Fridays used to be a mortal sin and now it's not. It's not that the actual eating of meat was a mortal sin, it was that fasting from meat on Fridays was an act of obediance. The failure to obey the Church's rules, laws and guidelines are the mortal sin, not the actual act.

Thanks Kamikat...

Kimber, I meant to emphasize this issue more before, but I got stopped in mid-post and came back to finish it later. Guess I left out more than I realized.

It's about "knowing to do what is good and wilfully choosing not to".

Jas 4:17 - Show Context Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

It's not so much a matter of meeting in a building or not, it's about wilfully rebelling against what one knows to be the right thing to do. Rebellion is rebellion... which scripture actually equates with witchcraft. For instance, if one is on their way to church and are in an accident-- so they missed church-- there would be no sin here, since one is trying to do what is right and not rebelling against what one knows is right to do.

 

[Father Rick]

Father, why do you become Old Catholic instead of Roman Catholic?

kamikat

Got a while?

Actually, the primary reason is Papal Infallibility. While I fully hold the Church in Oecumenical Council to be infallible, I do not see this authority as resting in only one man/office. Neither did the RC until Vatican I.

This is not to say that I look disparagingly on the pope. Quite the opposite, I hold him in esteem as the Bishop of Rome with full episcopal authority over that jurisdiction. I simply simply view his jurisdiction to be limited to Rome and not universal.



With that said, I'd prefer not to get into a debate over the theological reasons for this stance-- as that would take over this whole thread. I also kindly ask other posters to respect this, as there are other threads in which we can discuss such if you would like.

 

[kamikat]

fair enough.
Do you really have 18 kids?
Do you have a regular job in addition to your ministry?

 

[Father Rick]

fair enough.
Do you really have 18 kids?
Do you have a regular job in addition to your ministry?

While I have no biological children, I have had 18 foster children.

In addition to being the vicar of St. Thomas More, I am the Residential Program Manager of a children's home with 36 children in residence. My income comes from my position at the children's home, not from the church.

 

[kamikat]

Wow! Bless you for taking on that job!

Have you ever fallen asleep while hearing confession?
(I've heard stories about this happening)

 

[kamikat]

Do the little old ladies rule your parish? (from what I've seen, they are the ones who really run the churches )

 

[Father Rick]

Wow! Bless you for taking on that job!

Have you ever fallen asleep while hearing confession?
(I've heard stories about this happening)

No... I've never done that.

You know, I would almost think that's a good thing though-- if the things you confess are so mundane that the priest can fall asleep (not that any sin is ever "mundane" but you know what I mean).

 

[Father Rick]

Do the little old ladies rule your parish? (from what I've seen, they are the ones who really run the churches )

Nope...

I have a parish council who are the "board" of the church, but they pretty much let me do whatever I would like. The serve more as an advisory committee. The oldest person on the board is in their late 50's.

Of course, the fact that our parish in only about 2 years old, and I am the founding priest may have something to do with that.

 

[kamikat]

Ah! Every church I've ever been to, if you wanted to meet with the priest, you have to butter up the little old lady who rules the rectory.
Is your church a mission parish, then?

 

[Father Rick]

Is your church a mission parish, then?

Yes, it is.

 

[kamikat]

When you go out on personal business, do you wear you collar? Do you think people treat you differently because of it? Do you listen to secular music or watch prime time TV? If not, do you think it's wrong for all Christians to listen tp secular music or watch prime time TV? How much of your day is spent in private prayer?

 

[Father Rick]

When you go out on personal business, do you wear you collar?

Depends on what all I'm doing that day. If I'm on church business, I always have it on, but if I'm just running to the store for milk I may have on jeans and a tshirt. Many times if I'm doing "church stuff" at some point during the day, I'll just wear my clerics all day rather than changing back and forth.

Do you think people treat you differently because of it?

Definitely.

Do you listen to secular music or watch prime time TV? If not, do you think it's wrong for all Christians to listen tp secular music or watch prime time TV?

I do both-- depending on what it is.

CSI and Law and Order (all of both of them except CSI:NY) are my favorite shows to watch. I also really like BBC.

As to music, I like a wide diversity of styles-- from Gregorian Chants to Classical to '80's rock to Techno/trance. I mainly listen to worship CD's I have, but occasionally just get in the mood for something different.

How much of your day is spent in private prayer?

Depends on the day.