Salandy-Brown wrong: no new sins

Firstly, the Church has not “added new mortal sins” but it is simply pointing the attention of its members to a deeper understanding of each individual’s responsibility. New sins have not been added. rather, we are called to apply a wider understanding of the sins that lead to death of the soul (or the seven deadly sins), in the light of modern technological applications and the misuse thereof. To see that Pride, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Anger, Greed and Sloth have a much wider social application.

The best definition of sin that I know of is anything that wounds or disrupts the harmony that we are all called to live in: viz, harmony with our Creator, harmony with our ‘neighbour’; harmony with creation and harmony with our own selves. Therefore, when a person or a corporate entity, intentionally pollutes the earth, its rivers and oceans they are endangering the lives of others and of future generations, and that is gravely sinful.

To put it more positively, if I am aware of the preciousness of the earth and of the life of others I would always do whatever I could to make our world a cleaner, healthier place.

Isn’t drug trafficking and destroying oneself and the lives of others through drugs a serious sin? Trafficking in drugs and human beings so that I can get rich is the sin of greed isn’t it? The Church teaches that human life is precious and so using human beings as ‘spare parts’ or commodities is disrespecting life itself. Accumulating excessive wealth for oneself while turning a blind eye to the needs of those who live in poverty, likewise, is the sin of greed.

Incidentally, both Bill Gates and his wife are Catholics, and certainly are exemplars of what it means to have a strong sense of social responsibility and to put their wealth at the service of humanity. You have chosen a very poor example to illustrate your point!

Finally, confession was not ‘invented’ by the Church but by Jesus himself who said to the disciples, “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven” (Matt 16:19) and the Letter of St James in the New Testament it says, “Confess your sins to one another” (James 5:16). Interestingly, Dr C G Jung in a study done towards the end of his years, concluded that Catholics who regularly availed themselves of Sacramental confession were for the most part free of neuroses, which he attributed to the unburdening of guilt . . . which many persons in our time pay large amounts of money to psychiatrists for the same service! And may I point out that receiving Holy Communion is not a ‘wafer that is the symbolic body and blood of Jesus Christ’ but is the very real presence of Christ – body, blood, soul and divinity.

Jesus said, “my flesh is real food and my blood is real. drink, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting”. That is the belief that is the very source and summit of our lives as Catholic Christians.

While it is fashionable at this time in secular society, and especially in Britain, to laugh at and ridicule everything that the Catholic Church teaches and has taught for the past 2000 years, for my part, I thank God every day for the great gift that the Catholic Church is to my life. I hope that one day you too might be able to see the depths of wisdom contained in those same teachings.

LILIAS MILINE

Cascade