And Now A Word From My Pastor

Y’know those "From the pastor’s desk" items that they run in Sunday bulletins? Whether in Protestant churches or Catholic churches, I’ve always found those to be largely . . . what’s the right term? "A waste of space"? No, that’s probably too strong. "Useless"? No, sounds too negative. How about: "Of rather limited value." Yeah, that’ll do.

We’ll, here’s one that’s actually GOOD!

It appeared in this last Sunday’s bulletin at the parish I live in:

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK The word is out–this is supposed to be a really nasty FLU SEASON. I prefer to have healthy parishioners, and as such, support any of you who prefer to shy away from the handshake/hug as a sign of peace, as well as holding hands during the Our Father. As a courtes to your fellow parishioners, I do encorage you to offer a gentle nod, a friendly smile and the words "Peace be with you" at the appropriate time. Laurie has suggested also that we catch sneezes or coughs in the crooks of our elbows rather than in our hands, helping to contain any germs on our own clothing–the less airborne, shared actvity the better!

YES!

A voice of sanity!

Only thing I’d tweak is that people who are contagious SHOULD NOT BE AT MASS AT ALL.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

53 thoughts on “And Now A Word From My Pastor”

  1. Perhaps he should’ve nipped the whole handholding thing in the bud by discouraging it all together.

  2. You actually kept me from Mass last Sunday. I have a bad cold and it was even worse last Sunday. I hate not going to Mass and typically I would have toughed it out. However, I remembered your last post on this topic and decided that:
    1) I would only be selfish if I went and spread my cold.
    2) God would understand.

  3. Jimmy, thanks for posting this! It’s beyond me why some people insist on attending Mass or choir practice, sneezing and gagging the whole time they’re there. Once I asked a woman who obviously had a severe cold why she hadn’t stayed home. Her reply: “I couldn’t let the choir down”…. as if spreading flu and cold germs all round was doing the choir any good… sigh … Maybe it’s a misplaced sense of duty, but, as you say, it’s better to stay at home, rest, and not spread germs among your fellow parishioners.

  4. Being contagious usually preceeds feeling bad. And I don’t really believe that merely BEING CONTAGIOUS is a grave reason to miss mass when other options are available for not spreading germs. And to go even further to say that not only are you “excused” but you “should not be there” seems excessive.

  5. Remember that the next time you’re an old person who could die if they get the flu from someone.

  6. Well, Jimmy it seems that if you are “an old person who could die if [you] get the flu from someone else” then it is YOU who has a grave reason for missing mass not the person who feels well enough to attend yet undertakes measures to prevent the spread of germs.

  7. Why should a healthy old person miss Mass because some inconsiderate lout with the flu wants to attend? No, it is the SICK people who should stay home, not the healthy elderly.

  8. This post upsets me. To me it seems selfish for those of us with a simple, common sickness like the cold or flu to be rallied out of the Holy Sacrifice by those who for their own health and comfort over other’s access to the sacraments. St. Francis got sick all the time and loved it. Sure, to be sick and get sick isn’t fun, its suffering. Offer it up.
    Not to say I disagree with this Priest’s letter – it is common courtesy to refrain from holding hands and partaking of the cup when sick. However, Jimmy, I disagree with the ban from mass when sick. The sacraments, our spiritual lifeblood, are more important than any of our fears, founded or unfounded, about our mortal health – Especially for Sunday mass!

  9. Why not just say that people shouldn’t be holding hands in the first place? (not speaking to the legitimate sign of peace)

  10. To me it seems selfish for those of us with a simple, common sickness like the cold or flu to be rallied out of the Holy Sacrifice by those who for their own health and comfort over other’s access to the sacraments.
    Old people who could die if they caught the flu are “selfish”??? They should be willing to die because you’re unwilling to miss one Mass?

  11. My priest from my previous church would write the same type of letter in our bulletin. *sigh* I really miss him. In our new parish (we had to move due to job changes) I think people wouldn’t mind if we started kissing everyone. *sigh*

  12. People who feel well enough to attend but are contagious and know it should either 1) stay home and know that they are excused or 2) attend mass and be conscientous about not spreading germs.
    People who are so frail that exposure to such ailments could kill them should either 1)stay home and know that they are excused or 2)attend mass and be conscientous about not contracting something.
    This is not a double standard. It is common sense. Clearly there will be people of both scenarios at mass and everyone should be prepared for this. If you tell people to stay home if they are contagious you in effect tell those present that they need not be concerned about contracting anything. This is false and can have the opposite result, that is, they are not diligent and contract something from someone who does not even realize they are contagious. People can frequently be contagious well before and after they experience any symptoms. Some may be contagious and NEVER demonstrate symptoms.
    Assuring people that they are excused is commendable, encouraging them to stay home is acceptable, demanding that they stay home regardless of how they feel is unacceptable to me.

  13. Selecting a lesser attended mass (where you could put more distance between yourself and others) would probably be optimal if you felt well enough to attend and be diligent.

  14. Oh. And I think you have an obligation to get yourself a flu shot if you’re in such a risky status as to be in danger of death from the flu. You’re at the top of the list during a shortage.

  15. Our parish did this last year, too. And Bp Weigand sent out a letter that was published in the bulletin & explained at all masses that Our Father hand-holding is to be discouraged & why. Folks stopped but, after cold & flu season, some went back to it. (SIGH)
    “To me it seems selfish for those of us with a simple, common sickness like the cold or flu to be rallied out of the Holy Sacrifice by those who for their own health and comfort over other’s access to the sacraments.”
    Think of it from a totally secular POV. If I show up to work knowing I’m contageous & I infect one or 2 others in the office of 15 that I work in, that flu could bounce around the office for months, keeping folks off from work & I could end up getting it again! I’ve seen it happen time & time again. Stay home & you won’t have this problem. This way, one may still imitate St Francis & avoid making the rest of the congregation ill.
    Also, what if the avian flu does jump to being communicable between humans? Some speculate (although, so far, medical documentation we’ve seen here in the office would contradict it) that it’s got a 50% mortality rate. Would you stay home then?
    My Mom’s 86 & very healthy. I’d hate for her to be exposed to the flu because some contageous person should have stayed home!

  16. My Mom’s 86 & very healthy. I’d hate for her to be exposed to the flu because some contageous person should have stayed home!
    I agree. It is absolutely absurd to suggest that your mother should be staying home instead of inconsiderate sick people.

  17. Furthermore, staying home because you have a serious reason to do so does not deprive you of the Sacrament. As both St. Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue and Clare Asquith’s Shakespeare book have been teaching me (and now I finally know what the EWTN boilerplate people are talking about before their Mass broadcasts!), a Catholic can always make a spiritual communion. All you have to do is really want to do it. (Sorta the same principle as baptism by desire.) It’s not the preferable option, but if we can’t go to Mass, it’s what we can do. (And you can do it a lot!)
    http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/blsac4.htm
    Here’s the spiritual communion prayer EWTN uses.

  18. Here’s more info on making a spiritual communion:
    http://www.monksofadoration.org/14.html
    And apparently, the Cure of Ars said, “A spiritual communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder – covered fire which was about to go out. Whenever you feel your love of God growing cold, quickly make a spiritual communion.”
    I’m a cradle Catholic. I never heard about this concept in religion class. I’d even read St. Catherine of Siena before, but I thought she was just talking about some obscure devotional practice. My mom did say something about this when I was a really young kid, but I didn’t understand what she meant then, either. Now I do. Heck, according to Asquith, it was even something that Catholics got mocked for doing by Protestants — Catholics were “gazers”.
    I don’t know why I like this “new” concept so much, but I do. It is nifty and useful and humane. Given how people have reacted in this thread, it obviously needs to be publicized in time for flu season.
    As for other reactions… oh, I understand the urge to drag oneself to church in spite of everything. We all hunger for the Eucharist. We all want to show God our love.
    But we are not supposed to make ourselves martyrs for our own benefit; especially not in such a way that we make other people martyrs to our own spiritual pride. We serve God for the glory of God, and God does not mean to give His children snakes of illness when they are praying for eggs. We need to humble our pride and protect the weakest among us — even if for once the job is done by staying home and keeping our mouths shut.
    Seeing as I have now mixed every metaphor in the world, I will shut my own mouth.
    Maureen, who madly wants a Pilgrimage of Grace t-shirt with a Five Wounds of Christ emblem on the front.

  19. A) You should not be holding hands at any point in the Mass
    B) This is the cold season and I am not going to stay home because I have one. (Unless I’m coughing too.)
    C) If I have a cold, I will have tissues with me and I will use them as any person with a cold should.
    D) Those that use their clothing to sneeze into or wipe their noses with are gross.
    E) People with the flu should definitely stay home. Send your guardian angel to Church for you. My mom taught me that when I was little. 🙂

  20. Going to Mass with the flu is doing something that you know could harm someone. This is not loving behavior, however you slice and dice it.

  21. If you are contagious and still would like communion, there should be eucharistic ministers at your church (or another nearby) who take communion to the sick and homebound. Call your church office and find out. I agree with Mary, it is inconsiderate to expose infants and the elderly to the flu or even a bad cold as it is much worse for them or the immunocompromised to get and can actually lead to death.

  22. Good post Jimmy. Some timely advice there. One other piece of info that everyone should be aware of. Don’t take the flu shot! It contains live flu virus. Should you get sick, it will lengthen the severity of the illness. Even if you don’t get the flu, any illness that you have will be prolonged.
    During the last flu season, my father was injected with the flu shot. Then we all came down with a strange kind of illness, that sapped our energy, and caused our joints to ache. The one who was hit the worst, was the one who actually took the flu shot- you guessed it, my father.
    So don’t fool around with your family’s health. the cure may be worse than the disease.
    We now return back to our regularly scheduled program.

  23. Inquisitor,
    while I’m sure that we are all sympathetic for your father’s and family’s illness following his flu shot, it is really irresponsible for you, who I assume are not medically qualified, to tell people to avoid a vaccine. Yes, all vaccines have the potential to negatively affect a very small percentage of those to whom it is administered. But the flu vaccine is effective for the vast majority of those to whom it is administered.
    One way to avoid a negative reaction to a vaccine is for a person with a compromised immune system (as most elderly are) to make sure they go to their doctor for a vaccine, and not an impersonal flu shot clinic, which seem to sprout up all over the place this time of year.
    To go back to the theme of this combox, I certainly agree that someone with the flu should not go to Mass, but it can be very difficult to tell the difference between a mild case of flu, a cold and allergies. The last time I got pneumonia, I hardly noticed it, and continued on with my two jobs. But when my wife came down with it, she was knocked off her feet for a week. The only sure way to know is to get tested by your doctor, which may or may not be possible.
    I have to also agree therefore with folks like Chris 2-4 who recommend folks who are in danger of infection to practice precautions, such as not holding hands, frequent hand washings (using the waterless handwashing lotions when out is a good idea) and avoiding crowded conditions.

  24. I’m not into the whole hand holding thing anyway, but I will say that since I have such a low immunity be glad you’re on the other side of the pond and don’t rub shoulders with me at Mass…for while I would never go to Mass with a ‘really’ bad cold or cough, I never let it prevent me from attending if I have one that in my opinion isn’t as bad.
    I also always cough into a hankie and never into my hand.
    I also always wash my hands when I get home from Mass and tell my chilren to do so as well.
    Question: Does this practice apply to priests too? and if it doesn’t, why not? ~ since they administer the Sacraments to the congregation.
    I have seen and heard many a priest who could barely talk and who have been almost completely wiped out with near flu symptoms who have proceeded to say Mass AND give communion to people on the tongue (because I only receive on the tongue and have experienced this on more than one occasion)…and I doubt that it would make a difference as to whether I caught the priests germs on my tongue or via hand (though you could get technical about that if you wanted to) as often they rub/touch their noses and other areas of the face with their hands during Mass and before the Consecration.
    God Bless.

  25. ukok-
    Of all the people at Mass, the priest is the one that is absolutely necessary, and with the current shortage of priests it is hardly possible to find a replacement.
    He HAS to be there. If the priest is sick, pray for him, as well as for everyone there. That is really all that can be done in that situation.
    Except that everyone should GET A FLU SHOT!
    I wonder what Monk would do?

  26. Those who have been declaring that they would go to Mass when they have a communicable disease–and thereby endanger others–seem to be a bit long on selfishness and short on Charity. (And, perhaps, long on scrupulosity, as well).

  27. In our church we do hold hands and at the kiss of peace embrace. Those who have colds, etc. have no trouble waiving others off and just speaking. This is a lot more sensible.

  28. Tim J, re; EVERYONE SHOULD GET A FLU SHOT! Can we except those who don’t like to be injected with carcinogens? (I’ve heard but not verified yet that most flu shots have mercury in them)It’s also expensive if you don’t have some free clinic. My ins. won’t pay for any of the kids flu shots except the one with a heart condition. The money just pours out every which way!

  29. Can I just mention something to consider — some people who sound sick and are coughing actually have chronic, non-contagious conditions. Asthma, emphysema, a cough associated with smoking, or whatever. I have a chronic condition (always test “borderline” for asthma whatever that means) and I get so many dirty looks when I cough a few times during Mass. I know I shouldn’t stay home from Mass because of that, and I take a lozenge as needed (meds don’t break the fast) but I really wish people would not jump to conclusions.
    Also, sometimes cold weather simply makes people cough more frequently. Since I was a kid, cold weather made my nose run and made me cough a little, even if I wasn’t sick at all. It’s just some people’s reaction to the cold-ness.

  30. For the record…I have a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, specializing in heavy metals…Mercury is not a carcinogen. There is absolutely no hard scientific evidence to suggest that the mercurial (thimerosal, also known as ehtyl mercury) preservative used in flu shots and many other vaccines has any associated toxicities! There is pleny of misinformation on the itnernet regarding this topic, but it is not supported by the science. I just wanted to mention this in regards to the comment from hippo354. I have not touched anyone at Mass in years (we don’t do that in the Traditional Latin Mass, Vatican approved of course), so I don’t see a reason to start now.
    Severe illness is always a grounds for staying home and making a spiritual communion. We are certainly not obligated to share our pestilence.
    Pax Christi,
    Jay

  31. If the pastor is so concerned about his parishioners’ health, why doesn’t he skip the sign of peace all together. It’s optional, isn’t it?
    As for holding hand at the Our Father, he should have communicated by now why that is inappropriate.
    I’ll pray for him.

  32. Can I just mention something to consider — some people who sound sick and are coughing actually have chronic, non-contagious conditions.
    This is an important point. I suffer from chronic allergy problems, and they’re not contagious.

  33. Anyone who’s concerned about the mercury (thimerosal) in the flu shot can request a preservative-free shot. My kids’ doctor uses them on the under-two crowd as a precaution.

  34. Anyone who’s concerned about the mercury (thimerosal) in the flu shot can request a preservative-free shot. My kids’ doctor uses them on the under-two crowd as a precaution.

  35. Anyone who’s concerned about the mercury (thimerosal) in the flu shot can request a preservative-free shot. My kids’ doctor uses them on the under-two crowd as a precaution.

  36. I actually consider this note a word of hypochondria.
    Come on, well fed American adults afraid of the flu? You need to get of the country more often, and not to Europe. 😉
    +JMJ+


  37. There’s that, and I’m with you about the whole American paranoia/perfectionism thing. But people don’t want to make their elderly sick if it’s avoidable, and that’s not unreasonable. Especially in a country where sick leave from work is precious and hard to come by, so your job depends on you NOT getting sick. (Socialism is better with that, but socialism also fails where you have people abusing what was meant to be a good thing, and doctors writing yellow slips for people because they don’t want to lose their business).
    Someone mentioned always coughing into their hanky. That only works *once*. Next time you pull that hanky out, you’ve got a germ-y hanky in your hand, contaminating it.
    My curiosity is piqued by the poster who attends traditional Latin Masses — you mean they don’t have to shake anybody’s hand at the Sign of Peace? Someone please fill me in — are the protocols completely different? I hadn’t expected they were–I just thought that the language was different.
    Well, I’m all for not having to touch anybody and giving people a smile and a few words instead, to let them know I’m glad they’re there.

  38. Italics off (I hope?) What’s wrong with Typepad? All I did was put a “<" and a ">” around what Augustine wrote. I didn’t use actual code for italics.
    /me is glad she uses other open-source portal/blogging software 🙂

  39. I attend St Agnes parish in St. Paul, MN. Home of Msgr. Schuler, Fr. Welzbacher and Fr. Robert Altier. You may have heard Fr Altier on Drew Mariani… At our wonderful parish there is no hand-holding during the Our Father (ever) and no hand-shaking and back-slapping during the sign of peace (ever). We participate in the Mass by deep and heartfelt prayer. Problem (and several others) solved.

  40. This is to address Lurker…The “kiss of peace” in the Traditional Latin Mass is given only between the priest and subdeacons during a Solemn High Mass. There is no kiss/sign of peace for the parishoners in any Traditional Latin Mass. The language is far from the only difference in the Traditional Mass. Many prayers were omitted and changed in the New Mass, as were some customs. The New Mass is not a translation of the Tridentine Latin Mass into English…You should try it some time, it is beautiful and so reverent.

  41. I work in a hospital and have gotten FluMist (inhaled vaccine) for the past 2 years. I have not gotten the flu or become sick from the vaccine. FluMist can be taken by healthy individuals between the ages of 15 and 49; others should get a shot.
    I agree with Jay – there is an awful lot of junk science and nonsense floating around on the Internet about the supposedly dire consequences of flu shots. Any doctor I work with will tell you it’s bunk, although a very small minority of people may become ill after getting a flu shot. I would advise talking to someone who actually is in the medical profession about this, rather than taking the advice of “Internet MDs” whose scientific knowledge consists of “my friend got sick when she got a shot,…,”

  42. Often I feel the reason some attend Mass even when running a fever is out of a sense of inflated spirituality. There is a sense that ‘nothing can keep me from Mass’. Maybe it is a pharisetical sense of needing to be seen as super devout.
    The ones I get really upset with are those who will refrain from drinking from the cup, even though they have colds. They super spiritualize the act with the spoken attitude “It is God’s precious blood, he would never allow the spread of disease”. Due to this attitude, I have refrained from the cup for 20 years now. It is something I miss, but common sense is no longer common. I get especially peeved at those who bring their one week old babies to Mass. My wife, at the direction of her doctor, refrained from community contact for 4-6 weeks for each of our children. We arranged communion for her. It was good for our baby’s health and for her own as well.
    The Mass is a beautiful gift. Sometimes the greater Grace will be received through the act of sacrifice of putting aside this gift for the good of the community.

  43. Who uses “hankies” anymore? I use a new tissue every time I need a tissue. “Hankies”, that’s funny.

  44. “Inquisitor,
    while I’m sure that we are all sympathetic for your father’s and family’s illness following his flu shot, it is really irresponsible for you, who I assume are not medically qualified, to tell people to avoid a vaccine. Yes, all vaccines have the potential to negatively affect a very small percentage of those to whom it is administered. But the flu vaccine is effective for the vast majority of those to whom it is administered.
    One way to avoid a negative reaction to a vaccine is for a person with a compromised immune system (as most elderly are) to make sure they go to their doctor for a vaccine, and not an impersonal flu shot clinic, which seem to sprout up all over the place this time of year.”
    I understand your concern, but the medical information is there, for anyone who wants to review it. We’re not talking about an allergic reaction, but an activated flu virus. Normally it is deactivated, but the vaccine manufacturers put this in. At the very best, this is gross negligence on their part. If you have a person that is injected with this virus, it could wind up compromising your family’s immune system.
    For instance, those who are elderly, are particularly vulnerable. Take this article that was recently posted in the News Telegraph:
    http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/30/nflu30.xml
    Also, the main flu vaccine, Tamiflu, may not actually be all that effective. It may actually lead to the development of flu-resistant strains.
    http://view.e.newsmax.com/?ffcc17-fe9316747765017b7d-fe2c15797d6d047f701471-ff2c1d70746d
    You are right. I have no medical training whatsoever. But I do keep an eye out for these sorts of things, and I can smell a scam when I see it. I’m not anti-vaccination, or anything like that, I would just like to know what is going IN the vaccines before I get injected with it.
    You don’t have to take my word for it. Just take some time and check it out for yourself, and see whether or not you come to the same conclusion.
    BTW- My father got his flu shot from the family M.D. I don’t think he would trust one of those clinics if his life depended on it-uh, figuratively speaking of course. 🙂

  45. At our wonderful parish there is… no hand-shaking and back-slapping during the sign of peace (ever).
    Wow. That really sucks. Glad I don’t have to suffer through that!

  46. People can take a hankerchief to Mass if they have a runny nose or cough.
    a slight cold is not reason enough to miss Mass.
    Whoever said a spiritual communion is just as good, and used baptism of desire as a example, is mistaken.
    There is absolutely no scriptual basis for
    calling a spiritual communion the same as a real communion. And as to baptism of desire, this is all a matter of speculation.
    The furthest the Fathers ever speculated on BOD was whether a catechumen who died before baptism might be saved. Thomas Aquinas advanced the speculation further to implicit desire of those who had the Catholic Faith, while Karl Rahner opened the flood gates of confusion by proclaiming each person has baptism of desire because each human being is a annonyomous Christian.
    well, that mind set reduces everything Jesus did on earth to a big waste of time.
    If being saved is just a matter of desire, and desire is not unique to the catholic religion, , why be Catholic and why follow any laws or commandments, just follow the folks who preach DESIRE.
    But it is all human speculation as water baptism is the only action that removes original sin from the soul, in line with the commands of Jesus and the Gospels.
    Jesus gave us visible sacraments, not imaginary ones.
    If you argue communion by desire, and baptism by desire, then you need to add 5 more to the list.
    But be sure to create a name for you new religion, because it is not Catholic, and it is certainly not of God.

  47. And as to baptism of desire, this is all a matter of speculation.
    Catechism of Pope St. Pius X
    17 Q: Can the absence of Baptism be supplied in any other way?
    A: The absence of Baptism can be supplied by martyrdom, which is called Baptism of Blood, or by an act of perfect love of God, or of contrition, along with the desire, at least implicit, of Baptism, and this is called Baptism of Desire.
    Catechism of the Catholic Church
    1257 …Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament…. God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.
    1258 The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.
    1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.
    1260 “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.” Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.
    1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,” allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church’s call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

  48. NeoCon-
    How did we get from the flu to trashing baptism of desire?
    Who claimed that making a spiritual communion was “just as good” as going to Mass?

  49. It is true Jesus is not bound by His commandments, but we, the creatures of earth, most certainly are. There is no scriptural basis to claim otherwise.
    The Catechism, is not and never has been a infallible document. The present CCC is full of error, and heresy.
    Baptism of Desire, has always been a speculation, and even though Cardinal
    Gibbons produced a American Catechism that talked of 3 baptisms, this again was the error of Americanism rearing its ugly head.
    the fact is, the bible gives numerous examples that refute the speculation of BOD.
    In cases where a sincere follower of God sought to do His will, God has sent angels in order to Baptize them. Now why bother if Desire does the
    same. Well, the short reason is desire does no such thing. God has mandated we are to be Baptized with water to wash away original sin and infuse our souls with the Holy Spirit.
    If Desire could do it, Jesus would have said it.
    The Gospel of John Chapter 1 vs 13 is more proof Desire is worthless for Baptism.
    Baptism of desire became popular in the USA in the early 1800’s when Catholics were greatly outnumbered in America. The last thing many priests and bishops wanted to promote was the undiluted teachings of Jesus which said there is one faith and one baptism. These Catholic clergy allowed the idea of BOD to spread its wings over America. And the error was ( good non- Catholics, if they are really sincere, do not have to worry about the waters of Baptism when they die,) since desire is going to save them.
    This error has so spun out of control, as all heresy does, now we hear even the Jews are saved by being good Jews.

  50. read the post of October 27 at 4:33 p.m.
    a spiritual communion is being compared to the actual sacrament.
    Like I said, when we make desire sufficient for Baptism, and desire sufficient for Holy Communion, add five more desires, but think up a new name for this religion.
    It is not of God and not Catholic.
    Desireolicism is the belief Desire does it all.
    followers can be caled Desireolics.

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