Monday, 2 June 2008 Message To Father James Scahill A Humble Mea Culpa And Not An Arrogant Vestra Culpa Is Necessary

Father James Scahill of Saint Michael's Parish in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts has just said, "My life's purpose is to celebrate the teachings of Christ but in order to do that - in order to rebuild his Church - we must acknowledge and atone for our mistakes." See here:

http://stmichaelsel.org/PDFS/FrScahill%20OpeningStatement%204-18-10.pdf

It would appear, then, that Father Scahill has failed in his life's purpose. For he has referred to the Mystical Body of Christ as "insidiously evil." The Church which is the unblemished bride of the unblemished lamb.

Father Scahill says he wants to help "rebuild the Church." He can best accomplish this by rebuilding his own faith life. Rather than arrogantly issuing a vestra culpa (your fault), Father Scahill would do well to issue a humble mea culpa (my fault). His failure to notify the proper authorities with regard to Father Richard Lavigne's "bothering children" and having sleepovers at the rectory has been documented. His public calumny against Pope Benedict XVI constitutes [objectively speaking] a mortal sin. His reference to the unblemished Church as "insidiously evil" constitutes an act of blasphemy.

In Catholic moral theology,blasphemy, which can be either directly against God or indirectly against Him by blaspheming the Church or her saints, is a sin against the virtue of religion; Aquinas terms it a sin against faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (which Fr. Scahill should familiarize himself with) teaches us that: "Blasphemy is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in uttering against God - inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one's speech; in misusing God's name. St. James condemns those 'who blaspheme that honorable name [of Jesus] by which you are called.' THE PROHIBITION OF BLASPHEMY EXTENDS TO LANGUAGE AGAINST "CHRIST'S CHURCH", THE SAINTS, AND SACRED THINGS..." (2148).

It is admirable to want to "rebuild the Church. But one must always begin an authentic reform by reforming one's own life". One cannot, after all, pass along to others faith, hope and charity when one does not possess these theological virtues himself.