Betrayal of the highest magnitude

George Offerman

Many Catholics and most protestants I have come in contact with over
the years have wondered “Why is it such a big deal made over receiving
communion?” and “Why is it politicized and who has a right to
determine who is worthy or not?”. If one believes that communion is
symbolic, and is not the true presence of the Body of Christ, there
may be substance to that argument. However, it is not what the church
teaches, and this teaching goes back to the days of the Apostles. But
when looking at the behaviors of the majority of the American Bishops,
and some of those in Rome, it is apparent that they are suffering from
a ‘crisis in faith’ as they do not defend the Eucharist, and by their
collective silence, have originated and perpetuated betrayal of the
highest magnitude against Christ Himself.

It is very well known that the field of psychology has one of the
highest proportions of atheists of any profession. Yet the central
tenet or highest law of psychology and counseling is that of
confidentiality. The confidentiality laws are clear, and they are
continually emphasized while in school. One can lose their license to
practice if they violate confidentiality EVEN ONCE, and no matter what
a professional counselor or therapist’s personal beliefs, lifestyles
or behaviors are, (and they vary greatly) it is extremely rare when
confidentiality is violated. When confidentiality is violated, the
profession is in 100% agreement that sanctions need to take place, and
the only disagreements may be the degree of sanctions imposed. But I
have not ever heard any professional in my field defend the violation
of confidentiality.

I look at our profession, with the varying beliefs and personality
types, and see the unified stance on a man made law of
confidentiality. I could never imagine ever hearing a professor in
any of the ethics classes we were required to take ever question the
premise of confidentiality, or argue that it is “up to us to decide
what to do” or “if the court threatens to throw you in jail if you do
not violate confidentiality, just go ahead and sell out your client”.
No, we were informed about the few ‘ethical’ therapists who went to
jail versus violating confidentiality, and they were presented as the
“modern saints or martyrs” of our profession. No one made fun of
them, and no one accused them of ‘politicizing’ their beliefs. In
fact, we were encouraged to model their behavior if need be. (no one
has ever been martyred over the confidentiality law)

Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I do believe personally in the
need for confidentiality of the client. It is the cornerstone of
effective therapy, and the client needs to know that their information
will not go anywhere. I would be willing to go to jail before
violating confidentiality, because without upholding this very central
tenet of therapy, good treatment cannot take place. I was also on the
Virginia Board of Social Work for four years, and on the disciplinary
committee. During the four years I was on this committee, we had one
case of breach of confidentiality, and it was one that was
incidental, but still serious. We were even unified on the sanctions
we levied on this social worker and no one protested or condemned our
actions.

Confidentiality is the central tenet of our profession, as the
Eucharist is to the Catholic Church. The cornerstone of Holy Orders,
in which men are asked to give up marriage, having families and
pursuit of worldly rewards and life styles, is the celebration of the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which at its essence is the transformation
of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
(transubstantiation). Through the laying on of hands by a legitimate
Bishop, the new priest’s soul is permanently altered with an indelible
mark that changes the character of this man, and he is uniquely
qualified to offer this Sacrifice. This priest is charged with the
absolute integrity of the Eucharist, which includes the safeguarding
of the Eucharist against those that are in public scandal or known
mortal sin (Cannon 915). It is not optional for the priest to ignore
this, and the essence of Holy Orders mandates he safeguard the
integrity of the Eucharist, even if it requires his life. Our church
has a significant number of Martyrs and Saints who laid down their
lives for the integrity of the Eucharist.

Yet people like Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Sebelius, the late Ted Kennedy,
John Kerry and others who claim to be Catholic ( they don’t know
anything about the faith) snub their noses at the Traditions and Faith
of the Catholic Church, and in essence, are telling the Bishops that
they know better about these matters than the Bishops themselves. The
Bishops, by their silence, are in agreement with these pseudo
(moronic) intellectuals and have betrayed the central Tenet of
Catholicism. Our faith teaches that one cannot present him/herself at
the table of our Lord if he/she is in mortal sin. Furthermore (Cannon
915) if it is public sin and the individual perpetuates this sin, has
been informed of the grave nature of the sin and has no intention of
repenting, he/she is to be denied Holy Communion by the Bishop,
Priest, Deacon, or Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister. PERIOD. No
discussion, no negotiation.

The whole thought process behind examination of consciousness prior to
communion, is to examine how one has been living his faith, not to
change and interpret the rules and traditions for himself. Child
killing is condemned by the Catholic Church. Participation in child
killing at any level is a mortal sin. The only examination Ms. Pelosi
and co. need to do is determine whether they have been advocates for
perpetuating legalized child killing or not. (Which she has by her own
admission). She and the others have thus disqualified themselves to
receive communion, and need to confess this sin, and then resolve to
‘sin no more’ in this manner. By going up and receiving communion in
the state of mortal sin, they have compounded the sin, and if they die
in this state, condemn themselves to hell. This is what our church
teaches. To not teach this is a betrayal not only of our Lord, but of
the person in sin, as it gives them no opportunity for reconciliation.
Ultimately, this will be on the heads of the Bishops and Priests, who
are given the divine mandate to protect the integrity of the Eucharist
and faith, but do nothing to correct them.

For the Bishops and Priests to say nothing, and ignore this is a
betrayal way worse than any therapist taking out an ad in a large
paper and revealing details of therapy sessions. It is very sad when
one of the most atheistic professions can abide by a man made code of
ethics in a unified manner outshines a divinely mandated organization
that is to present and safeguard this most precious gift to a fallen
world. When man’s laws supersede God’s, trouble is around the corner.
It is not about making people feel better, it is about teaching the
faith that God, through Jesus Christ, revealed to us regardless of how
we feel about it. If the truth is too difficult for the American
clergy to deal with, then leave ministry, and get out of the way of
those who still live by the faith and teach it with integrity.