'Father, forgive me' - The Biblical Basis for the Sacrament of 'Confession' at the Benedictine Monastery

The cult of 'emotionalism' and the protestantization of the Church in the west has blinded us from the power of God's Grace given through His Church. How frequently we forget the great power of the sacraments, the visible and outward sign of God's invisible and inward Grace. Penance is one of these sacraments. The fact is that the priestly forgiveness of sins is a far great miracle than even raising the dead because it restores our sanctifying grace and can restore us into communion with the Church saving us from eternal hellfire! Here is a link of a lecture I had the honor of doing recently at the Benedictine Monastery in Wailua on the island of Oahu on the Biblical basis of Confession.

Click Here to Download the Mp3

* In Summary it says that we must confess our sins to God (1 Jn 1:9). We are to confess to 'one another' in the presence of the presbyters (priests)(Jas 5:16). The OT prepares us for the process of confessing to priests (Lev 5:5-6). We see that Christ has the authority to forgive sins (Mt 9:6-8), gives the authority to his disciples (John 17:18, John 20:21-23) who now are ambassadors for this ministry of forgiveness (2 Cor 5:18 -21)* Listen to the Bible study on the biblical basis for the sacrament of Confession.

image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. St. Benedict, From a fresco by Fra Angelico

Mary Most Holy: 'Potuit, decuit, ergo fecit!'

This audio lecture was recorded at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ewa Beach as part of the 'Ongoing Formation' program from the Diocese of Honolulu. The lecture was titled 'Mary Most Holy'.

The depth of this Tradition teaches us not only about the wondrous role that Mary plays in salvation history but also reveals to us the amazing love that Jesus had for his mother. This undoubtedly teaches powerful truths about Jesus and gives us insight into the mystery of his Divinity, the Incarnation, and the Trinity. To learn about His mother is to learn about Him.

 Blessed Johannes Duns Scotus, O.F.M, most known for his beautiful defense of Mary's Immaculate Conception, quoted St. Anselm when he exclaimed "Potuit, decuit, ergo fecit" Which means that Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin because God "Could do it, it was appropriate, therefore He did it!" In this class we covered the 4 defined Marian Dogma and see that Mary, as the Mother of God, was preserved from original sin, was perpetually virgin, and was assumed body and soul into heaven where she sits as the Queen of Heaven.


Click Here for the Printed Class Material
image from the 'Public domain' via wikimedia commons. L' Annonciation, 1644, peinture de Philippe de Champaigne

Restless Heart (St. Augustine of Hippo)

I am looking forward to this movie. The Diocesan Young Adult Office is working on getting this movie screened here on Oahu. I am particularly excited that certain parts of St. Ambroseʻs life (my Patron Saint) are highlighted as well!

His Excellency Larry Silva at Iolani Palace (2009)

This video is from quite some time ago but I enjoyed watching our Bishop speak about St. Damien at Iolani Palace. St. Damien is the not only the Patron of Hawaii but the Patron of the Hawaiian people. He spoke the language, knew the culture, and loved the people.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)