Monthly Archives: January 2022

Regarding Some More Delicate Cases, we can take this relatively brief numbered section in its entirety. “More delicate” might also be identified as “more difficult,” and I note the pastor John Paul II feels the difficulty quite seriously. Not all will … Continue reading →

Let’s finish section 33, Celebration of the Sacrament with General Absolution: Then there is a reason of the pastoral order. While it is true that, when the conditions required by canonical discipline occur, use may be made of the third form … Continue reading →

We come to one of the most publicized developments of Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, the Celebration of the Sacrament with General Absolution. 33. The new liturgical regulation and, more recently, the Code of Canon Law (961-963) specify the conditions which make … Continue reading →

As a parish liturgist, you know I pay careful attention to paragraphs when they speak of liturgy: Attention to the actual celebration, (Cf Order of Penance, 17) with special reference to the importance of the word of God which is … Continue reading →

Earlier in the document, John Paul II wrote in detail about the categorization of sin into venial and grave. Long explanations, plus a brief consideration of a third intermediate category. Consult section 17 if needed. What about those venial sins? … Continue reading →

Often termed “Communal Penance,” form II has a fair frequency in some parishes. The third form is also communal, and in the past, there has been some unauthorized blending between the two. That said, these poor practices of liturgy reflect … Continue reading →

Pope John Paul II was a clear advocate of form I of the Rite. I also know from my reading of his life that he advocated and practiced “personalism” in his ministry. That is something that, in my own way, … Continue reading →

When Pope John Paul II writes of the Forms of Celebration in section number 32, he has his first intent on the pastoral situation. He stresses what people need, not what clergy want to do. That orientation is important to keep in … Continue reading →