I was appalled to read Fr Mario Attard’s article entitled ‘Reaching the unredeemables’ (The Sunday Times, September 9).
To state that some people are unredeemable is totally non-Christian. In St Mark’s Gospel 10:45, we are told Jesus said: “The Son of Man came . . . to give his life a ransom for many.” St Paul wrote in his letter to Titus, 2:14: “He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity.”
Fr Attard then lists certain people, such as divorcees and homosexuals who cannot be redeemed.
Throughout the Bible one sin is stated to be unforgivable. In St Matthew’s Gospel 12:31, Jesus says: “Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
If we set this verse in its context, we see that Jesus is, in fact, speaking to the religious leaders who have come from Jerusalem and claim that he is demon-possessed. This means they have closed their hearts and minds to anything that the Spirit, through Jesus, says or does. This makes forgiveness impossible. It is not that God is unwilling to forgive; it is that these people are unwilling to accept his forgiveness.
I was delighted to read that Fr Attard and the two Popes to whom he refers make the point that ‘sinners’ should be loved by the Church but am saddened that the “German Pontiff”’ states they “cannot receive absolution and the Eucharist”. This amounts to only partial redemption.
In St Luke’s Gospel 5:20-24, we have the account of the time when Jesus said to the paralysed man lowered through a roof by his friends: “Your sins are forgiven”.
The religious leaders immediately question this by asking: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” He then went on to say: “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
In St John’s first letter 1: 9, we are told: “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Paul’s letter to the Colossians 2:13 tells us: “God forgave us all our trespasses.” These passages tell us that God forgives completely. Therefore, I would suggest that absolution by a priest is unnecessary.
The Church of Rome bases its teaching on the Gospel of St John 20:22-23, which, I believe, they have misinterpreted. In verse 23 Jesus says to the disciples: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.”
However, nowhere in this passage or indeed in the Bible does it even hint that this authority will be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Forgiveness is a divine prerogative.
To deny any person the Eucharist or Holy Communion is totally against the words of Jesus.
May I humbly suggest that Fr Attard, and anybody else who has read this far, prayerfully considers the ‘four all’ of the Methodist Church: all need to be saved; all can be saved; all can know that they are saved; all can be saved to the uttermost.
There is nothing ‘partial’ in this.