1. The stages of the spiritual life as shown in the liturgy.
In one Liturgical Year the whole plan of salvation is explained by Holy Mother the Church to her Faithful. This plan is explained according to the different Gospels in three Liturgical Year namely A, B and C. The Plan of salvation is explained to the people, first in its entirety. Then, at the same time tells the people in what stage of the development of the spiritual life they are.
This way, the faithful attending the Liturgy on Sunday Mass can know if they are about to graduate of not. This is the Liturgy’s way of helping people know it they are ready to die a holy death or not.
2. On Maundy Thursday, the Apostle reached this advanced stage in their spiritual development as shown the Liturgy of Maundy Thursday.
First, they have finished the first step wherein they have developed a contrite heart. This is through the life of Repentance taught during Advent. Secondly, they have finished the second step wherein they have developed a broken spirit. This is a continuation of the life of repentance and it leads them into the realm of supernatural Faith and step by step through the Beatitude. The broken spirit is the first Beatitude.
Then we find the apostles ‘clean’ except in their feet, thus the washing of the feet. The contrite heart and broken spirit have cleansed the apostles in their whole bodies. Only their feet had remained dirty because their lives were still in some way in contact with the world. Their rare contact with the world have made them clean in head and body but dirty in the feet. So there was a need to wash their feet; this is done by living a community life. Community life refines the cleansing of the apostles. Except Judas who remained dirty in his entire body because he was not able to develop a contrite heart, a broken spirit and clean feet.
Having undergone the three important steps expanding the spirituality of Advent, Lent and Holy Week……the apostles were now ready to attend Mass. This was the only time they were ready to hear Mass. And in the early Christian times, all Catholics were not allowed to hear Mass unless they reached these three levels of spirituality. Now, add to it the fourth step which is attending Mass where great benefits are received if the earlier three predispositions are accomplished.
3. Having gone through the four steps in the development of the spiritual life; namely, having a contrite heart, having a broken spirit, cleansing of one’s feet, and benefiting from attending Mass…..Christ give them a new power; ‘Receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive men’s sins they are forgiven.’ The Gospel is very clear. That the power to forgive sins was given to the apostles, only, after they have finished the four steps in the development of the spiritual life. And that because Judas was not able to reach that height of spirituality he was excluded and was never given the power to forgive men’s sins.
4.The question.
Even as early as the 10th century the training in the seminary was so bad that most seminarians have not reached the first stage in the spiritual life which is a contrite heart. This was clearly seen by Pope Benedict in the year 2012 when he saw that the Bishops in the Synod did not even know anything about how to have a contrite heart, though they have heard the words. And today, under the Papacy of Pope Francis, no one have heard how to have a contrite heart, i.e. the virtue of Penance explained….which is only the first step.
If they have not reached the first step of the spiritual life as portrayed in the Liturgy of Advent there is no way they can proceed to the second, third and fourth step. And since most priest, and even all of them, have not reached the fourth step, they will not be granted by God the power to forgive sins because they are absolutely unprepared to dispense this power. If one follows the steps of the syllogism we have to agree to the conclusion; that there is a great probability that due to a lack of proper spiritual formation most priest do not have the power to forgive sins.
This power to forgive sins come from Christ who blew at them saying; ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ The power to forgive sins does not come from the bishop nor from the Pope. Since it can come only from Christ, then the bishop and the Pope cannot give that power.
5. This power from the Holy Spirit was to enable the penitent soul to be able to advance in the spiritual life and love their neighbors. This was in preparation for them to go one step higher, and that is to be able to love God. The Gospel, again is very clear about this; that the power to love one’s neighbor comes from the Holy Spirit given by Christ to the apostles while He was still on earth. And the power to love God will come, also, from the Holy Spirit. But sent by Christ from heaven.
It is important for us to see the sequence in the development of the spiritual life and what powers are received as one progresses. Which means, if a soul does not reach certain steps in the spiritual life he cannot receive the corresponding powers that come with that particular step.
6. The defect.
The defect is that today we think we can give the powers to forgive sin to anybody without the proper spiritual development. The Liturgy and the Gospels shows this is impossible. No spirituality, no powers.
And so we have reached what St. Augustine feared during his time. That because priest do not reach the required level of spirituality they do not receive the power to forgive sins. And the laymen, when going to confession, would have the wrong idea that their sins are forgiven when in truth they are not forgiven because the priest absolving have not reached the required level of spiritual life.
Because of this the world have become ‘the walking dead.’ People are walking around but they are spiritually dead because their sins are not forgiven. Why? because the priests they went to did not have the power to forgive sins due to lack of proper spirituality.
This is clearly the lesson of the Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter. Another interpretation cannot be found anywhere else in the Gospels.