The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-01-28
ANOTHER LARGE
AUDIENCE HEARS
MISSION SERMON
REV. MecRATHs SUBJECT
WAS "cAN PRIESTS FOR
GIVE sINS?"; TONIGHT "THE
PEERLESS WOMAN"

ened attentively for an hour last
evening to the Rev. Thomas j. S.
McGrath, S. j., speaking at st.
Mary's Catholic church on "Can
Priests Forgive Sins?"
Beginning by telling his listen
ers that every one, regardless of
religious denomination, was most
welcome to his lecture, the visiting
priest stated that Catholics an
swered in the affirmative to the
question "Can Priests Forgive
Sins?" MANY, of course, who are
not Catholics, deny that priests can
forgive sins against God. But we
are not surprised at this denial.
When Jesus Christ himself cured
the man sick of the palsy he said
to him man, thy sins are forgiven
thee. And Immediately the objec-
ton was raised by the Scribes and
Pharisees: who is this who speak
eth blasphemies? Who can for
give sins, but God alone?' Con-
since the objection was
made to Christ Himself, who can
forgive sins but God alone?', it is
not surprising that the same objec-
ton is offered today in regard to
priests.
"Of course no one but God alone
can forgive in his own name and
by his own authority. But one who
has been delegated and given the
power can, in the name of Christ
and in virtue of power and auth
ority left by Christ, forgive
sins as Christ's agent and ambas-
sador.
"Did Christ leave such power
with His church? If we are to be-
lieve the Bible he certainly did.
We read in the Bible, in the Gospel
according to st. John, chapter 20
and verse 20 the words of Christ
to His Apostles: Whose sins you
shall fogive, they are forgiven
them; and whose sins you shall re-
tain they are retained. The King
James version, although differing
slightly in the words, contains the
same identical thought. It reads:
Whose soever sins We remit they
are RENTED unto them; and whose
soever sins We retain, they are re-
tanned.
Reading that passage of the
Bible and interpreting it for my
self, I get out of the passage that
Christ did leave this power with
His Apostles. And ] do not see
any more reason for making the
forgiveness of sins a special gift
of the Apostles alone than the
command he gave to them 'Baptiz-
ing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost.
"And if I read that same pas
sage of st. John and ask the
Church to interpret it for me, she
in the words of the Coun-
Gil of Trent that by those words
Christ left with his apostles and
their successors the power of for
giving sins committed after bap-
tism. Hence, whether l read the
Bible for myself and interpret it
for myself, or ask the Church to
interpret the words for me, / am
sure that the meaning is that
Christ gave the Apostles and.
through them, to their successors,
the power of forgiving SINS"
This evening at 7:30 Father
will take as his subject:
''The Peerless Woman"
Sunday morning at 10 o'clock
he will explain the chief form of
Divine worship in the Catholic
church, known as the "Mass." This
win be given while
Mass is being said by another
priest.
Sunday night at 1880 the eight
day series of doctrinal lectures
vii be brought to q close with
solemn and impressive ceremonies,
to which the general public is
cordially invited,