I’ve been meaning to ask this for sometime, I actually sort of asked this before, namely; what happens if the bishops instate vaccine mandates (which seems to be happening) to attend Mass, and then lift any remaining dispensations to the Sunday Obligation, so that you have to attend Mass under the pain of mortal sin? When I asked that before I was told that God in His infinite mercy wouldn’t allow something like that to happen; I want to believe that that is true, (and so far for my diocese that seems to be true, the dispensation for the Sunday Obligation in my diocese has never been lifted) but will it be? I have heard some people say that in the near future, the Church is going to have go underground, that we’ll have to attend Masses secretly in order receive the Sacraments without getting the gene-mutilating injection. Do you think that that is in fact where we are headed? If so, what about those who can’t make connections with the underground Church, (I’m worried, Lord please forbid!; that I might fall into that group) what do they do? Specifically, what authority would the bishops’ lifting of the dispensation have on those people; do they have to attend Mass under the pain of mortal sin, and thus take the mRNA injection? (You know it’s funny, back in my teens when I was a deist, I always feared so-called gene “therapy,” and viewed it with great suspicion and unease; more and more over these past few years, I really appreciate the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of the body and prohibition of mutilation. I really do not want to get this mRNA injection, I really hope and pray that I never end-up held down and forced-vaccinated, or put in a scenario like this.)
Well, even Bishops cannot force you to do something that is against God's law or basic morality. A law that promotes evil doesn't have value of law. “That which is not just seems to be no law at all”- St. Augustine says (De Libero Arbitrio i, 5) If you try to attend Mass, but get thrown out because you don't have the vaccine, you do not commit any sin at all. And in any case you would need full consent, in order to commit a mortal sin by not attending Mass. The question of "how to receive the eucharist in such a scenario" remains though. I'd say secret Masses,or maybe itinerant priests traveling in secret from places to places to give the sacrements, would be the logical solution...
I really do not see how a Bishop can compel his flock to receive a shot against their judgement in spite of his authority. HH nailed it;
A bit of Church history on receiving Communion. A bit of a read but pertains to this thread well I think. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06278a.htm
Yes, I’m preparing for it, like I said, here in my diocese, the dispensation has not been lifted yet; the passport system won’t be established until September 13th, (the 13th) I really hope and pray I’m ready by then.
The dispensation for us here in the Archdiocese of Vancouver was lifted on July 17th. The passport program is tentatively scheduled to end January 31, 2022", but I'm not confident that will be the case.
On. 569 of the Coronavirus thread, BrianK posted a link to join a Fatima Confraternity and receive a printed exemption from Bishop Schneider from the shots. My husband and I signed up.
