Council Day 4–Canon on the Lapsed

I am quite pleased with the part of the Creed that refers to the Holy Spirit and am glad that it seemed not to cause much conflict among the Council. I am especially pleased with the inclusion of the belief in “One Catholic Church of God, established throughout the earth.” I believe that this statement speaks to the unity of the Church that we are all striving toward and am glad that it was deemed important enough to put into the Creed.

On the matter of the first canon, regarding the lapsed Christians, I held no strong opinion. For the first vote I was swayed by the side that preached forgiveness without penalty, as this would be a mirroring of the way in which God accepted all of us into His kingdom in the first place. I certainly agree that our God holds an unthinkable amount of grace.

However, the reason my opinion was swayed by the second vote was due to the fact that our God is also a just God and doles out consequence where it is due.  Although this did not fully change my opinion, I did want to pursue unity in the Council by changing my vote and allowing the issue to be decided upon so that we could move forward. I, then, was greatly pleased by the fact that the consequence decided upon was simply a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. This can re-affirm in the hearts of the lapsed their devotion, as well as be something of “proof” of the devotion of the lapsed to those wishing to keep the Church “pure.”