A Conversation Over Coffee
A short play by Meditation Journals.com
Characters
Catherine – A thoughtful Catholic; calm, warm-hearted, and well-informed.
Thomas – Her long-time friend from college days. Once a Catholic, he has lapsed from his faith for several years. Confident but good-natured, he has recently begun attending an Evangelical (Pentecostal) church.
Setting: A quiet coffee shop, late morning. They sit at a small table with steaming cups before them.
CATHERINE:
I heard on the grapevine that you’ve been attending a Pentecostal church for a while now.
THOMAS:
Well, Catherine, to tell the truth, I’m quite impressed with what I’m learning there. Their beliefs are centred on Scripture. The Catholics have got it all wrong, you know.
CATHERINE:
Oh? Tell me more.
THOMAS:
For instance, something new I learned is that once we are saved, we are always saved. Jesus died once and for all.
CATHERINE:
I don’t understand. How is that different from Catholic teaching? How have Catholics got it wrong in this belief?
THOMAS:
All this business of going to confession. Jesus never said people had to go to confession.
CATHERINE:
What on earth are you talking about, Thomas? Of course He did! Didn’t He say to His apostles: “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained”?
THOMAS:
Well, Catherine, I don’t have the exact Scripture reference. I don’t remember where in the Bible Jesus said that.
CATHERINE:
Well, I do. Hold on—I have a little notebook where I keep Bible references.
She reaches into her bag, brings out a notebook, flicks through it, and settles on a page.
CATHERINE (reading):
“Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them: Peace be to you.
And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord.
He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you.
When He had said this, He breathed on them and said: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
(John 20:19–23)
CATHERINE (continuing):
Now, Thomas, this is so important—and not to be trifled with. Jesus says: “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you.” He was passing His mission on to them.
Think about what happens next: “He breathed on them.” Something profound is happening here, Thomas. He has just finished suffering and dying for them. Now He breathes on them and says: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
THOMAS:
But Jesus was talking to His disciples. What has that to do with modern priests?
CATHERINE:
Thomas were you never taught the “Four Marks of the Church”.
THOMAS:
I’ve never heard of that. What is it?
CATHERINE:
The four marks of. the church are: that she is One; Holy; Catholic and Apostolic. Aprostolic means when Jesus commissioned His twelve apostles He gave them the authority to preach, baptise and forgive sins. They passed on those dogmatic teaching in an unbroken line from the apostles until today.
Look here I have a list of them in my notebook.
2 Timothy chapter 2 v 2 “What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”
Here’s another Thomas: John 14 v 12: Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.
THOMAS:
I must say Catherine you certainly know the Catholic faith. But do you really think Jesus passed on the power to forgive sins?
CATHERINE:
Well, in John 14:12, Jesus says to His disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do.” Do you believe that verse of Scripture?
THOMAS:
But forgiving sins, Catherine? Surely only God can forgive sins.
CATHERINE:
The Holy Ghost is God—the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. You must remember that from your religion classes, Thomas. Jesus breathed the Holy Ghost upon them.
One of the popular songs among Evangelicals is “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me, fill me, use me.” So there is a belief there that the Holy Spirit fills us with grace and uses men and women to carry out the will of God.
Evangelical Protestants often testify that when a Christian heals another, he does it not of himself but by the grace of God working through him. It’s the same with the priest forgiving sins. He facilitates our reconciliation by listening to our confession and, in the person of Jesus Christ and through the Holy Ghost, restores us to union with the Father.
THOMAS:
All right, Catherine. I never considered any of this before. I’ll admit—it bears thinking about. I’ll bring up these Scripture verses at church next Sunday.
CATHERINE:
Do, Thomas, do! Just remember that one of the greatest parts of Jesus’ ministry was the forgiveness of sins. Isn’t it interesting, Thomas, that the Pharisees condemned Jesus for saying to sinners, “Your sins are forgiven you”?
They railed against Him, saying He was only a man and could not forgive sins—that only God could forgive sins. That’s very much like the Protestants of today: they point at priests and say, “You are only a man—you cannot forgive sins.” But Jesus passed on His mission to them.
And should your Protestant friends say, “Oh, Jesus meant that we should confess to each other,” I want you, Thomas, to look at the person beside you and imagine telling your deepest sins to them. How would that work out? What could possibly go wrong!
Catherine begins laughing first, and as Thomas imagines the scene, he joins her in genuine mirth.
[Curtain]