The Irish standard., 1906-06-09
A REAL CONTRACT
Why Stipends Are Given For
Celebrating Mass.
No Buying or Selling---Theory
Of Church Support.

OF Cnufcn support.
Do Catholics buy the mass when they
give money to the priest for saying one
in their behalf: The very essence of
buying and selling-which lies in the
exchange Gin kind or in money! of one
thing for another as being it's equival-
ent-is lacking to the transaction. This
is an essential feature in every COM
r:ercal bargain But is there no bar
gain or contract at all between the
layman and the celebrant of the mass?
Certainly there is, But here we must
discriminate between different kinds of
bargains or contracts. The sale con-
tract Is expressed technically by the
phrase do ut deS"-i.e., | give you
something you want that you may give
me in exchange an equivalent which
| want. Here evidently there Is
comparison instituted between the wall
ue Of the two things interchanged. In
the case of mass offerings there is
none.
A Contract.
TO show that this is so, let me call
attention to another theological point
concerning stipends. Catholic theology
teaches that the priest accepting the
offering is bound by contract. and as
Il matter of Justice. to do his part
under pain of mortal sin. Now, it will
often happen that the amount offered
is not large enough to make the ne
elect Ofsthe mass a grievOuS sin merely
from the point of view Of the Seventh
Commandment. prot. 6th). Hence
the gravity Of the priests neglect con-
sists in his depriving the layman Of
such an immense spiritual boon as
Holy Mass is, and not in misappropri-
ating the money, though that, of course
is d sin also. and in certain circum-
stances might be IL grievous one.
Clearly. then. there is no comparison
instituted in the mind of Il Catholic
between the value of the money he
offers and that of the spiritual service
done him.
Professional Fees.
The physician has his fees. But the
life which he may preserve to me is
not bought with them. There is no
comparison between my restoration to
health and occupation and the few
guineas l pay him. Health and pow
er to work may mean thousands to me.
Here. again, what | am paying for is
the support of the doctor, whose train
ing may have been costly. and whose
the most part many other openings for
making money and gaining Il liveli-
hood.
Similarly, the priest claims support.
His claims are even stronger. Besides
being debarred from commerce and
many other ways of self-maintenance
tons. he is, moreover. expressly forbid
den by ecclesiastical law to engage i'm
strictly mercantile transactions, even
If he have the time and opportunity.
Moreover. his duties involve great
fatigue. loss of health. too. not infre-
uuently. and he is bound. at the risk of
his own life. If necessary. to minister
the rites of the Church to the dying and
to attend Il bona fide sick call to a
deathbed at any hour of the day or
night no matter what the fatigue or
Inconvenience. And he has no car
riage and commonly no horses nor mo-
tors, even If he can afford and ride Il
bicycle.
No Buying.
Then, surely, 1.-The laborer is worthy
his hire So says our Lord-He who
is the type par excellence of absolutely
dlsinterested zeal. labor and suffering
for the souls of men. 1t is His ordi-
nance. as st. Paul tells us (I. tx 1D.
that they who preach the Gospel should
live by the Gospel. When, therefore. a
Catholic gives /, few shilling for having
Il mass said. he is sane enough mot to
fancy he Is buying Il mass" He mere
ly takes this occasion--one he is by
Church law bound to take-for contrib
uting to the support Of his pastor, so
that while the latter dcvotes his time,
energies and health to the spiritual
welfare of his flock. he may not lack
the temporal means of life. The priest
himself shows no signs of bargaining
in the matter. He would sin if he did.
The extent of the fee itself is not left
to his discretion: it is fixed by his
Bishop. And here. again the fee varies
in different places and countries. ac-
cOrding to the means of the people and
the dearness or cheapness of living for
the priest AS these varying conditions
cannot alter the value of the mass, We
have here further proof that the
money is given as an aims or Offering
for the maintenance of the priest. ant
not as an equivalent for the spirtua
goods received. And what has beer