The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-10-16
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with the apostles. AS we read: He
(Simon) offered them 1.-THE apostles)
money, saying: Gives me also this
power, that on whomsoever shall lay
hands he may receive the Holy
Ghost" IActs VIII 1919. Peters
reply was prompt and to the point:
Keep thy money to myself to perish
with, because thou hast thought that
the gift Of God may be purchased with
money" (Vol. 20). t..
To come to the main point. 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 Tin kind or in money! of
one thing for another as being its
equivalents lacking to the trans
action. This is an essential feature
in every commercial bargain. But is
there no bargain or contract at all
between the laymen and the celebrant
of the Mass? Certainly there is. But
here we must discriminate between
different kinds of bargains or con-
tracts. The sale contract is express
ed technically by the phrase; do ut
des'-i. e., l give you something you
want that you may give me in ex-
change an equivalent which / want.
Here evidently there is a comparison
instituted between the value of the
two things interchanged. In the case
of Mass offerings there, is none. To
show that this is SO, your attention
is directed to another theological
point concerning stipends. Catholic
theology teaches that the priest
accepting the offering is bound by
contract, and as 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 neglect of the Mass a
grievous sin merely from the point
of view of the Seventh Commandment
(Prot s.. So the gravity of the
priests neglect consists in his depriv.
ing the laymen of such an immense
spiritual boon as Holy Mass is, and
not in Incorporating the money,
though that, of course, is sin also,
and In certain circumstances might
be a grievous one. Clearly, then,
there is no comparison instituted in
the mind of Catholic between the
value of the money he offers and that
of the spiritual service done him.
The physician has his fees. But
the life which he may preserve to
me is not bought with them. There
is no comparison between the restora-
ton to health and occupation and the
few guineas l pay him. Health and
power to work may mean thousands to
me. Here, again, what am paying for
is support of the doctor whose train-
ing may have been costly, and whose
attention to patients closes to him
for the most part many other open
ings for making money and gaining
g. livelihood.
Similarly, the priest claims support.
His claims are even stronger. Besides
being debarred from commerce and
many other ways of self-maintenance
of his sacred character and occupa.
tions, he is, moreover, expressly for
hidden by ecclesiastical law to engage
in strictly mercantile transactions,
even if he have the time and opportun-
ity.
Moreover, his duties involve great
fatigue, loss of health, too, not fire.
quently and he is bound, at the risk
of his own life if necessary, to minis.
ter the rites of the Church to the dy-
to a death bed at any hour of the day
or night, no matter what the fatigue
or inconvenience. And he has no
carriage and commonly no horses, nor
motors, even if he can afford and ride
bicycle.
Then, surely, ''the laborer is worthy
his hire" So says our Lord-He
Who is the type par excellence of
absolutely disinterested zeal, labor and
suffering for the souls of men. 1t is
His ordinance as st. Paul tells us
e., tx: 14) that they who preach the
Gospel should live by the Gospel
When, therefore, a Catholic gives a
few shillings for having Mass said,
he is sane enough not to fancy he is
buying a Mass" He merely takes
this occasion-one he is by Church
law bound to take-for contributing
to the support of his pastor, so that
while the latter devotes 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 sign of bar
gaining 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, according to the means OF
the people and the dearness or cheap
ness of living for the priest. As these
varying conditions cannot alter the
value of the Mass, we have here q
further proof that the money is given
as an aims or Offering for the mainte
nance of the priest, and not as an
equivalent for the. spiritual goods
received. And what has been said Of
Mass offerings applies equally to ever
other kind of priestly stipend.
The use of Mass offerings dates
back probably no further than this
eighth century, if so far. In the prim
tive Church when the clergy lives
in common-it was the custom for the
faithful attending Mass to bring with
them supplies of various kinds and
/ money for the srnnnrt of the minis