Another objection I am getting...the money!

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gracelife

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Yet, another objection I am getting from someone. I can handle many objections, but have received a few lately that just want me to shrugg my shoulders and say, I don’t know. Still, I want to be able to give a decent answer.

“I could never be Catholic. Look at all the money they have. Do you really think Jesus would have his apostles living in a Palace (ie. Vatican?) I mean, what about all the poor people that could use that money. They should sell all that stuff and give the money to the poor.”

Help!
 
Ask them if they expect their “church” to sell it’s building? What about their “main offices”, should they sell those to? These denominations need a place to conduct business for helping the poor, a place for their pastor to live and do his work, etc. Maybe they should sell all their property that they are going to build a brand new state of the art church on, with thousands of $ invested into mega sound and video equipment and give all that to the poor!

All of the art in the Vatican was given to the church by families who owned the stuff. It went there for safe keeping in some instances. All was donated. It is kept there for all the world to appreciate - like a museum. Can we help if people wanted to give the stuff to the church.

The Church has helped more people in the history of world since the fall of the Roman Empire - they essentially saved civilization! They have built more hospitals, schools, universites, roads, water systems, feed more people, housed more people, medicated more people, etc. than any other organization in the world. Today the Vatican, for the last 4 years has operated in the RED!

Each parish, like their church operates off of the donations of the parishoners. Whenever something new has to be built or a new air conditioning system has to be purchased, we go to the parishoners for donations - just like they do. Should we sell our buildings just to make them feel like the Catholic Church is worthy! I THINK NOT!!!

When their “church” has done as much for humanity as the Catholic Church has done - then they can complain!
 
“By the way, I can also mention that the Vatican’s art treasures are not assets that the Vatican can sell or borrow against. According to John L. Allen Jr., Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, such treasures are considered part of the patrimony of mankind entrusted to the Vatican’s stewardship and their upkeep costs the Vatican a great deal of money. They are valued in the Vatican’s records at one euro each. For a helpful resource on the inner workings of the Vatican, see the recommendation linked below.”

Source : forum.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=43025&
 
There are multiple reasons why they could not and would not sell these things.

The Church does not consider themselves owners of the art and real estate. They are caretakers. They value most of their holding at $1.

If they did sell their holdings private owners they could not be enjoyed by the public.

Before the advent of the printing press, television and the internet, art and architecture were used to convey Church history. They were and are important tools in maintaining the consistency of Church teachings.

There is no organization which has done more for the poor throughout history than the RCC but they are also responsible for maintaining the veracity of history and teaching truth. Sometimes the teaching has to take more precedence than their work for the poor.
 
If I’m not mistaken, the Church, or at least the Vatican City State, is operating in the red these days anyway.
 
gracelife said:
“I could never be Catholic. Look at all the money they have. Do you really think Jesus would have his apostles living in a Palace (ie. Vatican?) I mean, what about all the poor people that could use that money. They should sell all that stuff and give the money to the poor.”
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Sounds a lot like Judas Iscariot berating Jesus for the woman “wasting” all that oil anointing his head and feet.

Try this: “You know, you might be onto something there. Maybe Christians do have too much stuff. Why don’t you lead by example and sell all your stuff and give the money to the poor? Be a leader!”

– Mark L. Chance.
 
(1) God ordered the Israelites to make all their liturgical stuff out of gold and fine fabrics. This was a relative fortune.
(2) The Jewish Temple. There is no criticism by Jesus or the NT writers of the wealth incorporated in the Temple.
(3) “they should give that money to poor” The Catholic Church already gives more money and effort to help the poor than anyone, period. If they sold everything it would hardly make a dent and then the poor would still be with us (and will always be with us, according the Jesus.)
(4) People don’t understand the depth of Catholic worship. We worship the Lord not only with our hearts and voices but with our bodies (kneeling, sign of the cross, genuflecting) and the work of our hands (art and architecture). Saint Peter’s is work of worship.
(5) The pope and the Vatican are not wealthy. From what I understand they have a very tight budget.
(6) For most of Christian history the majority of people were illiterate and art played a major role in teaching Biblical stories and encouraging faith. The old saying was, “Art is the scripture of the masses.” (It still is. Except now the art is film, television and music and the masses are not Christian.)

And tell him that if he became a Catholic, he wouldn’t *have *to live in a palace. He could go without shoes and eat slop like St. Francis. 🙂
 
First:
Ask to see his checkbook and his credit card statements. The belief that person/hierarchy/organization Y should be doing action X that I myself do not do is rediculous. It is especially rediculous if one is a middleclass American.

Second:
The responsibility of the clergy is to minister to the needs of the flock. The responsibility of the flock is to minister to the needs of the world. Therefore any assigned “blame” for poverty in the world rests solely on the shoulders of me, you, and this gentleman. I assure you that nobody needs the Vatican’s (largely ethereal) coffers to fund relief efforts.

Third:
God, the Faith, The Church should make you feel small. You should be daunted by the weight of glory. The grandeur of the temples of our God testifies to the magnitude of what we are dealing with as Christians. We are not dealing with happy thoughts and fraternal clubs; We are dealing with the blood of our Risen Lord, who is True God and True man. We are dealing with the blood of the countless martyrs who gave their lives so that the truth might not be trampled, the fire extinguished. The Faith, the Liturgy, the Temple, each stone that makes up the church of Christ has been sanctified by blood. We should be mindful of this and tremble.

Seriously. If you reject all the immensity and treasure of the Church, the things that are larger than yourself, how will you not also reject God, who is infinitely greater than yourself? If you never recognize your smallness, you will never learn humility. If you never learn humilty, you will never know God. The grandeur of the church entire is a lesson in humility individual.

It is a most important lesson. 🙂
 
The money argument. A classic, but easily refuted. Quote this Bible verse and see what the anti-Catholic bigots have to say:
3
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Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said: 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6 Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein. 7 Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always. (John 12:3-8)
drbo.org/chapter/50012.htm

Remind the anti-Catholic bigots that it was Judas Iscariot who had the same problem with money given for the greater glory of God. Remind them when they criticize the Church for having money, they are following in the footsteps of the man who betrayed Christ. Remind them they are acting just as Judas acted 2,000 years ago.
 
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gracelife:
Yet, another objection I am getting from someone. I can handle many objections, but have received a few lately that just want me to shrugg my shoulders and say, I don’t know. Still, I want to be able to give a decent answer.

“I could never be Catholic. Look at all the money they have. Do you really think Jesus would have his apostles living in a Palace (ie. Vatican?) I mean, what about all the poor people that could use that money. They should sell all that stuff and give the money to the poor.”

Help!
Click to expand...
One BIG rule of Selling is this:“Sir, IF I could resolve this particular matter to your satisfaction, would you then agree to BUY, now?”
In other words, find out what the STOPPING objection is. If you don’t nail that down, you end up on a merry-go-round.
What you really want to know what resolution, in particular, would give them the “green light” to accept the Faith.
If they say many, then have them list them ALL up front.
Start from the top, and resolve each one.

However, the objection you list is resolved in the Bible.
Judas, Jesus, and Mary Magdelan got into that one.

Do you really think that the world (Poland’s Communist Party in 1985, for example) would take a pope running in and out of a cave, seriously.

Besides, if this person has ANYTHING of value, which is in excess of bare necessity for life, then they are a hypocrite.
 
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