Can a store sell a blessed item?

[Jocelyn]

I went into a Catholic store and asked if the items I bought were already blessed. She said,“No. Blessed items can’t be sold. You have to have them blessed after you buy them.”
I went into another Catholic store and she said all items were already blessed.
Which is correct?

 

[Brenda_V]

It is my understanding that you can not purchase an item that has been blessed -or more accurately, once there is a monitary transaction made any item that had a blessing no longer has it!

We are pretty lucky, if you will, our local Religious Goods store is owned by one of the Church Deacons so, if he is in the store when I purchase something, I can ask him to bless it - but only after I bought it

I can’t give you any sources though for this information, just my memory and what I always go by.

Brenda V.

 

[pira114]

This is strange. I’ve had the opposite experience. The store I buy things from tells you which items have been blessed when you purchase them. I’ve never heard that a monetary transaction would negate a blessing. How can that be?

 

[Siena]

You can buy a blessed item, but you are not allowed to charge more $ for the blessing. (Even if the pope himself blesses it). You are paying for the item, not the blessing.

 

[Sir_Knight]

pira114:

This is strange. I’ve had the opposite experience. The store I buy things from tells you which items have been blessed when you purchase them. I’ve never heard that a monetary transaction would negate a blessing. How can that be?

Interesting that this topic up was brought up today because earlier this morning I went to confession and this was a topic of discussion between me and my confessor and he said that the buying or selling of spiritual & blessed objects is the sin of Simony and is prohibited by #2118 of the CCC because it is a mortal sin in violation of the first commandment (reference). It goes back to Simon of Samaria who was converted by the Apostles but his conversion was false because he only wanted the “supernatural” powers of the Apostles (like healing, for example) [Cf. Acts 8:9-24]. He tried to buy these powers from them. St. Peter responded to Simon the magician: “Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!” [Acts 8:20] Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: “You received without pay, give without pay.” [Mt 10:8; cf. already Isa 55:1] It is impossible to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods and behave toward them as their owner or master, for they have their source in God. One can receive them only from him, without payment.
Brenda V.:

It is my understanding that you can not purchase an item that has been blessed -or more accurately, once there is a monitary transaction made any item that had a blessing no longer has it!

Correct.

 

[Jocelyn]

There is such a shortage of priests in my area (2 priests take care of 5 parishes and soon it will only be 1 priest) that I hate to bother them with blessing items I have bought. I know it is wrong to feel this way. They are just so busy…

I don’t like the priest shortage. That’s for another thread, I geuss!

 

[LindaS]

A blessed item cannot be sold (see post above on Simony). However, the item can be put into a box and the box sold. The money exchange is for the box, not the contents of the box. That said, I do not know of any Catholic store which would sell items that have been blessed. Jocelyn, I once had a priest bless rosaries I had bought for my CCD class. He blessed all 12 at once. Just ask the priest to bless all your items together, not separately.

Peace,
Linda

 

[puzzleannie]

Jocelyn:

There is such a shortage of priests in my area (2 priests take care of 5 parishes and soon it will only be 1 priest) that I hate to bother them with blessing items I have bought. I know it is wrong to feel this way. They are just so busy…

I don’t like the priest shortage. That’s for another thread, I geuss!

most priests or deacons will be happy to bless articles after Mass or any time they are in the parish. We also ask people to leave the items in the parish office in a marked bag, and the deacon blesses them when he comes in. Most Catholic gifts stores attached to a Church or Shrine have priests around who bless articles when asked. Remember that in the case of a rosary or medal putting it to its proper use also blesses the article.

Often we can receive inexpensive sacramentals from missionary orders as a token acknowledging a monetary donation, and these have been blessed, but the value of the item is much less than the donation, and the item is a gift, not a purchase.

A religious goods store could also stock a quantity of blessed items, and charge only for the cost of the item, but not for the blessing. A store in an area where the priest visits infrequently might do this for the convenience of its patrons. But any appearance of profiting from the blessing must be avoided.
Most stores do not do this simply to avoid the appearance of simony, since the practice can be confusing and a cause of scandal. A display of “Rosaries Blessed by the Pope” and clearly priced above their monetary value would indeed by simony.

 

[Sir_Knight]

puzzleannie:

Remember that in the case of a rosary or medal putting it to its proper use also blesses the article.

Do you have supporting documentation for that statement? I was told that we were forbidden from using Sacramentals until they are blessed.

puzzleannie:

Often we can receive inexpensive sacramentals from missionary orders as a token acknowledging a monetary donation, and these have been blessed, but the value of the item is much less than the donation, and the item is a gift, not a purchase.

Yes, in this case the donation is not required so it is more of gift than a purchase.

LindaS:

A blessed item cannot be sold (see post above on Simony). However, the item can be put into a box and the box sold. The money exchange is for the box, not the contents of the box.

No, no, no :tsktsk: That’s trying to get past this on a technicality and God knows what is in our hearts. Would you have HONESTLY purchased the box if the blessed item wasn’t inside? If the answer is “no”, then you are buying the blessed item and not the box and God knows it.

There are a number of places that sell items blessed by the Pope. They have some sort of system in place where you send them the money, they take the item aside and then get it blessed saying that it was blessed AFTER you purchased it, so therefore the blessing remains. Again, a technicality. Would you have made the initial transaction if the item wasn’t taken to be blessed? If the answer is “no”, then you are buying a blessed item no matter how you try to rationilize it.

The only way to obtain a blessed item is to have it blessed yourself by an ordained priest or have the blessed item FREELY given to you.

 

[Jocelyn]

Why would a priest bless items in a store, then?
This store I am talking about is located in a building in our area called the Christian Life Center where cursillos and other retreats are held.
I spoke to the director of the center about it being wrong to sell blessed items. She was surprised by this and said that Father so and so blessed all items.
It is so frustrating. We think we are doing the right thing, and then we find out it’s wrong.

 

[puzzleannie]

the confusion of those on in these posts is precisely the reason why it is not good for a store to sell items that are already blessed. What gift stores located in a religious facility do is just refer the purchaser to one of the priests.

It is perfecly licit for say, a group of nuns, to purchase some rosaries and medals at their motherhouse, have them blessed by a priest, and them make them available to their own visitors and be reimbursed for the cost of the item, but not the blessing. This should not be done if there is a chance of scandal or misunderstanding however.

Sir, please give a source for whoever told you that you may not use a sacramental until it has been blessed, in 56 years of Catholic practice I have never heard this.

 

[puzzleannie]

Sir Knight:

Do
No, no, no :tsktsk: That’s trying to get past this on a technicality and God knows what is in our hearts. .

precisely, God knows that there is no intent to sell blessings in the examples given, but to make sacramentals available at a nominal cost, not to make a profit. The abuse I have seen is labelling expensive merchandise, clearly at a price above its cost, as “blessed by the Pope, Padre Pio etc” which is not right, because as you point out, they would not buy it otherwise.

selling relics and blessed objects on e-bay is a clear cut out and out abuse, and no Catholic should take part in either side of such a transaction. If you do see such an advertisement on e-bay please refer it to the chancery.

 

[Sir_Knight]

puzzleannie:

precisely, God knows that there is no intent to sell blessings in the examples given, but to make sacramentals available at a nominal cost, not to make a profit.

The question is whether you would buy that item if it wasn’t blessed. If you would, then there is no problem. If you wouldn’t, then there is an issue because they are giving money for the purpose of obtaining a blessed item. Again, that’s between the person and God for no one else knows what is in their heart.

puzzleannie:

Sir, please give a source for whoever told you that you may not use a sacramental until it has been blessed, in 56 years of Catholic practice I have never heard this.

Catholic school nuns from the 1960’s.

While that may or may not be true, I also never heard that by using an sacramental, it becomes blessed when no actual blessing occurred. If that were the case, then there would be no need to have a lot of stuff blessed because as soon as a person started using it, it would become blessed.

Jocelyn:

Why would a priest bless items in a store, then?

If he blesses items before they are sold, then there is an issue.

Jocelyn:

This store I am talking about is located in a building in our area called the Christian Life Center where cursillos and other retreats are held.
I spoke to the director of the center about it being wrong to sell blessed items. She was surprised by this and said that Father so and so blessed all items.

A blessed item has to be treated with MUCH greater reverance [sp] than an unblessed item. Since the store doesn’t know how the item is going to be used, it should not automaticly bless everything to prevent a blessed item from being treated disrespectfully.

Jocelyn:

It is so frustrating. We think we are doing the right thing, and then we find out it’s wrong.

What was done at my previous parish which had a gift shop, was that people who wanted to have items blessed would buy the items before mass and leave the items in the store. Either on his way to assist with the distribution or on his way back, a priest would stop in and bless the items waiting to be blessed. After the mass, the people would pick up their blessed items.

 

[Jocelyn]

Sir Knight,
Let me make sure I have this straight.
All the items I have purchased at this store, I would have purchased any way, blessed or not.
Does the blessing for this item still stand?
I am sorry. Sometimes I am a little dense!

 

[thistle]

Jocelyn:

Sir Knight,
Let me make sure I have this straight.
All the items I have purchased at this store, I would have purchased any way, blessed or not.
Does the blessing for this item still stand?
I am sorry. Sometimes I am a little dense!

If you buy a religious item you know in advance has been blessed then you are committing a mortal sin, the sin of Simony which Sir Knight pointed out, CCC 2118 so you should not say you would have purchased them anyway blessed or not.
You would then have to go to Confession or you would not be able to receive Communion.
As for the actual blessed items you bought causing you to mortal sin, I don’t know what happens to them.

 

[BlueRain]

In the catalouge from the “Blue Army Shrine”, they are selling holy water and things like that. I was confused b/c I am pretty sure you can’t sell blessed items.

 

[JCPhoenix]

A store can sell items that are blessed, but only for the regular retal on the item. They cannot mark up for the blessing upon the object, or advertise “blessed items” for sale, or what have you.

A couple weeks ago I purchased an Advent Wreath, a particular design which celebrates the geneology of Jesus day by day. I took it to be blessed the next day, which was Sunday, and was opening the box to show Father. He actually would have blessed it, sight unseen.

Well, I learned that this was NOT the wreath I had chosen.

I had him bless it anyway because I did not know if the one I wanted was still there and I didn’t have one at all. I called the store (they are local and devout Catholics), and explained the mixup.I returned the item and exchanged it for the one I had already picked out. I also told them that I had had the wreath blessed because I didn’t know if the specila one would be in stock still. I also told them who had blessed the wreath.

Further, their store has been blessed several times, and I remember my home blessing in which the objects inside my home were blessed along with the home itself. I believe the store recieved the same blessing, so therefore all the articles in the store had a blessing.

That does not stop people from having the items blessed after purchase…that’s what most people do.

But the store cannot charge anything additional.

On the holy water issue…I’ve seen holy water vials, too, and I have to ask if this is a case where the group in question is not sellin the water but asking for reimbursemtn for the cost of the bottle/shipping (internet).

The laws on simony are pretty clear. I have a whole bunch of blessed holy cards…and I therefore cannot go and tell people “Very holy Father X. who has performed miracles (God used him for such) and is going to be a saint blessed them, so I’ll give this to you for $10.00 each.” THAT woudl be simony.

I’ll ask our priests about it…they are all very holy and VERY orthodox!

 

[coyote]

So, then, the obvious question is what difference does it make whether an object is blessed or not?

A non-Catholic is going to view this “to do” over blessing objects as Catholic superstition and voodoo.

 

[aurora77]

thistle:

If you buy a religious item you know in advance has been blessed then you are committing a mortal sin, the sin of Simony which Sir Knight pointed out, CCC 2118 so you should not say you would have purchased them anyway blessed or not.
You would then have to go to Confession or you would not be able to receive Communion.
.

Uh, what? I bought a beautiful wooden rosary last week. It had been blessed (or so they tell me). I would have bought it, blessed or not. You’re telling me I shouldn’t have gone to communion b/c I sinned?? I understand it being a sin not to try to get more for something b/c it was blessed, but just buying a blessed item is bad??

 

[thistle]

aurora77:

Uh, what? I bought a beautiful wooden rosary last week. It had been blessed (or so they tell me). I would have bought it, blessed or not. You’re telling me I shouldn’t have gone to communion b/c I sinned?? I understand it being a sin not to try to get more for something b/c it was blessed, but just buying a blessed item is bad??

First let me say that I am not comdemning you. I’m only responding to the posts. If you did not know that buying a blessed item was a mortal sin then you did not commit a mortal sin. If anyone knows that buying a blessed item is a mortal sin and they know the item they are buying has been blessed then it is a mortal sin they have committed. There is nothing in the CCC that says its okay depending on how much you pay. You are not allowed to do it at all. That’s why I find it very surprising that you have a store that sells blessed itmes.
CCC 2118 states “God’s first Commandment condemns the main sins of irreligion: tempting God, in words or deeds, sacrilige and simony”.