Collection plate

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

Money is the tangible material shape of the moral principle that people who wish to deal with each other must trade value for value and exchange the best within themselves. It is made possible only by those who produce. This is the moral principle behind money. Christ observed it as a carpenter. That is what you say has not moral meaning to you. Sad.

Jesus also had to go to the bathroom outside. One could argue that no matter the ability to flush there’s a “moral value” in not defecating in your house.

He likely mostly worked for barter, too.

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

Hold on hold on. To those who keep saying giving money to the church ‘is’ and obligation, what if somebody would if they could but doesn’t feel financially well off enough to do so? Should they not attend church until they are rich enough to make a donation during the collection?

Not having money does not change the Sunday obligation.

Not having any money to give is different.

That said, I do believe that there are very few today who cannot give a dime–or even a quarter–a week. If that is even too much find some pennies that have been dropped and give them as a symbolic gesture.

You are also under no obligation to give weekly. If you do not want to give to the collection, save your spare change in a jar and then when the jar is full use a Coinstar to get cash or gift cards and donate them.

My husband and I give (electronically) weekly but make bigger donations for retired priests, building maintenance and All Souls day because those have meaning to us. We could average that and give it each week but we choose to give less each week and then give other lump sums.

Back in the day when I was first on my own I had no more than $8 in my bank account for several weeks at a time. Even $1 was too much to give. I volunteered what I could and then when I was in a better place I gave a bit more than what I’d set as “fair”.

 

[Joe_5859]

Doing it during mass could, note could, give the impression of paying for mass, by extension salvation.

I don’t know. I’m sure there might be someone out there who would think such a thing. But I have seen and heard a lot of criticisms and misconceptions and accusations about the Church over the years, and I have never heard someone who legitimately thought the collection was a means of buying salvation for Catholics. I don’t think reasonable people would ever jump to that conclusion.

 

[Polak]

That said, I do believe that there are very few today who cannot give a dime–or even a quarter–a week.

That’s true. I’m sure most people can give and if you can only give a little, it’s still good of you to give something. I’m sure people are not checking to see how much you put in the plate/basket. I just find it weird, this idea that you have to pay while you are in the middle of a service.

I have, in the past, been asked by people of other religions, if it is true that they collect money from you when you go to church? The questions has been asked with a surprised expression, at the idea that people who want to go and worship God on a Sunday have to bring some money with them and give it to the church. You see how easy it could be to think this whole thing is a money scam? I don’t see it that way, but how easy would it be to think ‘hmmmm, so it says in the Bible to keep holy the Sabbath Day. For Christians of course this means going to church and when you go to church you are expected to make a payment. Perhaps this commandment was written by men in the Bible as a clever way to get money out of people?’

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

Xanthippe_Voorhees:

That said, I do believe that there are very few today who cannot give a dime–or even a quarter–a week.

That’s true. I’m sure most people can give and if you can only give a little, it’s still good of you to give something. I’m sure people are not checking to see how much you put in the plate/basket. I just find it weird, this idea that you have to pay while you are in the middle of a service.

I have, in the past, been asked by people of other religions, if it is true that they collect money from you when you go to church? The questions has been asked with a surprised expression, at the idea that people who want to go and worship God on a Sunday have to bring some money with them and give it to the church. You see how easy it could be to think this whole thing is a money scam? I don’t see it that way, but how easy would it be to think ‘hmmmm, so it says in the Bible to keep holy the Sabbath Day. For Christians of course this means going to church and when you go to church you are expected to make a payment. Perhaps this commandment was written by men in the Bible as a clever way to get money out of people?’

I think that the issue is in the church’s antiquity.

Way back there were no pews. Farmers came for miles. They would find a spot with their family, get settled in, take stock of everything. They brought their offerings with them. During the Liturgy of the Word things were settling down. People didn’t have clocks and if they lived too far from the bells they could be late.

By the time the liturgy of the word was over, everyone who was going to come was there. It was time to collect all the things they had brought for the church. So they did. Why not gather the things at the end? Because of the liturgy of the Eucharist! It had to be as nice as possible in the church, and that mean removing the eggs and the bread, and even perhaps a chicken!

As currency became more standardized it was far easier to transport than a hefier that needed to be tied outside. I’m sure it was a slow evolution.

 

[Pup7]

I’ve never been to any service (across four denominations - Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist) where the collection plate wasn’t passed during the service.

I assumed it was standard.

 

[tafan2]

Well, I think I am the first person to say it’s an obligation, and I made it clear we are obligated to give what we are able. I think the words used in the catechism is “support the material of the church according to one’s ability”, iirc. But make no mistake, it is an obligation, a grave sin if we do not do so. That is the teaching of the church.

 

[Polak]

Really? It’s a ‘grave sin’ not to give money to the church.

Tell that somebody who thinks religion is a scam and you will only push them further away.

 

[tafan2]

According to your ability, you are to provide for the material needs of the Church. It is one of the precepts of the Church. Willingly and knowingly not following a precept of the Church is gravely sinful.

From the CCC:

… The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.

How can not doing the minimum necessary to ensure ones growth in love not be gravely wrong?

 

[Dhc8_Type]

not really i was leaving the crew hotel in Allentown PA and the local group of beggars had signs that say we accept paypal or zelle.

 

[Pup7]

not really i was leaving the crew hotel in Allentown PA and the local group of beggars had signs that say we accept paypal or zelle.

Holy smokes.

 

[dochawk]

I am thinking of auctioning out coins that people have put in the offering that aren’t a valid currency in the country. “Here is a bag of X € coins. Anyone going to a € country?”. “Someone put their medicine in the offering by accident. Can be picked up from the office at no charge.”

The first time I came to Las Vegas, I attended Mass at the Cathedral, near the north end of the Strip. They had masses at the hour in the church, and the half-hour in the hall, and they were full. There was even a 2:30 p.m. Saturday for tourists only.

The priest was quite blunt about not being shy about tossing in casino chips. He made a run through the casinos every Monday, and it was about 10% of the collection!

(btw, priests and religious are required to not wear their religious attire in casinos, not even just passing through. Our priest had to change to come to the reception after a wedding).

hawk

 

[poche]

There is reference to taking up a collection in the ancient Roman times. St. Cyprian castigated a wealthy woman for no putting in enough money when she was apparently very wealthy.

 

[TheOldColonel]

Let me break this down Barney style for you, soldier. Start dropping a dollar :heavy_dollar_sign:bill in the first collection and a dollar :heavy_dollar_sign:bill in the second collection . That way the basket won’t bother you so much. Just set aside and you’re covered for all Sunday’s and Holy Days of the year . You might even have a few bucks left over if any Holy Days fall on Sunday or if you’re sick and can’t attend Mass. In that case, the money will pile up in your wallet.

I recommend you start the practice on Christ the King Sunday. Then, each year on that day, use any leftover bucks for a nice meal from the Dollar Menu at Burger King . See how easy that is to remember? That will be your reward for another successful year of Church Stewardship .

If you have enough left over , you might consider bringing the pastor :vampire:t3:along. Surely he’d enjoy a tasty burger, fries, and a shake :milk_glass:with a major benefactor of his parish.



:milk_glass:

 

[joeybaggz]

You know, I chimed in on this thread only trying to cite that the collection at the Offertory was an extension of the tradition of bringing the fruits of one’s labor and offering it to God. A couple of the very early posters made the remark that in times past, people would bring a heifer, a bushel of potatoes, or beets, or corn, some would bring grapes, or fabrics, or whatever they produced for their livelihood and offer it to God to be used by the Church as it saw fit. Today’s collection is an ongoing extension of that tradition. Only today we (at least in the very recent past) used cash or checks. My point was that the use of physical cash was more in line with actually putting something tangible in the collection. A couple of subsequent posters excoriated me for my Scrooge McDuck love of “mammon” My point only was the continuance of a long tradition.

Churches cost money, they must be supported. I don’t know how Protestants do that, I know many are supposed to (and in some cases forced to) tithe. While we don’t tithe, generally, we are not paying for a Mass, we are paying the electric bill, the salary of the staff, the air conditioning bill, and all the other expenses that are incurred to bring the Mass and the people who staff the church to us. Our place of worship, where we meet the Lord in actuality at every mass, is expensive. Someone has to pay for it.
How one does it is their business. Electronic transfer, internet giving, cash on the barrel head, all are fine. I just don’t ever want the tradition of placing one’s offering directly in the Mass as has been done for centuries, to disappear. Old School, yea, but that’s me.

 

[Pup7]

Protestants take offering just like Catholics. I know someone here said they’d never seen it - but I’d never not seen it taken during the service - across three mainline denominations.

 

[PeterT]

Xanthippe_Voorhees:

That said, I do believe that there are very few today who cannot give a dime–or even a quarter–a week.

That’s true. I’m sure most people can give and if you can only give a little, it’s still good of you to give something. I’m sure people are not checking to see how much you put in the plate/basket. I just find it weird, this idea that you have to pay while you are in the middle of a service.

I have, in the past, been asked by people of other religions, if it is true that they collect money from you when you go to church? The questions has been asked with a surprised expression, at the idea that people who want to go and worship God on a Sunday have to bring some money with them and give it to the church. You see how easy it could be to think this whole thing is a money scam? I don’t see it that way, but how easy would it be to think ‘hmmmm, so it says in the Bible to keep holy the Sabbath Day. For Christians of course this means going to church and when you go to church you are expected to make a payment. Perhaps this commandment was written by men in the Bible as a clever way to get money out of people?’

Please don’t worry about what others might think about what goes on at Mass, unless you want to actively educate and catechize them about what really happens during a Mass.

We need to remember what a Mass fundamentally is: a time when the church gathers together to encounter God: to hear God speaks to us through Holy Scripture, and then to offer God sacrifices in praise and honor of Him for all the wonderful things God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future for us; and finally to be in Holy Communion with God by receiving the Most Holy Eucharist.

The greatest sacrifice we offer to God the Father at every Mass is the Body and Blood of his beloved son, Jesus our Lord. But we are supposed to also offer as sacrifice to God at the Mass our time, talent and treasure too.

We offer our time by being present at Mass and fully engaged in the liturgy of of the Mass. We offer our talent in various ways: a few by being ministers at the Mass, but for most simply by joining in song and praise in reciting the many prayers, psalms and hymns during the Mass. And we also offer as sacrifice our treasure: the money we put into the collection basket. We should all do this willingly as a tangible way of expressing our genuine thanks to God for all the goodness and happiness He has brought into our lives.

Now, some people choose to give their treasure to the church outside of Mass, maybe through an automated electronic transfer of funds to the church, or maybe via the mail (and all of these ways are perfectly fine), but traditionally it’s been done during the Sunday Mass.

 

[PeterT]

Liturgically, the collection of the monetary gifts (for the main collection) could happen before the start of the Mass, but once the Mass has started it can only be collected between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The reason: the collected treasure is supposed to be brought up to the altar with the gifts of the bread and the wine (so it needs to be collected from the assembly before this).

So one needs to understand, that offering our treasure to God and His Church during a Mass has always been an integral part of Christian worship since the most ancient of times. No Catholic should be embarrassed, feel any discomfort, or even feel weird about this. If there are weeks when one cannot put any money in the collection basket (for various reasons), that’s okay as long as they give to the church some of their treasure in the future when they are able to do so.