Simony

[Fortitudo]

Hello,

This my first post and I do not quite know what to expect.
I have browsed the forums, and other sources as well, but I cannot find the answer to this question that is clear to me. I guess I do not understand the concept properly. Anyway, my question may be somewhat complex, or maybe not at all, but I need one who can explain this to me properly, in the traditional sense.

There are currently some traditional books that cannot be found virtually anywhere, including internet archives. I have even asked members of the religious orders about these books, written by their own, and never received responses.

So, my overall question:

-Is the selling and purchasing of vintage items, such as prayer books, considered simony? (For blessed, unblessed and unknown if blessed items).

-What if one does not know if the item had been previously blessed and if it was even available outside of religious orders?
Is it wrong for laity to have access to rules of religious orders through their manuals, regardless? (One that comes to mind that is public and sold in many stores is “The Rule of Saint Benedict”).

I recently found a reprint of one of these books for the public, but sadly, it is on an auction site, which is another concern that makes me feel strange about the whole situation. Honestly, I don’t recall purchasing from anywhere but storefronts previously. I always make EVERY attempt to find a Catholic store that sells these items. This is the first time I have ever encountered this issue. The individual sellers did not outright state these items were blessed, although the reprint description does state, “By the goodness of Our Mother, you can obtain this now at a reasonable price.” For some reason, that statement makes me nervous.

Which leads me to my last questions:

-How does one know the value of the item, especially vintage, to distinguish if it may be an act of simony?

-With the technology we have today, is there a possibility of committing simony, or other sins, through digital means and materials? Meaning if the item is bid only, whether blessed or not, and through pdf and digital format reading, whether free or with a charge?

To me, it would seem the best thing to do would be to not even consider the option of vintage to read these treasures.

I apologize that I nearly wrote a novel on this question, but it is truly something that I cannot comprehend properly, I suppose. I may be over thinking this WAY too much, and it may even sound far fetched, but if one could clarify this for me, that would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Hello,

This my first post and I do not quite know what to expect.

/…/

There are currently some traditional books that cannot be found virtually anywhere, including internet archives. I have even asked members of the religious orders about these books, written by their own, and never received responses.

So, my overall question:

-Is the selling and purchasing of vintage items, such as prayer books, considered simony? (For blessed, unblessed and unknown if blessed items).

No, this would not be simony. An item today would lose a blessing (or, if old enough, any indulgence that might have been attached to it) by being bought and sold.

-What if one does not know if the item had been previously blessed and if it was even available outside of religious orders?

I always assume an old object of piety – rosary, clearly used crucifix, etc. – had been blessed. I never presume books are blessed, however. That would be an anomaly. Since I am a priest, I simply bless the old object. If it was given to me and was already blessed, nothing is lost or harmed by my blessing it.

Is it wrong for laity to have access to rules of religious orders through their manuals, regardless? (One that comes to mind that is public and sold in many stores is “The Rule of Saint Benedict”).

You are most assuredly welcome to have the rules or constitutions or the manuals of any institute of perfection. My theology students who were pursuing a specialisation in either spirituality or consecrated life would have been expected to be familiar with various ones since they are fundamental to understanding the schools of spirituality which emerge from the various orders and congregations.

I recently found a reprint of one of these books for the public, but sadly, it is on an auction site, which is another concern that makes me feel strange about the whole situation. Honestly, I don’t recall purchasing from anywhere but storefronts previously. I always make EVERY attempt to find a Catholic store that sells these items. This is the first time I have ever encountered this issue. The individual sellers did not outright state these items were blessed, although the reprint description does state, “By the goodness of Our Mother, you can obtain this now at a reasonable price.” For some reason, that statement makes me nervous.

There is no harm in using the sites you describe. Antique dealers and purveyors of used books is another resource. Book dealers have helped me to track down items I have needed because of historical survey courses I taught, once upon a time.

Having said that, the formula you relate at the end of the quote is particularly unfortunate. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who popularly make available bottles of Lourdes water, are exemplary examples in clarifying that the few dollars they ask for as an offering is to cover the cost of the bottle, the transporting of the water from Lourdes, the mailing of the bottle to the person requesting it and so forth – and not the trafficking in sacred things.

Which leads me to my last questions:

-How does one know the value of the item, especially vintage, to distinguish if it may be an act of simony?

As an overly simplistic rule of thumb, the act of simony is the selling of a sacred thing. If, God forbid, you gave a sum of money to receive a sacrament you otherwise were not prepared for and disposed to receive, that would simony on your part and the minister’s part at its extreme.

In the ordinary course of life today, the obtaining of a relic, properly done, involves an offering to cover the cost of the relic case that houses the relic, the preparation of the document of authentication, etc. One is not buying and selling relics. On the other hand, if one finds a relic in an antiquarian dealer’s shop, which has fallen outside the control of ecclesiastic authorities, it very well may be (sadly) that the dealer is charging more for the reliquary precisely because it contains a relic…but that issue lies with him and his guilt is for the Lord to find, if it is there, and to judge. If you pay for the relic in order to rescue it, you have not committed the sin of simony in such a circumstance. I know those who have done precisely that in order to restore something to the Church.

-With the technology we have today, is there a possibility of committing simony, or other sins, through digital means and materials? Meaning if the item is bid only, whether blessed or not, and through pdf and digital format reading, whether free or with a charge?

To me, it would seem the best thing to do would be to not even consider the option of vintage to read these treasures.

If we are talking about books, which is what I am gathering, and not sacred objects per se, then there is really no possibility of simony entering into this. Frankly, given today’s cult of celebrity, something that had belonged to Mother Teresa and was being sold for a sum beyond the material value the object had in itself – her ink pen, for example – would probably be for the motivation that there was a rare supply of items directly associated with her rather than the fact that it was a second class relic.

I apologize that I nearly wrote a novel on this question, but it is truly something that I cannot comprehend properly, I suppose. I may be over thinking this WAY too much, and it may even sound far fetched, but if one could clarify this for me, that would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

I share your pain about texts that are out of print and no longer available.

You might consider Inter-Library Loan (ILL) possibilities, if you have a library nearby which has in its lending network (through ILL) a robust theological library.

 

[Irishmom2]

I just wanted to say welcome, Fortitudo! Congratulations on your first post! Because of your question, I learned something I didn’t know before today, so thanks!

 

[Fortitudo]

Don Ruggero,

Thank you for the detailed explanation of simony.

It may be the thought process in terms of everyday objects being blessed that puzzles individuals. Items such as houses and cars are blessed routinely, so that’s why I concluded that devotional books, as well as objects of piety from the past, could have been blessed, especially if they were from a religious.

Your explanation made it clear, however, that the blessings are not transferrable from an object when sold or purchased.

So, the sin of simony is only when one deliberately sells and buys a blessing, sacrament, relic, or a spiritual aspect overall, correct? Even if an object is blessed, as long as the item is sold, and not the spiritual aspect, it is not considered simony.

Selling and purchasing the spiritual aspect for something temporal is the sin of simony and a great sacrilege.

Please correct me if this is wrong.

Thanks again.

 

[Fortitudo]

I just wanted to say welcome, Fortitudo! Congratulations on your first post! Because of your question, I learned something I didn’t know before today, so thanks!

Thank you for the warm welcome, Irishmom2. I am well pleased we both have learned something of great importance today.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Don Ruggero,

Thank you for the detailed explanation of simony.

It may be the thought process in terms of everyday objects being blessed that puzzles individuals. Items such as houses and cars are blessed routinely, so that’s why I concluded that devotional books, as well as objects of piety from the past, could have been blessed, especially if they were from a religious.

Your explanation made it clear, however, that the blessings are not transferrable from an object when sold or purchased.

So, the sin of simony is only when one deliberately sells and buys a blessing, sacrament, relic, or a spiritual aspect overall, correct? Even if an object is blessed, as long as the item is sold, and not the spiritual aspect, it is not considered simony.

Selling and purchasing the spiritual aspect for something temporal is the sin of simony and a great sacrilege.

Please correct me if this is wrong.

Thanks again.

You have stated it well.

 

[ProVobis]

So, the sin of simony is only when one deliberately sells and buys a blessing, sacrament, relic, or a spiritual aspect overall, correct?

Only?

catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8806

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Only?

catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8806

I do not agree with the thesis of this author.