This may be petty....but would Jesus do it?

[need_to_know]

When we went for our RCIA retreat it cost the parish £65 per person and the RCIA leader asked us to pay £40 each if we could (the rest would be subsidised by the parish and the RCIA cake sale which we took part in). Anyway, apart from all the money which the parish would subsidise - there are 25-30 people in our RCIA group - it would still cost the parish quite a lot. When I asked my RCIA leader if I could give her some of the money before the retreat and some after (I’m an unemployed student) she said to give her whatever I could afford at the retreat and not to worry about the rest. So when I could only give her £20 at the retreat (although I know many of the adults in the group gave her the full £65) she actually asked me if I could afford that much and told me once more not to worry about the rest.

So it’s not all ‘take’, even when the church will be losing money (like in my case).

 

[MaryD7]

I have questions for the those wonderful Church historians on this board:

1. How & why did the ‘donation’ for a Mass being said for one’s intentions come into practice?
2. Is a Mass being said for one’s intentions carry more weight than individual prayers?

I have a feeling that there are perfect logical explanations but I’m not seeing them. I give to the Church every week so I support my parish in that sense.

I really appreciate answers to my questions. These have long been on my mind but I was too embarrassed to ask anyone.

 

[MonkeyTape]

tee_eff_em:

I would respectfully disagree with his excellency, the archishop of Manila. While canon 946 does specify that stipends are a donation, they do also oblige the priest who receives them to say a Mass for the requested intention, or to transmit the stipend (and obligation) to another priest. Or so says my reading of the canons following 946.

You can read the relevant canons here: CHAPTER III : THE OFFERING MADE FOR THE CELEBRATION OF MASS

Also, the practice of “collective intentions” (applying a single Mass for multiple intentions) has been allowed under controlled circumstances since 1991, according to this DECREE ON MASS STIPENDS from the Congregation for the Clergy.

“I Am Not A Canon Lawyer”,
tee

The obligation stems from his accepting this person’s request - this is exclusive of whether money was recieved or not.

 

[JP2Admirer]

This is one of my favorite criticisms of the Church…

I have friend who is a deist who attends mass on Christmas and Easter, and he always gets after me for donating to the greedy church, meanwhile he is sitting in a warm building that is heated by some of my money, reading a hymnal with light that is also magically paid for.

From what I know, Catholic religious are the only religious who explicitly take a vow of poverty. If they are making a lot of money, then they are not being true to thier vows. Have there ever been greedy religious? That’s like asking if there’s ever been greedy people.

Christ said that His Church would be as a ‘city on a hill’ and a light for the world. Well, it does need to be visible then. Money builds churches, and makes it visible. I really think anyone who accuses the Church of being greedy is not viewing her with charitable eyes, but merely looking for squabbles.

 

[Georgess]

It appears The Catholic church is one that is most likely to avoid making anyone feel embarassed about not being a’ tithing member’ and sometimes talking with noncatholics who would love to worship in a community, but feel embarassed due to their financial circumstance , I often tell them to consider worship in The Catholic Church !

As to the benefits of having Mass said for persons / causes, often we hear in lives of saints how persons in purgatory have appeard and asked for mass intention for them etc: ; mass being the greatest prayer, makes sense too !

In addition to the good quotes by Fidelis above, we also read how The Lord himself paid the temple tax ; Old Testament t too, with many guidelines how to honor The Lord with what is due to His priests .

The very nominal amount charged for a Mass, gives us freedom and gratitude - most persons would like to know what is the expected amount ; it is humbling to know how little we are asked for and it also known that in the rare situation of someone who could not even afford that amount, it is not insisted upon at all !

 

[Orionthehunter]

Yes. Jesus would do it and he did do it. He and his disciples lived by virtue of monetary and in-kind (housing, meals) contributions. The Church teaches that charitable gifts are good for the soul as it turns our hearts to God and forces us to distance ourselves from a common false idol (money). Most of the time that I hear someone claim about the Church being greedy, I usually see a person struggling w/ greed himself.

The Church prohibits simony (the administering or not administering a sacrament in exchange for money). This is why there are no required amounts for weddings, etc. At the same time, goodwill donations are accepted. And to ease the minds of parishioners about whether their gift is appropriate, there are sometimes suggested giving amounts to help the parish cover related expenses. But in all cases, they are encouraged to prayerfully consider their gift as stewards of God’s creation (all we have is a gift from God)

We use our Mass intention “revenue” for liturgical “luxuries” as in new vestments, seasonal decorations for the church. In my role as Parish Finance President, I’ve been asked if it appopriate to give a gift to Father in addition to the gift to the parish hosting your sacrament. I always tell them that if they want to give a gift, it is totally acceptable. If they ask me for a suggestion, I usually tell them that Fr. likes gift certificates redeemable at nicer restaurants vs. cash (he has told me he feels uncomfortable w/ more than 420 in his wallet). It not only gives him the personal freedom to sometimes enjoy a night out with his friends but also allows him to sometime entertain young men considering a vocation or a family he is ministering to or give it to a family who is in economic trouble and a night out would be a nice relief etc.

The bottom line is if you trust your Priest to be a good holy man, you can trust that he will use your gift judiciously and treat it respectfully (either on himself or on others).

 

[jrabs]

malachi_a_serva:

Annullments, they cost money.($1,500 ? I know it may depend on the finacial circumstances…some pay more…some less??)

Your information is inaccurate. You will not be turned away from seeking an annulment if you cannot pay. Your parish or Catholic Charities can and will sponsor a person who cannot afford the standard fee.

Also the fee is not a sliding scale as implied in the statement above but set by the Tribunal for the massive amount of time and paperwork that needs to be done. Reasonable that a fee would be charged.

 

[Didi]

What about just the expenses for the Mass itself? People forget that the hosts and the wine aren’t free. Neither is the electricity and/or gas for heat and light, the candles that are burned, the vestments which must be cleaned and mended, the linens used that must be cleaned, etc.

As stated before, this isn’t a required amount but suggested; if you can’t pay the amount, a Mass will be said for your intention anyway.

The entire Mass is a prayer. This most beautiful prayer is being offered for a specific intention, joined by the prayers of all those attending that specific Mass. It is a powerful way to bring your concerns to God.