The View South-west Of My House Today... Crazy

[Catherine Therese]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

 

2121 Simony is defined as the buying or selling of spiritual things.⁵³ To Simon the magician, who wanted to buy the spiritual power he saw at work in the apostles, St. Peter responded: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!"⁵⁴ Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: "You received without pay, give without pay."⁵⁵ 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.

2122 The minister should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority, always being careful that the needy are not deprived of the help of the sacraments because of their poverty."⁵⁶ The competent authority determines these "offerings" in accordance with the principle that the Christian people ought to contribute to the support of the Church's ministers. "The laborer deserves his food."⁵⁷

 

I understand that 2122 speaks particularly of the Sacraments, but the principle extends to all spiritual goods. We receive without pay, we give without pay. 

 

John Cassian, the spiritual director par excellence, associates the practice of such simony with the sin of avarice.  :pirate2: 

 

^{When it comes down to it, though, it really doesn't matter at all how REASONABLE it appears to we poor earthly creatures to charge money for spiritual direction, and it really doesn't matter at all how needy a particular parish may be. Mother Teresa started with $2 and her trust in providence saw great things happen through the generosity of people whom the Lord moved to donate. Our problem, I feel, is that we don't trust in the Providence of the Father. How full are the psalms of couplets reminding us not to trust to horses or our own strength, but to trust to the Lord?}

 

^{From the Blue Letter Bible (RSV):}

 

 Mat 7:9

Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

 Mat 7:10

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

 Mat 7:11

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

 

We need all to give what we can when we can (and to be honest with ourselves and generous with the Church). 

And then we need to trust. We will always have what we need. And if we don't receive it, having asked the Father, then we don't really need it... He has another way forward for us. But He will always provide. 

 

Taxing the poor is the ugly lot of the State, not of the Church. :P (That was me attempting to be FUNNY and has absolutely no political slant at all - our politics here in Australia is totally different... so can I please trust that everyone will give me a sympathy laugh for my attempt at humour and take no offence?) 

[ToJesusMyHeart]

When I clicked on this, I was expecting a photograph of the landscape outside your house to the southwest. 

[Catherine Therese]

hahahahahahahaha

i had two windows open

[Catherine Therese]

LOL I've actually got a degree in computer science and technology. *WALK OF SHAME* 

 

hahahahahaha you'd NEVER know it!

[dUSt]

I am so confused. Is the phorum malfunctioning right now?

[CrossCuT]

:sos:

[Lil Red]

When I clicked on this, I was expecting a photograph of the landscape outside your house to the southwest. 

 

yeah. :unsure: i really needed some nice scenery, too. 

[AnneLine]

Isn't southwest of your house a view of Antarctica or something?   ;)

[ToJesusMyHeart]

Isn't southwest of your house a view of Antarctica or something?   ;)

 

:hehe2:

[Catherine Therese]

I am so confused. Is the phorum malfunctioning right now?

 

Nope - its just my capacity to multi-task that is malfunctioning. 

 

I had two separate tabs open, in one I was going to post pictures of the bush fire scenes visible from my house, and in the other I was responding to a conversation about spiritual direction. I ended up typing my answer in the wrong tab, and then gave up on the images at the time because my internet signal was not reliable enough to upload pictures, owing to the fact that the signal tower is being affected by the bushfires and the crazy-fast winds we're getting. 

[Catherine Therese]

Isn't southwest of your house a view of Antarctica or something?   ;)

 

THAT. WAS. AWESOME. :D 

Edited October 19, 2013 by Catherine Therese

[Catherine Therese]

awesome, even. 

OK. 2:47. wee-small dyslexia has set in. 

 

bedtime.