STAND PAST IN THE FAITH

New Zealand Tablet, 5 November 1914, Page 11

STAND PAST IN THE FAITH

■ '®r .*, i' ... <rg '.M ’■* CA Weekly Instruction specially, written Jor3tfi©riiV r ;,Z<i| ' , Tablet by ‘ Geimel. ’) '. ... - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ; ; : ■„ .... '>:<t .. the SACRIFICE OF , THE, MASS. ; (I) Why do' holies have, r to pay . for M ass for? their deceased friends? (2) • Does this custom not : seem, to place the rich, at an advantage and the 1 poor at a disadvantage, contrary to the whole 4 spirit of Christianity 2 (3) Would it not be better if priests received a fixed arid sufficient stipend, and were thus' in a position to do without special charges for purely;: spiritual services? m i i i ij # ’. ■ : ' Y' & g M • m The answers to these questions will tie better under- g stood if we note,one or two points of dqctrinev ■ ■■■<'& (a) The Sacrifice of the Mass as it is now .daily celebrated by Christ, Eternal Priest*'using the other priest as His hands and lips, is ■ not a new sacrifice. It is a: perpetuation of the redemptive act- ; of Calvary, and.a perpetuation 1 of' that act -for the benefit of particular souls, say,, to the priest who performs the outward ceremony, .the assistants, and tlxPse for whom it is offered.* For the Sacrifice of Calvary, infinite though it be in value,' does not affect .our souls, juiless- its merits are applied to them. : Ofae-of tlibiril^TOfof application : is the offering of, or the devout assistance at, the Sacrifice of the Mass. . * * - * v % • - - w | (b) Most naturally the officiating-priest will have - some of the fruits, of the Sacrifice applied to .himself. 9 He is not,’ write? Dr. Hedley;‘4 a mere mechanical instrument pf what; is done, but .a with a responsible intelligence and will. -What lie docs is done by the v exerdise ' of that; reason;; and will; -'.. ,V. , .^The^r exercise of that skered office will bring - to himself % benedictions which are of ; their own f 'nature; united to such.an office. . He stands and sacrifices in f the place of / Christ, but, he-is also a frail and needy mortal man, Working out his own- salvation. v Among all the redeemed s of Christ, -those who are - His -priests wilh surely deceive* * tlm choicest, graces pf His precious . „ (c) Just as naturally the , offerer of a Sacrifice like the. Mass rwill have the power to apply some of its,fruits f to others, by, more accurately, will have a claim tp ask God graciously to confer tin; fruits of the par ; ticular persons. God may accede to the wish.'expressed in this fashion pr He'may Adi; we-can. be perfectly suie, ■> however, that every prayer of ours is listened to} and every wish taken into consideration.- v : ( , (d) In distribxxtlng the ■ many blessings attached to the celebration of ’ a Mass'Glpd .acts-wisely'aridiijustly a He - takes into'account all . circumstances— , ex cel lence of ; the object prayed for~pu r special needs, the good dispositions - of the 'officiatingSpriest, the self-sacri- J dice of those who ; assist or who ave j asked to have the Mass said : for theiT intention. Riches I of poverty . do

:• not count in this mattei*. >,Jesus, .sitting oyer against the 1 belie}d how the people cast money into; the ; treasury, and many that were rich cast,hi much. And there came a certain, poor widbw~ and she Which made a farthing. -And Galling his disciples \itogether. He saith to them: Amen ■ I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than, all they 'who have cast into the treasury, For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living ,; (Mark xii ). » > Now w are in a position to- answer the questions, * (1) The custom of offering a sum of money when a" request is made to have the Mass applied for "their deceased friends or for any other intention, is a survival of a very ancient usage. From the earliest times, apparently , the faithful used touring the bread and wine foxthe Sacrifice. What remained over was used as a, source off maintenancefor the clergy. In course, of time it became more convenient to make the offering in xftbney. But the underiyihg. 'ide'a is the same now as - of ' old; the priest receives the money, not as the price of the Eucharistic; consecrationfor that would: be simony—but as the provision of his 'own ; maintenance ’ (St. Thomas Aquinas). '• ; . ~iy .., •. (2) Riches in this matter do not confer any undue, advantage* , nor does poverty imply any undue disadvantage. The most a’ rich man can do is to get Masses said it is God alone Who can distribute the fruits of the Sacrifices, and He will make no bargain-even with a multi-millionaire. Good mptives, upright life, just and generous us© of richesthese count, and not the quickeneth.’ if-a'richmah, instead of leaving money for Masses for his soul, V gives . generously to some, .charitable work, God will not be outdone in generosity. On the other hand the poor do not suffer.- Poverty is no bar to the distribution of God’s mercies.. The fruits of the Sacrifice are in God’s hands, and fin distributing them He will take account of the poor mail’s destitution, . good dispositions, and humble desire for God’ faybr :: Moreover, there must be many thousands of Masses .offered daily by ■ priests for the souls of Purgatory in general ; and : we can well believe ■| that God will, give a large share of, the fruits of these Masses to those whom we call -the abandoned souls of Purgatory.- t m . ... . C The great principle, then, to be kept in mind in ■ regard,, to giving- money for Masses, or for any form of charity, is‘simple ehough :;we cannot buy God over, and' , w©|cfti&ot estimate, the value of our : spiritual acts by the ambuffltt of money involved in’them. 1 The thoSt sensible thine is to do one’s best and leave the results to God. (3) The writer does not feel it”is within, his province to pass judgment oh'a' traditional practice inspired ’by Catholic feeling, f ile can but make his own these words of Bishop Hedley : ■ ‘ All those who give to the altar, or to the sustenance of a priest, may confidently .hope'that, : in proportion to their spirit of generous sacrifice, they obtain from the Mass blessings which otherwise they would not have received.’.. *,, • -