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PAGE 5—January 24,1974
The Use
BY RUSSELL SHAW
One of the strongest themes of the Old Testament is the
condemnation of idol worship, the adoration of false gods. At
first glance the subject seems to have little or no relevance
today; idol worship is not too common a practice in our society.
BY FATHER CARL J. PFEIFER, S.J.
Just before Christmas I had an experience which, for me, was
rather unusual. I was visiting friends and spent several hours one
afternoon shopping with their 15-year-old son, Bob. We went to
a huge shopping mall with nearly 100 shops of all kinds. As Bob
and I went from store to store, we stopped and looked at items
which interested us ~ invariably we glanced at the price.
Money was a spontaneous theme of our conversations as we
reacted to so many things we could not afford. Bob kept talking
about his hopes of getting a new job. He had had a good job in a
local drug store, but was a victim of the store’s tightened
budget. Now he looked forward to an even better paying
construction job. Having a job again would assure him of
money.
Looking back on our conversations, I am struck with several
aspects of Bob’s attitude toward money. He certainly did not
see money as something to horde for its own sake. Money was
desirable to him because of what it enabled him to do. He did
not seem to consider money as evil in any way, but he also did
not see it as a good thing in itself. Money, for Bob, was valuable
because of what he could do with it.
The most obvious thing in Bob’s viewpoint was the kind of
freedom money brings. If he had more, he would be free to buy
the sharp slacks he liked and really needed; he could even buy
the fascinating “eternal wave” that rocked back and forth in a
long narrow box. With more money he would be free to buy
things he felt he needed, and others he would just enjoy having.
Money meant freedom.
What struck me even more in Bob’s attitude toward money
was his awareness that it freed him to be more generous. Several
times when we stopped to look at something, he mentioned
having given something similar to his parents, or how he wished
he could buy it for a friend. In Bob’s view, money made it
possible to give and share with greater freedom.
Bob’s remarks were spontaneous and honest. At no time did
we discuss money in a theoretical way. What I just described are
my own observations on Bob’s attitude toward money, as that
attitude seemed to come through in many casual comments
during the course of our two hours together. He seemed to have
a very ?■ alistic, basically Christian, view of money. For Bob,
money /as an important factor in freeing people to acquire
life’s necessities, increase enjoyment, and share generously with
others.
It seems to me that the cultivation of just such an attitude
toward money is an important part of a realistic religious
education, primarily at home. While it is necessary to encourage
young and old to explore the evils of greed (long recognized in
Christian tradition as the root of much that is wrong with
individuals and societies), it is also important to guide people to
appreciate the potential for good that money possesses. Money
is not bad; greed is bad, and spawns theft, bribery, graft and
corruption.
In addition to condemning greed and its manyvicious effects,
Christians need to learn positive, creative attitudes toward
money and economics. Health, happiness, peace - in individuals,
communities and nations - have an important economic
dimension. Money can make possible the existence of hospitals,
schools, therapy, decent housing and a multitude of other badly
needed aids to human survival and development.
As Bob seemed to realize in his own adolescent way,
Christians can look at money as an important means of enabling
greater freedom - freedom from need, freedom for fuller human
enjoyment, and freedom for richer human sharing. Without
underplaying the evils of greed or watering down the
commandments about stealing and coverting, a more meaningful
strategy is to help people appreciate the potential for creative
good that money contains.
“IDOL WORSHIP is not too common a practice in
our society. But on second thought it becomes clear
that there are today idols -- false gods -- as seductive as
any which tempted the Israelites of the old Testament.
One of the most seductive of all is money.” The great
god, Money. (NC Sketch by Eric Smith)
of Money
But on second thought it becomes clear that there are today
idols - false gods - as seductive as any which tempted the
Israelites of the Old Testament. One of the most seductive of all
is money.
Idolatry is the word that best describes the manner in which
many persons center their lives on the pursuit of money and
what it can buy. Many people in their heart of hearts define
themselves, not in terms of personal qualities, but in terms of
money. “I am a person who earns $17,000 a year, lives in a
$40,000 house, drives a $3,500 car, takes a $500 vacation each
year...”
But there is a curious paradox in all this. Many of the same
people adopt an almost puritan attitude on the subject of
money when it is a question of legitimate financial appeals
directed to them by other people. “If the poor would get out
and work, they wouldn’t be poor.” “The trouble with my
pastor is that he’s always talking about money.” “I don’t know
what those teachers are talking about, wanting their salaries
raised.”
The, message in such comments is clear, although not
expressed in so many words: “It is all right for me to be
obsessed with money, but it is wrong for other people who feel
they don’t have enough money to mention the fact.”
Like almost everything else in human life, money has its good
uses and its bad ones. Money has no moral quality in itself -- it is
neither good nor bad. The moral question enters the picture
with regard to how we go about getting money, what we do
with it, and what it means to us. Money can be an occasion of
virtue or vice in any or all of these three areas.
How much money is enough? How much should I keep and
how much give away? How much time and attention should I
give to getting money? There are no neat and simple answers to
such questions. The answers will depend instead on the specific
circumstances in which each individual finds himself.
Obviously, the family bread-winner should do everything he
can to make provisions for his family and dependents. “Making
provision,” futhermore, ordinarily includes a good deal more
than providing the bare necessities of life. In a society like our
own, a number of things which in other times and places were
considered luxurious are now genuine necessities.
In general, a person with a morally good attitude toward
money will be in the position of divesting himself of money and
material goods - getting rid of the excess - rather than
constantly struggling to amass more. He will, quite simply, not
want more than he really needs and he will rather steadily
dispose of what he finds he does not need - not through
extravagance and reckless spending, but in ways that make a
genuine contribution to the well being of other people.
Parents can help their children develop right attitudes toward
money by reflecting such attitudes in their own lives. The
parent for whom money is not the be-all and end-all of life and
who makes it a steady practice to divest himself of what he
finds to be excess is well on the way to teaching his children a
healthy approach to money.
“PARENTS CAN HELP their children develop right
attitudes toward money by reflecting such attitudes in
their own lives.” A boy learns to share with the Church
through the example of his parents who gave him the
dollar to put in the coming collection. (NC Photo by
Bob Workman)
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(AM Articles On This Page Copyrighted 1974 by N.C. News Service)
Know Your Faith
S— - a , -
Capernaum: Jesus’ Second Home
BY STEVE LANDREGAN
It is a truism that the more things change the more they are
the same.
Take Capernaum and Nazareth, for instance. Jesus grew up in
Nazareth and lived in Capernaum during most of His Galilean
ministry, therefore, with the exception of His apostles, the
people who lived in these two towns knew Jesus better than
anyone else.
Yet Matthew, Mark and Luke all speak of Nazareth’s
rejection of Christ’s preaching. Luke tells of an attempt by the
townspeople to kill Jesus by throwing Him over a cliff.
It should not surprise us then that Matthew says, “When
Jesus heard that John had been put in prison he went away to
Galilee. He did not settle down in Nazareth, but went and lived
in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of
Zebulan and Napthali.” (Mt. 4: 12-14)
Capernaum was Jesus’ second home. Matthew calls it Jesus’
own city (Mt. 9:1). Christ began His public ministry there by
preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Mk. 1:21) and it
was the site where He performed many miracles. Among them
were the healing of the centurion’s servant (Lk. 7: 1-10), the
palsied man (Mk. 2: 3-12), and Peter’s mother-in-law (Mk. 1:
29-31). '
Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum when Jesus called
him, and it was the home of Peter and his brother Andrew. It
was also the site of the discussion among the disciples as to who
was the greatest (Mk. 9: 33-37).
Nearby on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus
revealed the Holy Eucharist in the discourse in which He told
the people “I am the Bread of Life,” and it was here at the
conclusion of the same discourse that many of His followers
turned back and would not go with Him anymore when He
declared “I tell you the truth: If you do not eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink His blood you will not have life within
yourselves” (John 6: 22-72).
At the same time and place, Peter reaffirmed the loyalty of
the apostles with the words, “Lord to whom would we go? You
have the words that give eternal life. And now we believe and
know that you are the Holy Che from God” (John 6: 68-69).
Some scholars maintain that it was at Capernaum that Judas
first decided to betray Jesus. They point to the possibility that
his betrayal might have been triggered by his inability to accept
Jesus in the Eucharist since it was immediately following the
Eucharistic discourse that Jesus said to the apostles: “Did I not
choose the twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil.” John
explains, “He was talking about Judas, the son of Simon
Iscariot. For Judas, even though he was one of the twelve
disciples, was going to betray Him” (John 6: 70-71).
Capernaum was truly Jesus’ second home. It was the
privileged place that witnessed many of His greatest signs and
heard from His own lips the words of eternal life. Yet it failed
to recognize the Messiah in its midst.
Jesus threatened it with destruction because of its unbelief
saying “and as for you, Capernaum! You wanted to lift yourself
up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! For if the
miracles which were performed in you had been performed in
Sodom, it would still be in existence today!” (Mt. 11: 23-24)
In fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy, the town that thrived in
His day was lost to the world and its location was not
rediscovered until early in this century. The Franciscans have
acquired the site and are restoring the city. A second century
synagogue is partially restored and work is progressing on the
house of Peter’s mother-in-law which apparently was converted
into an early Christian church.
BY FATHER JOSEPH M. CHAMPLIN
Shortly after my arrival at Holy Family in Fulton, a
parishioner made this promise: “Father, if you take care of our
spiritual needs, we will take care of the parish’s financial needs.”
Two-and-a-half years later I can testify that this extremely
generous, but not wealthy parishioner turned his promise into a
prediction. The weekly income has remained constant, even
increased; bills have been paid promptly, normally within 10
days; the debt on a three-year-old church is down from $74,000
to $35,000.
What remains remarkable about such data is that we also
experienced, during this time, a four-month strike at our major
industry (the collection never declined a bit) and a heavy
assessment (55c per offertory dollar) for the Catholic school
apostolate.
It argues convincingly for a softsell,
hardly-ever-mention-from-the-pulpit approach to parish
finances. We print the weekly offering figures in our bulletin
and have the trustees give a very detailed report at the fiscal
year’s conclusion. Otherwise, the subject is seldom mentioned
except to extol these people for their loyal support throughout
a difficult, inflationary period.
While totally accepting this gentle, silent philosophy about
money and worship, I still believe that the collection is or
should form a significant feature of the Sunday eucharistic
celebration. It ought to involve everyone, be clearly visible and
occupy a distinct, exclusive slot within the liturgy.
For those reasons I prefer a literal passing of the basket rather
than the in and out thrust of ushers with long-handled one-arm
receptacles. The former forces persons to take the basket from a
The people of Capernaum knew well the Scriptural promises
of a messiah. They witnessed the signs of the messianic age
worked in their midst by Jesus often and yet they rejected Him
because He was not their idea of a messiah.
Christians today have a lot in common with the people of
Capernaum. They know well Christ’s promises that he would be
with His people in His Church, in His Word, in the least of His
brothers. His promises have not gone unfulfilled. Yet many of
us fail to recognize Christ among us. We reject Him because He
is not our idea of what Christ should be.
The more things change, the more they are the same.
Especially people.
neighbor and hand it on to another. In a minor way, they
become involved.
For these reasons, also, I am not enthused about the
procedure of leaving one’s offerings at the door upon arrival at
church. This has a basically noble purpose - to minimize time
'and effort given to money matters at Mass -- but it fails to
integrate collections effectively within the liturgy.
The Roman Missal’s General Instruction apparently supports
this viewpoint in article 49:
“At the beginning of the liturgy of the eucharist, the
gifts which will become the Lord’s body and blood are
brought to the altar ...”
“It is desirable for the faithful to present the bread and
wine .. . The rite of carrying up the gifts continues the
value and spiritual meaning of the ancient custom when the
people brought bread and wine for the liturgy from their
own homes.”
“This is also the appropriate time for the collection of
money or gifts for the poor and the Church. These are to be
placed in a suitable area, but not on the altar.”
For these reasons, finally, I think congregational singing while
the baskets are being passed can prove counterproductive. It
violates a liturgical principle which maintains two major actions
should not occur at the same moment in public worship.
It is awkward, to say the least, simultaneously to reach into
one’s wallet or pocketbook, pass the collection receptacle, open
a hymnal, find the proper page, and sing with gusto.
This seems, instead, an excellent occasion for background
music - a harmonized choral piece or an instrumental interlude.
Those fill the vacuum, neutralize collection sounds, and create a
prayerful, reflective climate.
Taking up the Collection