Bring ‘Em Back! Part 10

This is the tenth in a series of articles aimed at helping you to get your lapsed Catholic loved one going to Church again and once again becoming a practicing Catholic. 

Excuse #4

You can almost anticipate someone who offers Excuse #3 jumping to excuse #4 if the discussion is not going his or her way.  (Sometimes it’s just the opposite.)  But Excuse #4 – “Going to church is just a man-made rule to fill the collection plate” – is the weakest of all seven excuses.

While some parishes do expect parishioners to tithe – to give a fixed amount (a percentage of yearly income) to the parish – it is certainly not a rule.

A single income, young or even middle-aged, middle-class couple with three or four (or more) children attending parochial schools in other parishes, for instance, might be hard pressed to tithe 10 percent of their income to the parish in which they are members, especially if they also support various charities.

But there’s an easy work-around to the “we are a tithing parish” statement.

Friends of mine moved into a new parish in a fairly upscale area and went to the parish office to register.  The priest told them straight out ‘We are a tithing parish.’  After some strained but polite conversation my friend and his wife left without registering.  They simply joined a different, neighboring parish.

So, if you are in a position to be able to tithe, great!  But if you are not, it should not be a big concern – providing you are making a true effort to financially support your parish.

My wife and I have been members of six different parishes due to (mainly job-related) moves, but we’ve never encountered a tithing parish. We have, however, heard our fair share of homilies about the need for parishioners to support the parish.  Usually there was a good reason for such homilies.

Yesterday vs. Today

Some 60 years ago the administrative staff at a parish with 400-500 families and no parish school, may have consisted of a pastor, an assistant pastor, a secretary, and a part time accountant.  Today such a small staff would be an anomaly.

Most medium and large-sized suburban and urban parishes today have sizable staffs and a variety of parish ministries.  Many ministries are comprised of volunteers, but a number of positions are usually paid positions.  And if there is a school that is part of the parish the parish’s financial obligations increase accordingly.

Reading a State of the Parish Report these days can be an eye opener.  For instance, in the fairly large suburban parish my wife and I are members of (without a parish school), the 2017 operating budget was $1,485,200.  Over $843,000 of this was designated for salaries and benefits for more than 27 full and part time positions.

Almost $300,000 was also budgeted for office expenses, utilities, insurance, and maintenance.  Additionally, our parish donates money to the local Catholic high school, Abigayle Ministries, Right to Life, and other worthy causes.

So, it does take money to keep a Catholic parish going.  And a parish does need its parishioners to contribute to the cost of running the parish.  Even so, I’ve yet to hear anyone say, “You must put some money in the collection basket or you cannot attend Mass.”  So, the ‘they just want money’ excuse is a pretty lame one.

The Bottom Line

The Catechism says very plainly:

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

More often than not a lapsed Catholic who offers Excuse #4 (or even any of the other excuses for that matter) is putting worldly concerns ahead of God.  They are just being selfish.

A variation of Excuses #3 and #4 is “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have time to go to Mass.”  But this too is putting earthly concerns above God.

We keep time with a clock and a calendar, but God does not.  Our average time here on earth is around 79 years, so the concept of eternity may be hard for some to grasp.  But consider this – the soul of someone who died 1,000 years ago in a state of unrepentant mortal sin has already been suffering in hell for 1,000 years.  And there will be no end to that suffering.

You might suggest to the lapsed Catholic who uses Excuse #3 or #4 to think about the most painful physical thing he or she has ever had to endure and then try to imagine living in that agony forever.  It’s a pretty sobering thought!

Sober Them Up!

The person who is drunk on earthly living needs to sober up.  Going to Mass on Sunday to refresh the soul is part of the prescription for the cure.  Regular Confession, receiving the Eucharist, daily prayer, and always remembering why we are here enhances the cure.

Next Monday, Part 11:  Excuse #5.

Part 1 is here; Part 2 here; Part 3 here; Part 4 here; Part 5 here; Part 6 here; Part 7 here; Part 8 here; Part 9 here.