We are obliged as Catholics to support those who provide us with Mass and the other sacraments. How much should we contribute? If there are 10 000 Catholics in a parish, and a parish costs $1 000 per week to run, then a reasonable amount would seem to be about ten cents per person per week.
What if only 5 000 Catholics attend Mass and contribute? Catholics could reasonably be expected to double their contribution. This sounds unfair, because they are carrying the load for others, but it could be argued that the others are getting no benefit from the sacraments. But what happens when those attending are only 5% of the total? Can a priest reasonably demand that they give 20 times the individual amount? After all, $2 is not an onerous amount. Parishioners could logically argue that where a priest has not taught the faith, his failure has caused the loss of practising Catholics, and they are not obliged to cover for those who have lost the faith. A compromise is needed, since the amount averaged out over the whole of the parish will be too low, and the amount averaged over the small number who attend will be too high. A couple of generations ago, when attendance at Mass exceeded 80%, priests would teach that it was sinful to give support to organisations which failed to teach the Catholic faith. This was aimed at Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Today this same rule could be applied to many Catholic priests and bishops, who rarely if ever get onto subjects like sin, Hell, contraception, abortion, sodomy and other great evils which are destroying Western civilisation. Bishops and priests are ordained for three purposes: to lead the people, to administer the sacraments, and to teach the faith. Most defence of the Church today comes from the laity. A bishop may turn up to an anti-abortion rally, give a speech and then disappear. But he leaves the leading to others. Priests administer the sacraments, and for this they deserve our support. But they schedule Masses at times (eg 9am) that workers cannot possibly attend, so congregations are limited to the retired. As for teaching the faith, that disappeared a long time ago. Since they are doing only a fraction of the work they signed up to do, it could be argued that they should be paid an equivalent fraction of a fair amount. In the case of a parish north of Brisbane, with 11 500 Catholics but just 350 attending Mass, should the whole parish (11 500) attend on Sunday, and should each provide 50 cents, the parish would be awash with money. Unfortunately the lack of teaching has driven most away, so even if the remainder gave four times the amount, this would amount to $700, not enough to run the parish. What is the relationship between teaching and attendance? If priests don't teach, people assume that all will be saved. And priests and bishops actually preach this nonsense. Many Catholics have witnessed a funeral Mass where the deceased has been canonised before he was in the ground. St Joan of Arc took half a millennium to gain sainthood, but an Australian parishioner can be raised to the altars in minutes by an energetic priest. Fr. Barron Is Wrong Fr Barron is now Bishop Barron. Notwithstanding the silliness of his claims, he has been promoted. I have not seen any other bishop or priest refute his error. Again, the jingles presented as hymns on Sundays also indicate that we'll all be together in Heaven at the end of time. In fact, most Catholics will be lost. A great majority. If this had been taught over the last 50 years our churches today would be full.
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