In an article in the Catholic Times' column: In the Eyes of the Believer, a retired newspaperman was reluctant to speak about his own behavior. He also wondered why this was happening. Since he found to his surprise he was one of those who were not living up to his commitment to the community which he joined by not attending Sunday Mass. For a while, he was going to other parishes and finally just gave up going to Mass.
They were building a church and from this point on, the priest's sermons on Sunday Mass was a matter of "contribution." In the parish bulletin, the names and amounts of those who contributed to the building fund were listed. Not only the building fund but also the general offering. Sermons based mainly on money. Dividing the amount given into Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A believers separately praised for their generosity. In this atmosphere, more and more believers went to neighboring churches to attend Sunday Mass. The pastor criticized these believers harshly.
"This was not what it should be..." It was really painful.
What is Sunday Mass? It is a time to escape from the competitive battlefield of survival for a time of rest, reflecting on the word of the Lord and looking to shake off the dust from the world. But the church atmosphere is more secular than the world. On Sunday mornings, first, my feet hesitated and finally stopped altogether.
The new church was built and a new pastor came. I started going to the parish Sunday Mass again. The tone of the sermon has changed. However, the back page of the weekly bulletin was still used to announce the name and amount from the donors in repaying the debt. And even though he was joking, he would often emphasize the offerings and gifts. The obsession with money was rooted in everyday life.
It is not difficult to imagine the difficulties of priests who with faith and enthusiasm have been assigned to build a church. How painful it is to try to encourage more participation by revealing the amount and name of the donors. Should that be the case? How much more money can be raised by this method. Is it really necessary to replace the values that Jesus handed down?
“I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on."
Why doesn't it matter if you have a lot of money to put in the basket? Rather, he said that people are more important than money and that human faith and devotion are more important than the amount of money. In terms of money, this widow has no place in our faith community. This is why Jesus said, “Let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing,” and take care of the poor and the marginalized.
On Sunday the church says "Money, money…" We forget the poor, disobey the word of the Lord, His commandment to keep holy the Sabbath. The trend in the city towards money, quantity, and efficiency have entered the churches, keeping pace with neoliberalism and polarization prevalent in society.
According to reports, the church is taking measures to reduce the rate of absence from the Sunday Mass. But there is no precise solution. The newspaperman thinks there is. The words of Jesus are the countermeasures, and the Ten Commandments, many people are leaving because they don't see the community of faith following the Word of God.
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