Priests and the government "shutdown"

The government is said to have “shutdown” on 1 October 2013 because the continuing resolution to fund some or all of the new fiscal year could not be agreed to by members of Congress and the Senate. There is still a mass amount of confusion for how much of the government still somehow operating.

As a result of this, some news articles have circulated that say that the priests who are contracted to give mass and perform priestly duties for military personnel cannot volunteer. These reporters have projected the idea that the priests cannot perform Mass at all. In order to understand how we got here, a few things have to be noted about fiscal law, and how volunteering is illegal according to our laws.

Few have the training and knowledge of how fiscal law works within our government. In the fiscal law there is what is referred to the “color of money” in which fiscal appropriations have three parts, 1) time, 2) purpose, and 3) amount. This means that the particular pool of money given to a department or agency of the government cannot be used in such a way that violates these three given limitations. For example, the government might allot $2 million to the FAA for Operations and Maintenance, which is good for that purpose (2), for 1 year (1), and cannot exceed the appropriation of $2 million (3). A violation would occur if the money was used to purchase a new construction project (violates purpose) that cost $2.4 million (violates amount) and was to start in the next fiscal year (violates time). These are violations of the Antideficiency Act, which disallows the government to obligate the appropriation for use and amount outside its “color of money”.

Further, our government has outlawed the hiring of volunteers for any scope of work unless authorized by statute. To hire, say, a fireman without pay is hiring a volunteer and is a violation of the Economy Act. There is a real need for this sort of law. If it did not exist the government could influence contractors to work for free on future promises, to gain merit, or any other number of reasons. The bottom line is, the government is limited in this capacity for a good reason.

This is hardly an introduction to fiscal law that would be worthy of the training necessary for those who are charged with the responsibilities of handling and spending these appropriations in accordance with the law, but for all intents and purposes, this gives you the understanding to better appreciate the situation with the priests who are “not able to volunteer”. As much as I agree with the enthusiasm for the writers covering the situation with the priests, I cannot speak well of the credibility of their portrayal of the facts. The fact is, these priests are contracted employees of the government when they perform within the scope of work given in their contract. It has been illegal at all times, funded or not, for the government to hire a volunteer since the Economy Act was penned into law after the Civil War. So the notion that the priest can’t volunteer because the government is shutdown, is a misrepresentation of the facts.

Does this mean a priest cannot offer Holy Mass? No. It would be volunteering if the given priest were to perform Mass in the capacity of their given contract though. Many have asked, “what if someone was dying? Would the priest be able to perform the Anointing of the Sick?” I would answer, does not being on duty stop a lifeguard from saving a life at the beach? The key factor would be intent. Because it is a regular duty of the priest to perform these actions, their actions are not tied to their government contract. In other words, their contract is not what makes them a priest. The meaning of the “priest cannot volunteer” is a real stretch, you see, because the real law means they cannot willfully perform their contractual duties in the capacity of the contractor.

The "Extra" Stuff

The Extra “Stuff”

Recently I had a conversation with my close friend who is not Catholic, although a sure Christian. So we get to talking about his family’s history in which denomination and such, and I find out that some of his relatives/ancestors were Catholic. On a side note, I like to think that, if Christian at all before the 1540’s, all of our ancestors were Catholic. I ask him plainly, “and why aren’t you Catholic, what made you decide otherwise?”

I got a great answer out of him. A very truthful and sincere “I don’t need all the extra stuff.  Some of my friends are Catholics, and they are happy with that but none of it matters for my salvation. What matters is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and I can add nothing to that.” A fine reply. We had some people over to our house and I did not want to start on a long drawn out conversation. I chose prudence; saying what needs to be said, only when it needs to be said, and otherwise letting people have their say. Sometimes I do really want to reply. Heck, I might even have a fantastic reply but my words don’t always need to be heard. Even if I never discuss this with this person again, there are times where people need to be listened to and not spoken at.  So I said nothing other than acknowledging his sentiment, and I do sincerely identify with his words, but not all of them.

The “extra stuff” in Catholicism might seem extra to one who is not of the faith, but to a Catholic they are vital. Likewise, take a step further; imagine this conversation taking place with a non-Christian. They might see Christmas, Easter, other holy days, going to retreats, participating in communion, and tithing as the stuff of religiosity, or otherwise “extra.” And seriously, do Christmas, Easter, and going on retreats do anything for our salvation? Do they add to the work of the cross? No, and no. But – Don’t they strengthen our faith? Don’t they have usefulness and obligation? All Christians participate in these but are they required for our ultimate salvation? No.

As a Protestant I was objecting to the same topics: if they are not required for salvation then why confess to a priest, believe in the Real Presence, and the other Catholic dogma. What I was thinking is that they were just dissimilar beliefs, like the way you and me believe or don’t believe that pepperoni is better than sausage on a pizza. What I started to consider though, is the consequences, not of the belief, but of the possible truth. I started to think, “what if that bread is really Jesus, what if it is true?” I would even tell myself, “if it is, then aren’t I consuming it no matter what, and therefore, I am not missing out or doing anything wrong.” I thought that was pretty slick, but then I read 1 Corinthians 11:29, “whoever eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” I asked myself, if it is just a symbol, how again am I drinking judgment upon myself? Is there any other parallels instance where God judges us for metaphors and symbolism?

So again I implore the consequences. One might not believe in confessing to a priest, but if they really can and are supposed to forgive sins why am I not doing that? Leading on, if they are supposed to forgive sins then that means one is expected to confess, right? As a protestant I believed I was “ever forgiven;” that once Jesus forgave my sins he forgave them all future, present, past – an idea that is hardly biblical first of all. But even if I was right, the logic and scripture do not match up. James tells us to confess our sins to one another (5:16), 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Why confess if you are already forgiven? Protestant websites filled me with other hope that the confession was relinquishing God’s judgment on me (see “gotquestions” website) or other illogical arguments. The fact is: the bible says we need to confess. And just for the non-Catholic, the Church does not teach that a man forgives sins. We believe God, and only God will forgive sins. The Priest is participating in the High Priests authority (see Hebrews) as an ambassador, literally, as Paul tells in Ephesians 6:20, Philemon 1:9, and an ambassador carries the will of the King with him. For more on Jesus giving the power to forgive sins check out the Gospel of John 20:19-23.

Even Jesus, God Himself was Baptized for purposes John did not fully comprehend.

There remain many other examples to pull from. Do we need to pray to saints? Do we need to pray the Our Father? I would argue the only “extra” in the Christian faith is the practice of something harmful to ourselves and others. The Catholic faith is purported to be as old as Pentecost, circa 29AD. A priest said to me, “Satan has tried to destroy us, we have tried to destroy ourselves, but it cannot be done.”

If we are really the body of Jesus Christ, not just a metaphor, how can anything we teach be extra?

Primative Persecution: Tarcisius

I want to share a story of persecution from the primitive Church.

When the emperor Valerian ordered the execution of bishops, priests, and deacons, Christians attended Mass in basements and in the catacombs outside the city walls. Deacons would take Communion to Christians for whom getting to Mass was too dangerous. On one such occasion, no deacon was available. The priest did not know what he would do until his alter boy, a young Roman boy of 11 names Tarcisius stepped forward after Mass and said that he would carry Communion to some Christians waiting inside the city walls. The priest admired Tarcisius for his grit, gave him the Sacred Hosts wrapped in silk along with a quick blessing, and sent him toward the city.

All was going well until Tarcisius ran into some pagan boys his own age who asked him to come and join their game. Tarcisius thanked them, explained he had an errand to run, but said he would join them later.

“Oh! Christian boy.”  One of the pagan boys sneered. “Is is that you think you are too good to play with us?” And they circled around Tarcisius.

“Not at all,” said Tarcisius. “I have something to deliver and must be on my way.”

“Well – show us what it is! What is the big secret, Christian boy?”

“It is no business of yours,” said Tarcisius, looking each of the boys squarely in the eye. “Now step aside and make way.”

Rather than step aside, the pagan boys closed their circle around Tarcisius, and as they did they picked up heavy sticks and rocks from the ground. One of them shouted, “I bet he’s carrying the Christian Mysteries!”

“Are you, Christian boy?” demanded another. “Show us!”

Tarcisius, clutching his precious cargo to his chest made a dash for what looked like an opening in the circle, but he was not quick enough. The mob of boys closed in around him and they began to club him with stones and heavy sticks. Tarcisius did not cry out, but quietly prayed, ever clutching the Blessed Sacrament to his chest.

The pagan boys beat him to death.

With bloodies hands, they seized the bruised and broke n body of Tarcisius and tried to twist the silk cloth carrying the Eucharist out of his dead arms. Although he had no life left in him, Tarcisius would not let go of our Lord. The boys tried for hours to pry his arms open but they failed and failed again. They left Tarcisius body by the side of the road for the vultures to eat.

After a time, some Christians went looking for Tarcisius, and when they found his broken and bloodied corpse still clinging to the Blessed Sacrament, they guessed what had happened. Carefully lifting the small boy's body, they gently bore it back to the priest, who by now had grown deeply concerned about his young altar boy. Christians set the boy’s body at the foot of the priest, who knelt down and quietly brushed Tarcisius’ hair, matted with blood, away from his face and with his thumb made the sign of the cross on his forehead. At that moment, Tarcisius’ body unfolded its arms and released the Blessed Sacrament to the priest, and all who witnessed this knew that here was a Holy Christian boy who had held Jesus in his arms and who now was being held forever in the arms of Jesus.  

The young boy Tarcisius’ was canonized and his feast day is 15 August.

The story was taken from Catholic Answers magazine from the March-April 2011 issue, p. 11.