Ask a Question - or - Return to the Faith and Spirituality Forum Index

Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
simony	Robert	Friday, December 4, 2009
Question: Recently my mother and I were shopping at a Catholic store. She wanted to buy me an icon diptych for a Christmas gift. I said ok and she did. I later learned that this particular diptych was from an official icon distributor of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some Internet stores who sell these icons said that they are blessed/consecrated. I now fear that I did something wrong because of simony. If the icons are indeed blessed/consecrated, how could they be sold from the Russian distributor in the first place? I tried reading about simony to see if I did something wrong but got confused. God bless, Robert
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Robert: Sorry about the delay in responding. The Hardon Catholic Dictionary defines simony as: A sacrilege that consists in buying and selling what is spiritual in return for what is temporal. In simony the person tries to equate material things, such as money, with spiritual things, such as divine grace, and treats the latter as though he or some other human being had full ownership of what really belongs to God. Simony, usually is in reference to relics (i.e. Canon 1190 - It is strictly forbidden to sell sacred relics), but in the case you describe it would be morally wrong to sell or buy a blessing. Blessings are not for sale. The diptych itself can be purchased at the fair market value of the diptych, but there cannot be an extra charge for the blessing. At least one source suggests that any item that has been blessed before it is sold loses its blessing, thus one must have it blessed again, if they wish. I am not sure that notion is "official". As long as there was no charge for the blessing it should be okay. You can have the diptych blessed by your local priest anyway. In any event, if the seller of the diptych did charge you for the blessing, and your mother did not know it, there is no sin on her part, or yours. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

simony

Robert

Friday, December 4, 2009

Question:

Recently my mother and I were shopping at a Catholic store. She wanted to buy me an icon diptych for a Christmas gift. I said ok and she did.

I later learned that this particular diptych was from an official icon distributor of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some Internet stores who sell these icons said that they are blessed/consecrated. I now fear that I did something wrong because of simony.

If the icons are indeed blessed/consecrated, how could they be sold from the Russian distributor in the first place?

I tried reading about simony to see if I did something wrong but got confused.

God bless,
Robert

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Robert:

Sorry about the delay in responding.

The Hardon Catholic Dictionary defines simony as:

A sacrilege that consists in buying and selling what is spiritual in return for what is temporal. In simony the person tries to equate material things, such as money, with spiritual things, such as divine grace, and treats the latter as though he or some other human being had full ownership of what really belongs to God.

Simony, usually is in reference to relics (i.e. Canon 1190 - It is strictly forbidden to sell sacred relics), but in the case you describe it would be morally wrong to sell or buy a blessing. Blessings are not for sale. The diptych itself can be purchased at the fair market value of the diptych, but there cannot be an extra charge for the blessing.

At least one source suggests that any item that has been blessed before it is sold loses its blessing, thus one must have it blessed again, if they wish. I am not sure that notion is "official". As long as there was no charge for the blessing it should be okay. You can have the diptych blessed by your local priest anyway.

In any event, if the seller of the diptych did charge you for the blessing, and your mother did not know it, there is no sin on her part, or yours.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum