Blogger and columnist Rod Dreher today posted this grim report from a reader about the kind of sermon nobody likes to hear:

This year’s drive for the [local Catholic community chest] has been protracted, and Deacon N, after concluding his homily, directed us to the contribution forms that were in each pew. Fair enough. But then, he went through it line by line, slowly so that people would have time to fill it out as he went through the form. That process broke the peace and the feeling of the presence of the Holy Spirit that had been building in me during the service. I went to my car and cried. I really needed that peace and presence of the Holy Spirit. That was just a bad day to bring salesmanship into the sanctuary…

And Rod’s response:

Money comes from the people. It’s easy for the people to forget that, and to think that the church is like a public utility. That said, I have in the past been in parishes where the priest just banged on and on and on about giving money for this or that building project of the church. Once I wrote on the donation card, “No dogma, no dollars” – and signed it. I feel pretty strongly about tithing between eight and 10 percent of my income as an obligation, but I’m not giving a penny more if there is no attempt actually to give solid teaching regularly from the pulpit. I wonder if deacons and pastors would have to beg like this for money if they were giving meaty, solid sermons most of the year? Maybe they would, I dunno. Perhaps you pastors among the readership could let us know.

Anyway, it seems particularly insensitive in this time of great economic stress, to spend an entire sermon ragging on people to give money.

Thoughts? You can read more, and some of the reader comments, at the link.