[9] But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the straight paths of (the) Lord? [11] Even now the hand of the Lord is upon you. You will be blind, and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately a dark mist fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12] When the proconsul saw what had happened, he came to believe, for he was astonished by the teaching about the Lord.
(CCC 2121) Simony is defined as the buying or selling of spiritual things (Cf. Acts 8:9-24). To Simon the magician, who wanted to buy the spiritual power he saw at work in the apostles, St. Peter responded: "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!" (Acts 8:20). Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: "You received without pay, give without pay" (Mt 10:8; cf. already Isa 55:1). It is impossible to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods and behave toward them as their owner or master, for they have their source in God. One can receive them only from him, without payment. (CCC 2122) The minister should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority, always being careful that the needy are not deprived of the help of the sacraments because of their poverty"(CIC, can. 848). The competent authority determines these "offerings" in accordance with the principle that the Christian people ought to contribute to the support of the Church's ministers. "The laborer deserves his food" (Mt 10:10; cf. Lk 10:7; 2 Cor 9:5-18; 1 Tim 5:17-18).
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