[17] Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit. [18] When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money [19] and said, "Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the holy Spirit." [20] But Peter said to him, "May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money. [21] You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God. [22] Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven. [23] For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity." [24] Simon said in reply, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." [25] So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages.
(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 2118) God's first commandment condemns the main sins of irreligion: tempting God, in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony.
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