Stop picking on shoppers.

Buyer, beware. If you think missing a sale or leaving your coupons at home are the worst hazards to avoid, think again. Some religious professionals--preachers, writers, al gurus--have news for you. They believe that shopping can put a dent not only in your pocketbook but also in your relationship with God. But I would like to make the case for shopping as an exercise of spirituality.

It was the week before Christmas when I first heard the negative message about shopping loud and clear. The communion meditation read at my parish during Sunday Mass was a plea:

O shoppers, dear shoppers

put your carts away.

Please put your carts away

and search deep down within your hearts

for gifts that will not rust or fade.

For where your treasure is

there is your heart.

O look into your God-splashed, gospelled

hearts and see! See Christmas standing there

waiting to be

not bought

but given free. (From Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers & Reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B., Harpersan Francisco, 1991.)

Since I had spent the better part of the preceding week behind a shopping cart, I was annoyed. But my discomfort with the message paled in comparison with that of the reader, an active parishioner who was also an executive with a major department store in the region. "That was tough," he sighed in the sacristy after Mass. "When I saw the script, I didn't think I was going to be able to get the words out."

Later that Advent Sunday afternoon, I wanted to reflect more deeply on this anti-shopping, "otherworldly" version of spirituality proclaimed at church. But cartloads of newly purchased presents were waiting to be wrapped and shipped, and cartloads of ingredients were piled high on the kitchen counter. In less than one week, our family's traditional Christmas fruitcakes would be "given free." But first, they needed to be mixed and marinated, baked and boxed. My spirituality was that of a shopper, measured out in mixing bowls, and held together with Scotch tape.

Months went by, marked by the change of seasons and several additional holidays. Then in August, the Mall of America opened. The question of the relationship of shopping and spirituality confronted me once again.

Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Mall of America is the largest and most elaborate retail and entertainment complex in the country. Covering 78 acres, it houses 400 stores; 14 movie theaters; 30 restaurants; a two-story, 18-hole miniature golf range; and a fully enclosed 23-ride amusement park. It is estimated that on opening day, the mall had 150,000 visitors and 30 million people in its first ten months of business. In the local and national media, the mall has been billed as a shopper's paradise. Listening to some religious leaders, you might think of it as an evil from which the faithful should pray daily to be delivered.

Not so long ago, the denial heard most frequently in homilies related to television. The preacher would preface an anecdote from some prime-time episode with the disclaimer, "You know, I seldom watch television. But this week, I just happened to see a show that illustrates today's scripture readings."

I have always found such denials puzzling. What is the real message being communicated: I never relax? I am above the ordinary? Holiness has more to do with the remote than with the remote control? When the megamall opened its doors, mention of television viewing slipped to a distant second place in the sermon-denial sweepstakes. Its replacement: "I, myself, have never been to the Mall of America." Accompanied by just the right self-righteous smile, this claim becomes more an assertion of ritual purity than a simple statement of fact. What is going on here?

Many national church groups hold their conventions in the Twin Cities. In attendance at one such gathering were hundreds of religious educators and ministers who coordinate faith-formation programs for future members of the church. When speakers at this conference mentioned the nearby Mall of America, their remarks were met with anxious, almost derisive laughter from the participants. Could it be that church folks who claim some expertise in recognizing God wholesale within human experience would deny the possibility of discovering God in retail?

The most explicit attack came from a religious sister who spoke at a meeting of pastoral ministers in my area. In a talk centered on the goodness of all of God's creation, she described the mall as the "vast temple of consumerism." It was pretty clear to her listeners, the majority of whom were religious sisters like herself, that she was drawing a line, not in the sand but in the parking lot. In her understanding, visitors to the Mall of America were coming for miles to worship and pay homage to a false god.

Just days before, I had been to the mall to purchase a set of Lego building blocks for a 7-year-old's birthday party. I hadn't felt the slightest twinge of idolatry or immorality the whole time I was there.

For people with families, shopping is not a matter of choice. Traditional theology would classify it in the category of "duties of one's state in life." Food does not magically appear on my family's dinner plates. Its journey from field and factory culiminates in a ride in my grocery cart, and only then onto the table. My second-grade son leads our meal prayer, "Lord, give all people the food they need, so that they may join us in giving you thanks." Spirituality is the recognition that were it not for my shopping, these very real people gathered at this specific table would not receive the food that they need.

And when the food is eaten, the children grow. Within the past year, medical researchers finally confirmed what every perplexed parent had long since observed: children can and do sprout up to 11/2 inches in a 24-hour period, shortening an entire closet full of long pants overnight. To the parents of healthy children, clothes that are suddenly too short or too tight are a sacramental sign of life. A spirituality of shopping enables the search for the next size on the chart to become a prayer of thanksgiving.

When I shop for myself, I remember that the God of our Faith is not only the God of Goodness and Truth but also of Beauty. Spirituality, self-knowledge, and positive self-esteem have a lot to do with my choice of clothing. With my body type, I would do the God of Beauty no favors by purchasing a pair of stirrup pants, for example, no matter how inexpensive they might be. Vanity is quite distinct from beauty, and one of my favorite hymns is "O God of Loveliness."

Shopping offers discipline, not only in saving money but also in spending it. Alongside a commitment to working for justice and contributing to charity, shopping is the most common activity that teaches generosity. Greeting cards selected for birthdays and anniversaries acknowledge the sacredness of feasts and seasons. The time-consuming challenge of choosing an appropriate present can remind us that family members and friends are themselves unique gifts--no two alike.

Anyone who would claim religious authority or authenticity would do well to remember that the Second Vatican Council affirmed that each baptized Christian participates in the "Universal Call to Holiness." Taking its message seriously, I refuse to believe that sanctity is out of reach for those of us who must go on errands more frequently than we go to Mass, or who make shopping lists more frequently than we make retreats.

To those who remain skeptical about a spirituality of shopping, I offer a final, biblical reminder. When Jesus went to celebrate the marriage feast of Cana, he changed six stone jars of water into at least 90 gallons of wine. If ever those of us who are his followers would want to give such an extravagant wedding gift, we'd have to go shopping for it. We might even go to the Mall of America.

So stay away if you choose, but please reconsider your harsh judgment on those of us who shop religiously. And don't criticize until you've walked a mile in another's mall.

Each month, advance copies of Sounding Board are mailed to a representative sample of U.S. CATHOLIC subscribers. Their answers to questions about Sounding Board and a balanced selection of their comments about the article as a whole appear in Feedback.

1. Learning to shop within your means is spiritual discipline. 88% agree 7% disagree 5% other

2. I've heard hominists rail against shopping. 12% agree 81% disagree 7% other

3. Buying more than you need is sinful. 38% agree 34% disagree 28% other

4. I shop even when I have no particular reason to buy. 25% agree 66% disagree 9% other

5. Shopping may be necessary, but it's not holy. 38% agree 48% disagree 14% other

6. A mall is built and designed to promote rash spending. 40% agree 48% disagree 12% other

7. People shouldn't have to apologize for shopping. 89% agree 3% disagree 8% other

8. Shopping is a chore for me that I offer up to God. 28% agree 53% disagree 19% other

9. In a week, I spend the following amount of time shopping: 81% 1-3 hours 19% 4-7 hours 0% 8-11 hours 0% 12-15 hours 0% more than 15 hours a week

10. Shopping is an enjoyable social event. 43% agree 36% disagree 21% other

11. Along with Patricia Hughes Baumer, I think it's okay to shop. 43% agree 36% disagree 21% other

SHOPPING IS A SIN WHEN:

You buy what you don't need at the expense of what those who depend on you need--and that includes the poor. Or when you buy products you know are the result of oppressive working conditions and injustice.

Sister Rita M. Hickey, O.S.C. New Orleans, La.

It becomes the only way to express self-esteem and self-definition, as when shopping in order to have things to impress people with.

Judith Jakubowska Chicago, Ill.

It consciously violates either my own well-being or that of another, either in what I spend or what I buy.

Barbara Schlotfeldt Tacoma, Wash.

It becomes an obsession and time or money is wasted at the expense of the family.

Julie Nelson Volga, S.D.

One feels one must live beyond one's means to keep up with the neighbors. It is also a sin when one is buying luxuries and not willing to share them with others who are less fortunate than themselves.

Pat Culpepper Austin, Tex.

A person habitually buys materials that he or she doesn't need when the money could be more wisely spent on things such as child support, food for the poor, or sponsoring a child for a year.

Michael Montgomery Centerville, Ohio

You waste money needed for living and deprive the family.

Mary Alice Cole El Centro, Calif.

ONE WAY SHOPPING IS A SPIRITUAL EXERCISE FOR ME IS:

When I browse the numerous religious items as well as the souvenirs in the store within St. Patricks Cathedral in New York.

Kim Blakesley Coatesville, Pa.

When I help my wife by being with her when she grocery shops. There is a bonding between us in doing something neither of us is wild about. Also, when shopping for Christmas, we anticipate the joy our children and grandchildren will have when opening presents selected with love.

Don Bongiorno Woodland Park, Colo.

I take God with me and ask for wisdom and guidance when I shop.

Kedda Keough Kirkland, Wash.

Teaching my children, who often accompany me, how to shop and buy for the family and for themselves to find value in the goods and services they purchase.

Michael Pearl Aurora, Colo.

When I am planning a surprise or seeking a unique gift for someone special to me. That experience reminds me of how fortunate I am to have that particular person part and parcel of my life.

Coletta Dillenburg Chicago, Ill.

When I am in line at the grocery store (and can pretty much buy what I please for my family) and I see people in line less fortunate than myself--downtrodden and using food stamps, I silently say a prayer for them, especially for the children of such families.

Suzanne Southworth Muskegon, Mich.

When I face and avoid temptation.

Timothy A. Dority Brighton, Colo.

When I am choosing gifts, especially books, and am anticipating the pleasure of the recipients.

Dorothy C. Connor Chicago, Ill.

When I have to buy what's necessary.

Name withheld Oklahoma City, Okla.

When I shop for a gift for a person I love, it can be a spiritual experience. I'm mindful of that person's likes, habits, and the happy times we've spent together. I try to bring that person some joy, and it is an opportunity to be thankful for having him or her in my life.

Joyce Cremerius Prospect Heights, Ill.

KNEW I WAS SHOPPING TOO MUCH WHEN:

I went shopping for one or two items, left with 20 or 30 I didn't need, and forgot the one or two I went for in the first place.

Janet M. Balbierz Salt Lake City, Utah 

I ran out of closet, cupboard, and drawer space.

Pam Minich Carrollton, Tex.

I found clothes in my closet I had never worn, had never even removed the tags, and I was still looking for others.

Susan Danner Montrose, Colo.

I got my credit-card bill!

Joan Cutler Buena Park, Calif.

I thought of adding a room onto my house to store the stuff I didn't need. Years back, my husband and I were compulsive spenders--which resulted in financial disaster and assisted in ruining an already shaky marriage. Compulsive spending is an addiction just like any other, and it takes a lot of work and prayer.

Mary Walter Torrance, Calif.

It was time to drag all the Christmas presents out of the closet to wrap, and I found things I could vaguely remember buying and had to think hard about who some of them were for.

Pat Cetera Lockport, III.

It was all I did on a Saturday. When I got home, I was too tired to do the chores that really needed doing.

Maxine Arnoldy Overland Park, Kans.

I found that I had things (especially clothes) that I didn't need and didn't even enjoy using, but I had bought them because they were "on sale." I felt guilty about how I was using both time and money.

Name withheld Roselle, Ill.

THE CHRISTIAN SHOPPER'S GUIDE

The real challenge for a Christian is knowing the difference between what is necessary to make your life better and holier and what is the stuff that costs money and ends up cluttering up your home and life.

Frank Sanwark Phoenix, Ariz.

Shopping is like many other things that when done in moderation, create no harm. I frequently go shopping but don't always buy something. It is fun to be with friends and just look. It provides an opportunity for being together and perhaps sharing lunch.

Lois Moore Decatur, Ill.

To shop or not to shop is not a moral issue, and I don't want anybody adding an 11th Commandment saying "Thou shalt not shop" to the Ten we already have. If a religious community wants to discourage it in their community for disciplinary or ascetic reasons, okay, but for us laypeople, shopping for the best item at the best price is necessarily part and parcel of supporting our families--a duty we are bound to by the Sacrament of Matrimony. A plague on his house who tries to lay a guilt trip on us for going shopping.

Clare E. Wolf Scranton, Ariz.

Shopping should not be condemned from the pulpit. Like several other gray areas in life, it is neither good nor bad in itself, but it can be abused.

Lesley B. Dannelley Houston, Tex.

We just cannot go back to the primitive way of life. The only way the world can support its many people is with modem marketing. There are excesses anywhere you want to look: shopping, sleeping, self-torture (sometimes called penance), spanking kids--you name it, it's there. So don't just pick on shopping. Moderation in all things is my motto.

Mary C. Pettit Reseda, Calif.

When I was living in my home alone, shopping often gave me my only human contact that day. Now that I live in a retirement center, I shop less often.

Margaret Matthieu Port Angeles, Wash.

The most harmful thing about shopping is that so many employees must work nights and Sundays to serve the shoppers, which, in turn, adds to the further breakdown of family life.

Marian Niemeier Evansville, Ind.

I am grateful that my mother and several of my teachers taught me how to be a wise shopper. The most important thing I learned was the difference between a "want" and a "need."

Maggie McGurk-Kramer Manhattan, Kans.

Shopping is a healthy American response to American free enterprise. It encourages competition, and as a result, consumers win more than they lose.

Tony Diaz Montague, Calif.

In medieval days, the cathedral was the center of town for marketing and socializing. Today, malls are cathedral-like, centrally located, lots of marble, fountains, and artwork. Have people turned their Sundays into mall-worshiping times?

Marilyn Smith St. Louis, Mo.

(All comments used in Feedback must be signed, but we will withhold names on request. We regret that space limitations force us to condense letters and that many letters cannot be used at all. We try to reflect major opinion trends accurately. Our thanks to all who wrote. --The Editors)

Patricia Hughes Baumer has been active in pastoral ministry for 23 years and currently serves as a lay preacher in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.