Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Catholic Church


(The Pretty Churches)

I thought I would end this trip (more or less, I haven't decided if I am going to keep writing) about the Catholic Church. We've been inside so many glorious churches throughout Europe reflecting different periods in artistic style as well as theology.  Granted the Church is changing faster at the moment than ever before.  Ironically, in Europe, religion in general is on a steep decline although they clearly have the rich history.  Inversely, Evangelicals in America can't seem to tell us enough about Jesus (odd, since they seem to be so in tune with the Old Testament.)

I didn't want this post to be a smug reflection for atheists or others with staunch opinions about the Church in general.  Clearly most of the money that has gone into building churches could have fed the poor and prevented corruption in the name of the Lord.  Something else to consider is the exuberant love in many cases that went into celebrating God. It would be hard to make the argument that the money could be better spent on holy wars.  Why do we love to fight with people who worship the same God differently?  It baffles me.


Whenever I go into a church, I always ask myself, "Does God live here?"  Sometimes it feels as though a rich person was trying to buy their way into heaven (which they were) or trying to impress everyone with their riches (which there also were).  Other times, I can feel the love of the artist and his relationship with what he is doing in the name of the Lord.  I am so touched and can tear up by indescribable beauty.  I am able to experience God through love expressed in art.  Where else could such divine inspiration originate?

I have also been blessed with seeing churches in many styles from many nations.  Each one does it their own way.  There are incredibly austere (boring, just kidding) churches in Holland reflecting local values to embarrassing riches in Rome made from lavish amounts of gold.  We saw a church yesterday that was gilded in upwards of 100kg of gold here in Portugal!  If you want to see a shining example in America, go visit the Basilica in Saint Louis.  It is done in the Byzantine mosaic style and is astonishing.

Why did they create these buildings?  In the early days, many cathedrals were used as expo centers or malls.  Each guild would sponsor an alcove and sell their goods before or after mass.  It just held everyone.  Many buildings were built to make you feel the awe of God by their sheer size.  Something we saw in Madrid was a church essentially converted into a homeless shelter complete with water fountain out front.  Pews were covered in blankets with the needy sleeping inside away from the elements.  In Belgium, we saw part of a church used for day care.  Why not use parts of churches as senior center or gathering places for arts and crafts?  I don't think the church is antiquated; it just needs to evolve with the times.  If a program takes care of people, why not try it?

Byzantine Style Church in Rome
One weird part of the Church in Europe is payment to enter a place of worship.  A part of me just cringes at paying to enter a church.  A sublime church here in Porto, Portugal was close to 7$ each.  I feel like I should get a plenary indulgence with my ticket.  In Bulgaria, churches charged you to take photos or a couple in Rome charged you to light up a painting.  I'm fine with paying to be a tourist.  At the end of the day, these building have to be burdensome on a declining congregation.  Imagine keeping valuable items safe from crime or the elements as well as paying priests or cleaning art and fixing leaks.   I also feel that these buildings are now testaments to the story of humanity.  I read some incredibly smug and callous rebuttals to repairing Notre Dame.  Notre Dame is more than a church—it is part of our story.  Not all stories have happy endings or only heroes.  The powerful Italian Medici family murdered a Pope so they could name a family member as Pope.  Two days later, the new Pope was made a priest.  The poor at times have also rose up against Papal corruption and burdensome taxes. 

School of Athens located in the Vatican Museum
The Church is going through a lot right now and it deserves it.  No one is above the law—God's or otherwise.  In the end I hope the Church gets its shit together.  Maybe they will take a new course.  My dad is still spinning in his grave over Vatican II.  Maybe it's time to have married priests like the Byzantine/Ruthenian Catholic still have in the Old Country. (G A S P) Who cares? I'm more interested in people sleeping in pews, being fed, and treated with dignity. 
Actually, a Bulgarian 5th Century Orthodox Church

Orthodox Icon

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Ravenna, Italy



Ravenna, Italy

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