(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 |
No comments:
Post a Comment