Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
When Saint Francis of Assisi died in 1226, the Minister General of the Order, Brother Elias, immediately decided a basilica must be built to preserve the spirit and memory of Saint Francis. He called upon all the friars throughout Europe to collect money for the project, and then recruited architects, craftsmen, construction workers, and artists to build it.
It's said that the Renaissance was born in that church as the young artists celebrated the new spirit of Saint Francis. Southern Europe was experiencing a friendly climate, relative prosperity, and new opportunity, much as the US knew in the 1950's and 60's; and the basilica in Assisi expressed a new wonder in God's merciful providence. When the 13th century Catholic Church was about to collapse under its own prestige, power, and wealth, the Lord had raised up the prophet Francis to renew and rebuild it.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit Assisi and its most important church every year. Many are artists who hope to breathe the new spirit of the ancient Renaissance. Pilgrims go to honor the relics of the saint, to find or rediscover their faith, and to honor the God who lives here with us.
But there were many friars who resented Brother Elias's impositions. Shouldn't this money be given to the poor? they asked. The minister general's name is sullied to this day, and he will never be enrolled among the canonized saints of the Church.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, we remember that endless controversy between two ideals. Should we honor God with the most beautiful art and architecture we can possible create? Or should we give all our resources to the poor who are always with us. If the traitor Judas raised the question, it was also raised by Saint John Chrysostom and countless others.
Our religion is not idealistic. We understand and respect ideals; and we also understand for every ideal there is an opposite ideal. We listen, we discuss, we negotiate, we compromise, and we ask the Lord to guide us in every decision. Always we are spending our shared and limited resources. As Christians we want to demonstrate our love of God and, being creatures of matter we do it with material things. And being creatures of matter, we also share our material resources as we recognize the poor among us.
We may never get the balance perfectly right but we wake up every morning saying, "The Lord has given us another day to get it right."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.