Listen, you priests! Pay attention, Israel! Listen, you members of the royal family. Justice was your duty. But at Mizpah and Mount Tabor you trapped the people. At the place of worship you were a treacherous pit, and I will punish you. (Hosea 5:1-2 CEV)
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Have you ever wondered what it was like to see the most beautiful ceiling in the world? It stands vaulted a good 60-70 off the ground and the richness and detail that Michelangelo put into it's creation is just mind blowing. When looking into this amazing work of beauty I wonder if I will be able to see it purely for its beauty or if I will be mentally and emotionally counting up the cost. The same can be said of other great works of architecture and it's connection to the other arts as well. I would love to someday go on a world tour to simply see such buildings as the Sistine Chapel, Notre Dame, St Basil's Cathedral, and the Hagia Sophia as well as some lesser known but still beautiful buildings like Aachen Cathedral in Germany, Redentore Church in Italy, Fontevrault Abbey in France, New Lutheran Church in the Netherlands, and San Miguel Cathedral in Spain. The days of building such great works as these are long since behind us. But there is a reason for that. We simply cannot get away with it anymore. Now I don't know exactly the history behind the building of each of these as well as so many other beautiful cathedrals that are peppered all over Europe, but I would not find it difficult to believe that every single one of them was, in one way or another, built off on the groaning backs of the poor.
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As I am sure most of you know by now, I love to sit down with a good book and some great coffee for an hour or two (or ten) after work at Barnes and Nobles. On the wall behind some of those comfortable chairs there is almost always the works of a local artist displayed. They change it up every month and when they do I usually spend a few minutes looking over the new artwork and reading the biography of whoever's stuff is on display. Often I've imagined what this or that painting of photography would look like in a certain spot in my apartment. There have been times that I've even called up the artist or gone to see some of their shows in other venues. I've never gone so far as to actually purchase anything, though. I simply cannot afford it. I'm not saying I do not have the money in the bank to purchase it. I am saying that the value of that great work of art is not equal to its cost. I wish that some of the builders of those great and beautiful buildings in Europe said the same things before setting out to start their work. Too much of the history of the Western Church, the European Church, has been about politics, prestige, and power. Too often the building of these cathedrals have been moves on the chessboard for this power. Instead of seeking after justice, which was our duty, we pursued prestige. We have made some magnificent places of worship that have served to enthrall and entrap the very people we have been called to serve. And we have today a Europe that is one of the most jaded, difficult mission fields anywhere in the world. They have seen our glory instead of Yours, and they want no part of it.
