Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Our New Church Will Bring Us To Hell?

I received a reaction that because of the church we are building, we are going to hell. I was not sure about the reason why such statement was made. But, honestly, I was taken aback by the comment. Suddenly, I questioned what we were doing. Suddenly, I began to reflect on it again. I presumed that the point was that we were making a very "expensive" church. It may seem to be expensive, but I would rather see it as relatively expensive and therefore may be justifiable. If the assumption was that spending so much money for a church is a grave sin and immoral and therefore will bring the builder to hell, then, so many are going to hell! How about those "rich" people who built houses that were exorbitant? How about the Basilicas in other countries? St. Peter in Rome was definitely expensive even during its time. Is damnation and salvation determined by the "cost"? Our parish church maybe expensive for some reasons but many do not know that most if not all of the parts of our church were carefully designed and their use and relevance were a result of so much reflection before they were made. The process of deciding the material and the design underwent a very tedious process. We were fortunate to have an architect that cared so much for our church that he really researched and exerted efforts that will make our church meaningful, relevant, and still beautiful.
With this church, I am willing to go to hell! But I know that I will be proud when I appear before God because I had tried to give to His home here on earth, our place of worship, only the best and the most right! How about the others? Can they claim the same for the buildings or houses they had built? Can they claim the same for the money they had spent for things they had acquired?

No comments: