When the Homily is about Immunology

Pointing the Finger

A friend of mine called me recently to tell me about the new Roman Catholic Cathedral in Los Angeles which cost some 200 million dollars. My friend went on and on about the elaborate décor and design of the building while continuously referencing the poor that would have been better helped by the money. Eventually, my friend grew silent - wondering why I was not joining him in the dialogue, which normally would have been a bandwagon I’d be happy to hop onto. He waited for me to explain.

“How much money did you give to the poor last week?” I asked – being acquainted with the person well enough to know the answer in advance. I was amazed to see not a defensive stance, but rather their face fell – like a dog tucking its tail between its legs. Indeed it is a humbling thing to find you have no ground to stand on. The question was directed to myself as well and I had not even begun to make my point to both of us.

How much money would the big screen TV, Home theatre system, and DVD player have provided to the poor? (I actually don’t have a big screen or HTS – but I’d like to have them!)

How much money would all those DVD rentals last month have provided for the poor?

How much money would that Honda Accord have provided to the poor if I had opted for a Geo Metro, a used car, or Public Transit instead?

The list goes on and on. Think of all the unnecessary luxuries we have in our homes…would a starving child in Bosnia even care to tell the difference between our homes and the new Catholic Cathedral?

Furthermore, I asked my friend if he had any idea whatsoever how much money the RC Church actually does give to the poor and what his attitude would be if he discovered on a strictly percentage basis that they give much more than we do?

I recall a lecture by Fr. Hopko in which an inquirer asked a question in regards to the perceived lax participation of laity in old world Orthodox Churches as compared to the seemingly more enthusiastic participation of protestants. Fr. Hopko paused after giving some preliminary insights and then says: “Do you have any idea of the danger we put ourselves in by making these sort of judgments?”

Let’s be careful out there so that we don’t sound like the publican.

The most common Orthodox Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.