Many people complain about the wealth of the Catholic
Church. They argue that the Catholic
Church is hypocritical because it would prefer to gather immense wealth rather
than help the poor.
In the 1960’s I was a student at CUA, the Catholic
University of America in Washington DC.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is adjacent to the CUA
campus. The Basilica’s lowest level has
the names of thousands of donors who helped pay for its construction. The names are literally plated in gold. The entire building exudes wealth. I was appalled because across Wisconsin
Avenue where the Basilica sits, there were residential neighborhoods along 7th
and 8th Streets which were the poorest I had ever encountered. The contrast was disturbing. ‘How can so much wealth sit amongst so much
poverty?’ was the question in my mind.
I noticed an elderly black lady who daily trudged from the
poverty of 8th Street to the splendor of the Basilica. Given my disgust with the Catholic Church for
being so insensitive to the poor, I approached her one day and asked why she
was so drawn to the Basilica.
She answered, ’I may only give a penny, but it is all I have
and I give it as a token of my Faith in my Lord. I want my Lord to have the finest house in
the land.’
It was then that I saw the wealth of the Catholic Church in
a different light and I am eternally grateful to this little, old lady. God bless her!
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