Letter From the Bishop during homily

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Divine3

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This is the reality of many churches in our Nation. But what amazes me is the amount of money people in certain parts of the USA spend in just selling a house. A million dollars for a house in certain parts of the East Coast. Our Catholic faith is beyond price and more important than the next car or truck you buy. And then these houses with all their rooms might only have one child in it. Unless they fill it up with cats and dogs.
 
The letter is sad.

I would not dwell on how others spend their money or utilize their houses.

How much should people give to the Church?
 
No, I truly don’t dwell on money or how my neighbor uses his money. I do ask myself how am I living my Christian life in regards to material things. I do dwell on Jesus. And there are wonderful, generous people who choose to live a simple life and give generously, (and witness to their families) by giving to missions, their parish and diocese. Also great folks who give without people even knowing how generous they are. And give of their time etc. But seeing how some people in wealthy countries live for material things, and forget Lazarus who stands at their door is a great scandal. This path can lead one to the judgment seat of Christ. Jesus has warned us, in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man what can happen when you forget the poor. Yes, the letter had a sadness to it. I can’t help but wonder what our future will be here in the USA …things are changing right before our eyes.
 
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That letter is truly powerful. And I think it could be a clear call/plea to all Eastern Catholics, not just the Ruthenians of the Eparchy of Parma. Our particular churches sui iuris and individual parishes can no longer afford to be cultural clubs. We need to be evangelized, and then we need to go out and evangelize. New programs from the bishop or the parish clergy or some other ministry aren’t going to do the trick. We each need to embrace and radically live/witness to the Faith as expressed in our particular traditions, and welcome any newcomers. Otherwise, we need to face the writing that’s already on the wall and direct blame at ourselves (not our priests and bishops) for letting our traditions die.
 
Beryllos said:
The letter is sad.

I would not dwell on how others spend their money or utilize their houses.

How much should people give to the Church?
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You’re right. It’s how much we give, not how much our houses cost.

We had a parish priest who always talked about people who build “big houses.” One day I talked about it to him:

“Father, I have a big house. Are you saying I should have given that money to the poor?”

“Well, that would have been better.”

"But I DID give the money to some poor men – and they built me a house. And I gave them the dignity of earning their living instead of living on charity. A young fellow who worked on the house thanked me – saying he learned so much on that job. He will be better able to support his wife and child now.

Economic studies have shown that money spent like that circulates five times on average – it’s a very efficient way of providing jobs and opportunities."

He had no response.
 
I agree with every word of the letter. The Bishop very clearly articulated what’s going on within the Byzantine Church. Certainly, we win the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh have been formally discussing these themes in earnest over the last year and a half as it’s recognized that action is needed to save our traditions and customs.
 
It is good that you were able to pay the workmen.

In my town, many homes are built by wealthy developers or development companies. It is true that these property developers hire many construction workers, but they also keep a large share of the profits for themselves. Thus the rich get richer and the worker just makes a living wage.
 
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Beryllos said:
In my town, many homes are built by wealthy developers or development companies. It is true that these property developers hire many construction workers, but they also keep a large share of the profits for themselves. Thus the rich get richer and the worker just makes a living.
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Let me see – an investor puts his money at risk, hires men who otherwise would be dependent on charity, the money circulates five times – and he’s NOT entitled to a profit?
 
I’m just calling it as it is. The rich get richer and the worker makes a living wage.
 
Beryllos said:
I’m just calling it as it is. The rich get richer and the worker makes a living wage.
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Pardon me, but I get the impression that the rich should not get richer. Why not? They drive the economy. They are the people the rest of us rely on for jobs. If it were not for people willing to put their talents to work and risk everything they have, the rest of us would be living miserable life.
 
Can we please get back to the subject if this thread? The Bishops letter.
 
My apologies to the OP for going off topic.

I think if the Church evangelized better, the Church’s money problem would solve itself.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” — Matthew 6:33
 
vern_humphrey said:
Pardon me, but I get the impression that the rich should not get richer. Why not? They drive the economy. They are the people the rest of us rely on for jobs. If it were not for people willing to put their talents to work and risk everything they have, the rest of us would be living miserable life.
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While there is truth in what you’ve written, it’s one-sided. If it weren’t for those of us who aren’t rich who go to work in the employment of the rich, then the rich wouldn’t remain rich for long. The dependence goes in both directions.
 
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The question is, how can the Church evangelize better?

I’ve been around (and worked for) too many ministries that claim they are “saving” the Catholic Church by producing better evangelization resources. The problem with things like these is that they reduce the Faith to data - one philosophical system among many from which to choose.

I think the main thrust of the bishop’s letter is that the only way to truly “evangelize better” is through the living witness of the faithful. As St. Seraphim of Sarov said, “Acquire the Holy Spirit, and a thousand around you will be saved.” The problem with this is, such a living witness is difficult and demands a great deal from each and every one of us.

The days when we could rely on better programs, systems, or methods of evangelization to renew the Church are long over. Sadly, only a few in the Church are starting to wake up to this reality. Any renewal in the Church that happens today is going to come from groups within parishes that commit themselves to living the Faith out in the world in a more radical way.
 
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