One nice thing about having a key is knowing that you are really alone with Jesus in the church. Then you can sing or chant or pray aloud or prostrate yourself, or whatever you would always like to do but don’t for fear of distracting others.
I used to have the key to the church across the street from my office, and I would go every day and sing psalms to Jesus. It was wonderful.
Betsy
It’s really special praying alone in the church with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
So, I found this forum in my investigation to answer the very question of locked church doors. I’m sorry…but none of these reasons are good enough. I don’t mean that as an offense to those who posted them, but the thing is, vandalism is not a good reason to lock the church. Theft is not a good reason to lock the church. Bums urinating on the pews is not a good reason to lock the church. And if the state wants to apply codes to wether or not the church is allowed to lock or unlock their doors, the church needs to fight those codes. All of these concerns are material concerns in a house of spirituality. if these places are to be of God, then they need to be of God…and The God I love so dearly doesn’t give two craps about stuff no matter how sacred we deem it compared to His sheep.
I fail to understand why this is even an issue. Stuff vs people in the eyes of God…this is a no brainier.
I agree that it’s very important to give people an opportunity to visit Jesus… .but there are some real concerns that go even beyond loss of property, for example someone might attempt to steal or damage the Eucharist. It’s happened, sadly
like people walking out of Mass with the Host and then desecrating it.
Respectfully, I disagree with much of this.
First of all, the church wouldn’t have to worry about theft if they didn’t somehow feel that in order to worship a guy who preached an absolute sort of minimalism they needed 24 karat gold cups and the like.
they’re not for us or for the priests… St John Vianney lived very poorly, gave away nearly everything he owned, and ate only potatoes which were often mouldy! yet he tried to find the best things for Mass, because this is to honour God, not a human being or even the Church. If Christ came to your house, would you not try to offer Him the best you have?
Jesus lived poorly out of His humility… this does not mean that we should put the Eucharist on paper plates. How would this show love?
I agree with trying to keep churches open… I just don’t think there’s anything wrong with gold chalices either. The Church need not be lavishly decorated, only tasteful and traditional, but the chalices for the Eucharist are important. It also sends a message to the people… that this is not bread.
My turn to disagree here. If we love God then we will use all He gives us to care for others. who die daily for lack of food. So yes a plastic cup would not offend Jesus at all.
why not give our
own possessions to help the poor, but keep the gold chalices for Jesus? like I wrote about, St John Vianney gave away almost all his possessions, keeping only the barest essentials, yet he liked there to be beautiful vestments and decorations for Mass, not for himself, but for Christ. Christ comes to our churches in the Consecration so we need to show Him love and reverence inwardly
and outwardly
And please! The old boast cuts no ice. The Church is the richest organisation in the world and could eradicate child mortality without even noticing the expenditure.
The glory of God is not in rich vestments but in a world where no child goes hungry or dies of a preventible disease.
the Church’s possessions are mostly artworks… the Church itself is not that rich. For example, the things the Pope has, are not even his, they’re not his property and will simply go to the next Pope in the future.
God bless
