Note: On Tuesdays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” (Luke 21:5-6, NRSVCE)
Many years ago, while I was an “away” Catholic, my husband and I toured the Vatican as part of a trip to Italy. My husband, a non-practicing Lutheran, roared with laughter to see Harley-Davidson and Harvey Keitel t-shirts for sale in the gift shop; I filled myself with what I considered righteous anger about the excessive art collection—all the way up the walls, on the ceilings. Seriously, why weren’t some of those works sold to help those in need instead of stuck in nooks and crannies where almost no one would spot them?
In a way, I was one of the people in today’s Gospel reading, 
focused on the outer trappings. And those outer trappings won’t matter a whit on Judgment Day. I suspect God won’t be impressed or disgusted by the “stuff” we’ve accumulated. Rather, how we’ve loved and what we’ve done to ease suffering and evangelize are what the Almighty will be considering.
All that artwork served a purpose in its day, even if few see it today. Church commissions kept families fed. Paintings and sculpture told the story of Jesus in the centuries that few read or even had access to the printed word. Art gives hope and sustains faith. It can even inspire action. So can we, in the Lord’s name.
As the liturgical year comes to an end, the readings remind us that we all will come to an end as well. Who do we want to be? People who focus on the Church’s peculiarities and peccadillos—or people focus on what will be left after the beautiful stones, gifts, magnificent frescos, and Harley-Davidson t-shirts have been thrown down?
