“Would Christ receive so much radiance in the churches?” St. Nicholas Velimirovich

A very apt answer of St. Nicholas Velimirovich to the question why there is wealth and splendor in the Holy Temples, which are decorated with elaborate ecclesiastical items.

“Would Christ tolerate so much brilliance in the Church?” Definitely. He tolerated it then, he would tolerate it now. At that time there was the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, one of the rare wonders of architecture and luxury in the world. This temple had more gold and precious stones inside than all the Christian temples in the Balkans today. “And the whole house was full of gold, until the whole house was full” (1 Kings 6:22). Christ entered this temple many times, but he never expressed your opinion that all this should be transformed into bread and eaten. He foresaw the collapse of this temple and the temple was destroyed, but not because of the gold. in the temple, but because of the mud in human souls. I am pleased that you are showing mercy to the poor, but I would be even more pleased if you were showing mercy to your own wealth and not to that of others. But I would not like to see you on the same side as Judas. You will remember how Judas once wanted to appear more merciful than Christ… Read his twelfth chapter according to John the Gospel. A woman took a bottle of precious nard myrrh and anointed Jesus’ feet. Judas, who later betrayed his teacher for the money, became angry and shouted, “Why was this myrrh taken for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12: 5). To this answered the loving Lord, who was on his way to give his life for the poor: “You always have the poor with you, but you always have me” (John 12: 8). So what can I tell you: if we all always had Christ with us, there would be no poor among us. Those who have Christ with them, they have offered to the Church all that you call “radiance.” They themselves give the maximum to the poor. Love for the living Christ pushes them to both sacrifices: the sacrifice to their Church and the sacrifice to their poor brothers and sisters. While those who do not have Christ with them, do not have the poor with them either. They would like to take from the Church and give to the poor, so that they do not give their own and so that the poor do not bother them. This is the deepest temptation, which makes an impudent walk among us in the guise of benevolence.

By Agios Nikolaos Velimirovich Ohrid