Why Are Cathedrals Extravagant?
Why are cathedrals so extravagant? A question that is often asked with curiousity, and other times, with disaproval. From the most introcately crafted pillars and beams, to the stained glass windows each revealing their own story, every square inch of ancient cathedrals have one fixed purpose: to glorify God. Cathedrals are an act of worship, a glimpse of God's beauty, and often said to be a symbolic representation of the perfection and eternity of heaven. They are designed and crafted to be fit for a king, our Lord Jesus Christ, because He is truly and physically present in our church.
"It became obvious why Catholics had built such beautiful cathedrals and churches throughout the world. Not as gathering or meeting places for Christians. But as a home for Jesus Himself in the Blessed Sacrament. Cathedrals house Jesus. Christians merely come and visit Him. The cathedrals and churches architecturally prepare our souls for the beauty of the Eucharist.” ― Allen R. Hunt, Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church
Jesus is truly dwelling within our church, in the sacrament and host of the Eucharist, His flesh and blood poured out for us. He is phyically present with us (Emmanuel, God with Us). His dwelling space should reflect His glory, beauty, and divinity. He is a king who was humbly born in a stable. He died on the cross for the sins of mankind, gave us the path to salvation by becoming the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice, and He gave us His flesh and His blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." (John 5:56) From the stable, to Calvary, to the grave, to the throne; our Lord deserves a church that magnifies His splendor because He is with us in the Eucharist.
Cathedrals are a sacred place of worship where the body of Christ lives and dwells, where the body gathers in Him. Cathedrals could take centuries to build, so making the claim that it was meant to glorify the priests cannot be true. Priests did not own these buildings, or live in them.
Throughout the past few centuries, cathedrals have often been met with much scorn. One of the most common forms of criticism is, "Why waste all of this money on a building when we could be feeding the poor?" Judas said, as an act of betrayal against our Lord:
"Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein. Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial. For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always." (John 12:3-8)
We see in 1 Kings 7 that it depicts the vastly detailed craftmanship of a golden altar and cherubim for the temple of the God. God dwelt there, and did not repremand them, but instead saw it as a pleasing offering of worship.
"And looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites. And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God: but she of her want, hath cast in all the living that she had." (Luke 21:1-4) We see that Jesus does not repremand this poor widow, who donated all she had to the church treasury, but is pleased with her. Those temples were also crafted with great detail and work in those days.
In the early centuries, people were illiterate. They could not read or write, and this was left to the scholars of those generations, as the working class at the time did not learn to read. This is the reason behind the beauty and detail within stained glass windows. Each window depicted the stories of Jesus's birth, life, death, and resurrection. Even children could more simply understand this way, and the gospel could be illustrated effectively. The masses were taught not only through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, but also through the stained glass, the paintings, the statues, and sculptures. It is similar to the modern day power point presentation you'd see within a Protestant church, except the beauty and reverence remains, since the Catholic Church is a sacred space of reverence designed for worship.
The Catholic Church houses God. God told us He would be with us in every generation, and He gave Himself as a sacrifice in the holy Eucharist which is His flesh and is His blood. So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me." (John 6:53-57)
If the kings of the earth are adorned in beautiful palaces, then the King of Kings and Lord of Lords deserves a dwelling place fit for Him. The most beautiful buildings in history are a home for the Holy Trinity, and a beacon of light in a dark world. For where the body and flesh of Jesus dwell, there is eternal life.
