When I was in my teens we had hot discussions with the nuns and the priests over the very same issues you are commenting on. We asked them why couldn't the church build spartan churches,donate to the poor and hungry,forget the beautiful altar cloths and the ornate statues and stained glass and help the needy. We were told that if we followed Christ,”the Way,the Truth and the Life”,we would understand and years later I realized that they were right.
In this day and age,believe it or not,there are still many people who have not the money or the leisure time to travel,go to plays,museums,operas and attend other cultural events. Their homes may be very modest and furnished pretty sparsely and I have been to more than a few of those homes and had wonderful conversations about a myriad of subjects. One thing I learned was that many of them spoke glowingly about the beauty of their churches,I heard how when things got rough and they were just down they enjoyed sitting in the silence of the church praying and enjoying the beauty of the altar,or the stained glass windows or a particularly beautiful statue of a saint.
The experiences were an awakening,I had been so arrogant as to use myself as the representative woman of the world and base my views of what would and should be. I hadn't ever recognized that for many people their experience of beauty was limited to many things that were close and of no cost.So if those things that are lovely,soothing,beautiful also honor God,what could possibly be more pleasing? I am sure that you probably know that if they sold all of the buildings and artwork and valuables of the Church it would all be gone in a very short time and soon we would see wealthy people e-baying then and making money to go round the world to see exotic places in person.
I am 52 years old...hardly a spring chicken. And I reckon I know as much about it as any priest or nun. Try taking a peek outside the Catholic church and asking someone not in that institution. Listen to Charles Stanley’s sermons...excellent and full of the wise counsel of the Holy Spirit.
Anything can be justified. I have no need of the worldly beauty of a church building and I’ve never traveled much or lived in great places. I have all the beauty I need
living within me in the person of Christ. As long as one has Him, everything else pales. Store up treasure in heaven and not on earth.
There is nothing wrong with a comfortable place of worship, but the beauty of Jesus shines forth from those who know Him and not thru any earthly building. Letting earthly treasure be your representation of Christ is completely missing the opportunity to let Him shine forth from you.
God bless,
Jodyel