Praying at the Basilica

"So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: 'Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is.' Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code."  - Mark Twain, a Biography

This place is a visual prayer.  I am sitting today in the middle of a lavish outpouring of worship and praise.  The St. Louis Basilica has no paint.  Surfaces are all marble and ceramic tile.  Ceramic art covers the vaulted ceilings and walls.  Light plays with all the facets.  Small lights flicker from candles and beams of light cover the soaring spaces.  Small boxes narrow my focus and huge Biblical scenes come to life emerging out of small tiles. 

We just walked through this enormous space and into a small chapel.  We have been sitting quietly for several minutes.  I am writing while a priest is singing in the other small chapel.  The congregation sounds like a choir in this man-made cavern.  I hear human voices and group responses, but I cannot decipher the words.  Voices echo through the vault. 

Speaking of echoes, I scanned the radio in my van last week looking for a safe spot on the digital dial.  I skipped past two musical formats and landed on religious venom.  Hatred spewed from the speakers.  I moved on to another religious broadcast.  More venom surged out like a verbal tsunami.  Both broadcasts were verbally attacking other faiths.  Both broadcasts claimed to be the one true faith.  In both cases I quickly switched to a new station. 

Religious venom, however, is not limited to the radio.  Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder was killed while serving in Iraq.  Snyder’s family wanted to honor him in the best way they could with a respectful funeral.  Far from respectful, church members from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, flew all the way to Maryland to protest at the funeral.  Fred Phelps, founder of the church, picketed near the Snyder funeral with his two daughters and four grandchildren. They carried signs that read THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS, SEMPER FI FAGS, and FAG TROOPS.  Members of Westboro Baptist Church didn't know anything about Snyder. The church simply used his funeral as a vehicle to spread their message that God is punishing the United States for tolerating homosexuality. 

How can religious people who claim to worship a caring God behave so badly?  Do they not see the disconnect?  Do they not understand how ridiculous they seem?  The poet Robert Burns wrote “Oh would some power the gift to give us, To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us, And foolish notion.” 

Religious people have always been dangerous, but disciples of various faiths are not dangerous because they are people of faith.  They are not dangerous because they join a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple.  They are dangerous because they “know with absolute certainty” that they are right.

All of us have our opinions and beliefs.  Most of us think we know right and wrong.  Religious zealots know.  It is no accident that the 911 terrorists “knew” the will of Allah with certainty.  They died in the Twin Towers to verify it.

The truly faithful believe, and belief is just a prayer until it comes true.  The truly faithful honor the faith of others.  They wait for God instead of being His avenger.  If I truly believe, my God is powerful enough to take care of Himself.

As I sit here in this beautiful Basilica, I also pray.  This is not my church or my faith represented here, but I can enjoy and respect these prayers in art.  I can worship here because others believed enough to create a house of prayer here.  This is what I believe this Sunday morning in St. Louis.

I honor those who created this Basilica not because they were right or wrong.  I honor them this morning because their faith created this special place.  I pray for all people of faith this morning.  I pray that all of us can see ourselves as the rest of the world sees us.