Golden Men
As an ordination gift, my family gave me a beautiful pewter
and gold chalice. It is a Catholic tradition to give a communion chalice to the
newly ordained priest. Mine was professionally had crafted by an artist on a
design that my parents brought back from a trip to Germany. The names of my
family are engraved at the bottom of the cup.
Many years have passed and that chalice is stored away in a
felt lined case. I no longer have need for such an ornate chalice. Every once
in a while I open up that case and take out the cup. Memories of the past flood
my mind but most importantly the love and affection my family gave me; that is
more precious than gold.
St. Boniface, a 8th century English monk, who
became a martyr and apostle to Germany, had this to say about expensive church
ware: “Once golden priests used wooden chalices; now on the contrary, wooden
priest use golden chalices.” Boniface was challenging the clerical mindset that
insisted that character didn’t matter and that robes, reverends and rituals
did. As a bishop of the church, he used his influence to focus on the character
of Jesus and not on the ecclesial system.
Although we live in a different century, we face the same
character issues that Boniface did. In my years of church ministry, I have been
privy to more than my fair share of leaders whose public persona was golden but
their private life was wooden. The church has suffered much at the hands of
religiousness. Is it any wonder that an increasing number of churches are
leading people away from the Truth?
The Bible says: “There are difficult times ahead. As the end
approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money hungry, self-promoting,
stuck up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, course, dog eat dog,
unbending slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless,
bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of
religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.”
Good advice for golden people.
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