Sell your wedding rings — and take the pawn shop’s money and feed the man at the freeway entrance.
That is a perfect analogy.
The NYT, no friend of the Catholic Church, estimates the value of the entirety of Vatican City to be $10-15 billion, or 1/2 of the endowment of Harvard University.
The Vatican oversees over 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
+ + +
The Vatican's priceless artwork was given to the Church by faithful Catholics who were seeking to glorify God.
+ + +
Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pinta of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.b ” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you,c but you will not always have me.”