After saying goodbye to Greg for the day, I walked back to Temple Bar, without any real destination in mind. I thought about hopping back on a bus like we’d done the previous day, but was enjoying my surroundings so much that I decided to just keep walking. Eventually, I came across a beautiful church called St. Augustine and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.
It wasn’t one of the touristy ones that are open for paid tours, but I thought it would be neat to go inside anyway. Kind of like how Kevin McAllister was able to just walk into the church in Home Alone. Haha! So when I saw a couple of other people just open the doors and walk in, I decided to do the same.
It was amazing inside. It was very quiet and there were just a few people in the pews, either quietly praying or just enjoying the silence. I made sure to turn my phone to silent so I could take pictures without disturbing anyone.
After a bit, I sat down in the pews to enjoy the silence and to pray. It felt very peaceful. And yet, I felt very conflicted, too. On one hand, I was dismayed at how much money had to have been spent on building such an ornate church when there are so many people with real physical needs throughout our world. And on the other, even with this feeling of sorrow, I also cannot help but admire the artistry, the absolute beauty, and celebrate the creativity of the artists who must have spent many hours or even years on their craft. It is definitely a conundrum in my mind.