A good friend of mine once called the state-sponsored lottery “the most successful way to tax stupidity” and I am afraid he is correct. I know my odds of winning the lottery are less than <insert absurd example of being struck by lightning or finding a needle in a haystack> but I do from time to time buy a ticket. Am I stupid? Maybe. One of the great paradoxes of life is that if you really are stupid you will never know it.
The best part of buying a lottery ticket is fantasizing about what you would do with the windfall. Would you like to know my latest scheme?
I want to build a church.
Specifically, I want to build a chapel in the Romanesque style which would be be made available to all the firefighters, police, or soldiers (Reservists mostly) and any other Catholic individuals who may find it difficult to attend Mass at a regularly scheduled time at their usual parish.
My scheme would, of course, need the blessings of the local bishop. However I’d like to create a situation wherein the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be available by appointment whenever two or three would gather in His name. One way this might be practically implemented would be to have some attachment to a monastery. So I guess I’m also proposing the foundation of a monastery. Remember, I’m also planning on winning the lottery, so the sky is the limit.
Too ambitious? Perhaps. I just think that this would be a wonderful service to those who serve. Which also makes me think I should not wait to win the lottery. Who would like to help me arrange a system that would help these people never miss Mass?