I was one of those (Christians or non-Christians) who used to criticize the money wasted to build expensive church or religious buildings. I have even heard recently from a friend who linked the building of cathedrals to repressing the poor!
Father Ian in his homily today explained from the scripture passage on Genesis 28:10-22 that the Catholic church considers the church building not just a meeting place for believers, but truly the House of God, the Gate of Heaven. For when Jacob woke up from the dream when he met God he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (verses 16b-17). He built an altar and named the place Bethel (which in Hebrew means "House of El" or "House of God"). The significance of Jacob's dream was that God renewed His promise to him, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (verses 13b-15). There are four specific promises:
(1) Jacob (Israel) will inherit the land in that region (came true)
(2) His descendants will multiply to a great number (came true)
(3) All the families of the earth will be blessed through Jacob's offspring (Jesus!)
(4) Divine promise of His presence and protection (YES!)
At the Mass this morning, I was quite aware of Jesus' presence, His body, blood, soul and divinity. He was ever present - not only during Mass but always, dwelling in our midst within the tabernacle up by the altar.
When I googled "Why Catholics Should Build Beautiful Churches" a number of good articles came up (with a few quotes):
Patheos - So a Catholic Church that is beautiful and built to last is a witness to the incarnation…We believe in the eternal truths that are so beautiful and true and everlasting that no one can ever destroy them…A beautiful, traditional Catholic Church protests against all of that vulgarity and low life with great dignity and power…a church is not just a meeting place. It is a house of prayer. It is a place that becomes hallowed with prayer. Therefore it must be a place that lifts the heart to prayer. The human heart is vulnerable to beauty. The beauty of worship and the beauty of a church building lifts even the hardest heart to prayer.
Adoremus - Rather than calling for the wholesale rejection of the past, Sacrosanctum Concilium calls for the careful preservation of the treasury of Church art and architecture. It calls for “noble beauty rather than sumptuous display” (SC 124). Thus the importance of true beauty — as distinct from frivolous ornament — is confirmed, and it is to this true beauty that priests and parishes alike are drawn.
Quora - There are many reasons on why Catholic and Orthodox traditions have a strong sense of imagery, but one of them I find particularly interesting: in medieval times, many people, commoner and noble alike, were illiterate. Therefore images of saints, the Madonna, the Stations of the Cross, all helped to promote a better understanding of the faith. So did architectural styles. Gothic architecture, for example, came about precisely because of that: verticality to point out God as the center of all things, the idea of the Assumption, and man’s size in the cosmos, and light as the Divine light breaking through the darkness of worldly matters.
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