The Toll

This is a protest. It may upset many but, frankly, this has been bottled up for some time so here we go...

"Lutzak ee parootyantz kotz, Der, jashagelov uzmarmin ko yev zaryoon. Park ee partzoons geragroghin uzmez..."
"We have been filled with your goodness, Lord, by partaking of Your Body and Blood. Glory in the highest to You who has fed us..."

Words that conclude the sacrament of the Eucharistic the Armenian Apostolic Church. The congregation, the Body of Christ, has just come into communion with one another, the saints, and with Christ himself by partaking of the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Church is one now.
An act of such magnitude shouldn't be taken lightly (though it is every single Sunday). It should be approached with the purity of mind and soul, and walked away from with deep reflection and awe at the sanctity of what you've done.

So then, why is it, that at this very moment, I'm confronted by a plate or a basket, and asked that my attention be turned away from this huge moment and instead focus on MONEY OF ALL THINGS?! Some churches at least have enough respect to keep these two separate, but more often than not, I'm running into the same problem. It's as if they can't pass the plate fast enough.
I'm sorry, but this is despicable. And my church is guilty of it. It's bad enough that the curse of the world is let into the sanctuary, but when it's in my face right after communion it just enrages me. There must be a better time, moment, situation for it.
I promise to double my donation on the way into the building (still not happy about that, but we must pick our battles) if we can just remove this outdated, disgusting practice from our Holy Divine Liturgy. Fair trade?

P.S. Spare me the "But that's the only way the Church can survive" nonsense. There are better ways, and you cannot justify this practice with that argument. It's wrong... PERIOD!

Mark 11:15