Value Essay by Alex Massa

In America today, it is hard to know what is more important. Material possessions or moments in your life that you will always remember are very important. An example of this would be a birthday party, a funeral, or something like that. It isn't worth any money, but it is worth a lot to the person who experienced these events. This has become increasingly true in modern times. Because children (and adults as well) has so many material possessions, sacred things such as religion lose value because they would rather play with their new toy. In this essay I will pick an item of financial worth and then something that is priceless to me. I will compare and contrast them and then decide which one is more important.

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My item of financial worth is my television. I watch it at certain times of the day. This television is located in my room. I usually watch it at night, and usually I watch the FOX News Channel. This is because I am a conservative Republican and believe that CNN is biased. I usually watch the O’Reilly Factor and Hannity and Colmes. I am a big fan of Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. However, I do not like Alan Colmes so I try to not let his blatant liberalism bother me.

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My item of priceless value is going to Church with my grandmother. My grandmother lives in Springfield and goes to Holy Cross Church on Plumtree Avenue in Springfield. On some occasions, like Christmas or Easter, I go to her house with the rest of my family, have something to eat (usually a large feast), and then my grandmother and I go to Church and pray. No one else comes with us because we are Catholics and they are Protestants.

We dress up nicely, I am in a suit and tie, and she is in a dress. We open the doors of her car and sit down in her excellent leather seats. She turns the key and the car roars to life. We open the garage door and head for the Church on Plumtree Avenue. We arrive at the unusually large parking lot and park in a space near the heavy wooden doors of the Church.

We get out of the car and walk up to the heavy wooden doors of the Church. We are usually early, and she is allowed to come in early to help the Priest get ready for the Mass. We go into the back room and set up all the things that need to be set up. We open the golden box that contains the bread which is said to be the body of Jesus Christ himself. We take the golden key and open the heavy door. We take out just enough bread for the Mass and then shut the door and lock it.

Then we go sit down in the front row of pews and the Mass commences. There is usually a song being played by organ. The last of the stragglers from outside come in and sit down with us. Once the song is over the Priest comes out and sits on his chair (which looks more like a throne). He greets us and talks for a few moments. Then, a man comes out of the back room bringing with him a Bible. He stands at the podium with the Bible. He opens it and reads whatever verse is scheduled for that day.

After the verse is read and we pray, the Eucharist is received by everyone present in the Church. There is usually a long line, and it takes about 15 minutes for everyone to receive the bread and wine. The church I am talking about is in Springfield, and is much larger than any church in South Hadley or Holyoke. After the Mass is over, we usually stay for a couple minutes after and pray in solitude. Then, we go home and eat lunch, which is always served at 12 o’clock noon. This is because my family is Italian (both of my grandparents were born in Italy) and my grandfather thinks it is wrong to have lunch any later or earlier than noon. He says that they always eat at noon in his town in Italy, although I am not sure if that is true.

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Which is better? How do you decide? Would you rather take something that is of monetary value, or something that is worth no money, but is worth a lot in a different way? Well, if I had to decide which of these two I'd want more, it would be going to Church with my grandmother. You see, I can watch television anytime I want to, but I can't always go to Church with my grandmother. She will not live forever, so I'd better do things with her while she is alive. Also, I believe in an afterlife, and I believe that going to Church and praying will help you gain entry to Heaven. So I would pick Church over the television.

This was an easy decision for me to make. I have found that although many Americans would choose the material possession, I would not. This is a good thing. I believe that you are a better person if you choose the priceless event. It shows that you are not stupid and that you value what really matters. I just wish other Americans would realize what I've just realized. Possessions aren't everything, and more often that not, they cause unrest and fighting (like in The Pearl) instead of happiness. Everyone knows the old quote, "Money can't buy you happiness." That is still true today.