Notre Dame

Everything that dies can live again.

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. - John 12:20-26

In the light of dawn the skyline in Paris this morning is different than it was yesterday, and a thousand yesterdays before it.  The lady that was Notre Dame Cathedral has died.

But as today's Gospel points out, death is not the end of everything, at least for those who believe.

When we lose a treasure, we all suffer the loss, more so than when a life is lost.  Each life that ends has an affect on those who knew the person, and those who longed to know him or her. 

But unlike human life, which is valued greater when young than when old, the longer the monuments of our civilization stand, the more revered they are.

Notre Dame is over 800 years old.

Jesus tells us not to fall in love with the things of this world, even those things we build.  They will eventually pass away.  What matters is what we build in God's kingdom.

So, even a monument to God, such as the grand lady, will fall back to dust.

It sounds callous and cold, but it is true.  So, what will we do?  Will we try to rebuild what was lost?  Or will we do something new and modern?

First, we will mourn the loss.  Then we will talk about bringing life back to the old lady.  But should we?

Maybe something new will spring up in its place, something that is not made of stone and wood.

This Holy Week, those who would have worshipped at Notre Dame will have to go elsewhere, and when they gather, their numbers may be larger than normal.

If so, the grain of wheat that fell will have a chance to grow.

Death is hard.  Life is eternal.

One must experience the hard to find what lies beyond.

So, we face a new skyline and we pray for the seeds that will be planted, that new life will grow where the old died.

More to come...