“N”otre-Dame catches fire

My first trip overseas was with a good friend of mine, Lilly. We took one of those bus tours that visited a bigillion places in Europe in 12 days. We spent a few days in Paris and I treasure the historic places we visited.

Lilly spent some of her childhood in Paris and we were able to visit her old apartment. I finally understood why my friend loved France and all the experiences she must have had with her family.

Two of my other favorite places that we visited were Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Chartres Cathedral. I have a large photo of Notre-Dame in my office. From the film days, if you can imagine!

I remember being in awe of the reverence that old places were given in Europe. In the States, it seems like we are only too ready to tear down the old to build the new.

I wasn’t a Catholic when I visited but I was a faithful Christian. I was inspired by the sheer size of the Cathedral, the level of detail given to each area, inside and out, and I was amazed by the quiet, coolness of the inside, highlighted by the beautiful stained glass windows, masonry and again, level of detail. Besides being a place for spiritual reflection, it was a place for quiet and talks with God.

Each area was distinctly thought out and told a different faith story. The Portal of Judgement of the western facade (1220-1230) tells the story of the last judgement in the Gospel of St. Matthew. The level of detail is amazing. The three rose windows of the Notre-Dame Cathedral are beautiful and represent one of the greatest masterpieces of Christianity. The south rose was offered by King Saint Louis. It’s dedicated to the New Testament. The Rose of the South symbolizes the triumphant Christ sitting in Heaven surrounded by all those who have been his witnesses on earth. The fact that Notre-Dame burned right before Easter is eerie.

I looked through all of my photographs and I don’t have a clear picture of this window. Each one is blurry. There was no such thing as image stabilization or digital photography when I visited France. In a way, I’m glad that I only have my memories of the inside beauty, besides the photos of strong architecture of the exterior.

I can’t imagine how it felt to the French to watch Notre-Dame burn. I watched it on short videos and felt a squeezing of my heart. Yet, there are already plans to repair it. They estimate it will take at least 15 years and billions of dollars to complete renovations.

God bless the original artists and all those who worshiped and edged closer to God, and Christ, because of Notre-Dame’s presence. May we realize that God is still present in Notre-Dame’s burned spires and charred marble, and continue our faith journey, remembering that the stories that were told in stained glass and artifacts live on in each of us.