Notre Dame

My one and only visit to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was on my honeymoon, when everything was new…..even old things.

The inferno at the cathedral is a terrible loss for the world, not just for France and Catholicism; and it is unsurprising that before the blaze was extinguished there were promises all around, including from the President of France to the Pope in Rome, to rebuild. More than a half billion dollars in pledges were made for this purpose in the first 24 hours, and that amount doubled over the next two days.

Is it heresy to suggest that the cathedral not be rebuilt?

Might this be a time to remind believers that the Christian faith is not found in visible huge structures, but in the invisible Holy Spirit.

Might it be a better witness to what we’re told Christ stood for to take the time and money of rebuilding a monument and apply those resources to ministry that rebuilds damaged people, or repairs our deteriorating environment which every day suffers irreplaceable loss?

It has been widely reported that the roof  of the cathedral cannot be rebuilt as it was — with huge redwood timbers — because  trees that were used 800 years ago are not available today. Isn’t that heartbreaking, and shouldn’t that tell us something about what is really important and where the world’s genuinely critical priorities might be?

I know that the Notre Dame has been more than a monument to many people over the centuries, including a place of worship or celebration or solace for some, a work of art for others, a source of pride for others, and a historical marker for still others.

But what a story might be told if it was determined to respond here more as Jesus might have, and less as humans will.

JER