...but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord....
Our first reading today is from Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. Saint Peter used the same metaphor of a building in his First Letter:
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Neither apostle could imagine the colossal "building" the church would become in the ensuing centuries, nor the millions of brick-and-mortar buildings their gospel would inspire. All that was in the distant future.
What they saw was small groups of Jews and Christians meeting in borrowed spaces, indoors and out, to hear the Word and share the Eucharist. In the next century Roman Christians often met underground, in burial catacombs -- "cities of the dead" called necropoli. They could meet in relative safety there since the superstitious Romans would not willingly search for them among the dead.
The analogy of building aptly describes the Church because committed Christians are as reliable as stone foundations and walls. The biggest difference is that the Church outlasts buildings of stone; it is built on the everlasting Word of God.
Recently the world watched in horror as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned. One of the most familiar images on earth, it represents the long tradition of faith in Europe, and the extraordinary dynamism of the medieval Church. Even photos of Gothic cathedrals are astonishing; seeing them in stone is overwhelming. Pope Benedict reminded Europeans that Europe is not just a continent, it is a Christian culture.
The French determination to repair the monument may not be an intentional affirmation of faith but it must remind the world how deep our faith runs, and how profoundly a Crucified Man has impacted human history. Rebuilding the cathedral will rebuild faith, just as deep faith sustains these amazing buildings. As I said yesterday, we are creatures of Earth; our spiritual beliefs leave deep impressions in our material world.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.