Is Notre Dame de Paris the Powerful Symbol That Will Unite Christianity and Save Western Civilization?

DOES NOTRE DAME DE PARIS HAVE THE POWER TO BRING CHRISTIANS TOGETHER TO SAVE CHRISTENDOM AND WESTERN CIVILIZATION? Last night, as I watched the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris burning, I was immersed in grief and despair. If this could happen, I said to my brother and sister as we emailed each other our anguish, are we perhaps really looking at the end of the Christian era? Are the Last Days upon us? Has God finally said, Enough. But, as the night wore on and I watched on French TV as Parisiens flocked spontaneously to Notre Dame, and I saw them pray and sing the Ave Maria, and kneel before the flames, I began to take heart. Early this morning, I asked myself, was this a sign for good and not for the end of times. Does the devastation of Notre Dame have the power to bring Christians together to save their civilization and their world? The widely retweeted video of a a crowd of Parisiens singing Franz Schubert's “Ave Maria” as the fire raged -- Spanish journalist Ignatio Gil posted it at < Ave Maria pic.twitter.com/lb6Y5XV05a > -- replaced my despair with hope. • • • NOTRE DAME IS ALMOST HALF AS OLD AS CHRISTIANITY. Think about that. The cathedral was begun in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was in practical terms complete by 1260.And archeologists and church historians tell us that before Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter stood on the site of Notre Dame. Wikipedia says, "Evidence for this is the Pillar of the Boatmen, discovered in 1710. This building was replaced with an Early Christian basilica. It is unknown whether this church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, was constructed in the late 4th century and remodeled later, or if it was built in the 7th century from an older church, possibly the cathedral of Childebert I. The basilica, later cathedral, of Saint Étienne was situated about 40 metres (130 ft) west of Notre Dame's location and was wider and lower and roughly half its size. For its time, it was very large -- 70 metres (230 ft) long -- and separated into nave and four aisles by marble columns, then decorated with mosaics. A baptistery, the Church of John the Baptist, built before 452, was located on the north side of the church of Saint-Étienne....that church which was in turn remodeled in 857 under the Carolingians into a cathedral. The last church before the cathedral of Notre Dame was a Romanesque remodeling of the prior structures that, although enlarged and remodeled, was found to be unfit for the growing population of Paris. In 1160, the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, decided to build a new and much larger church. He summarily demolished the Romanesque cathedral and chose to recycle its materials. Sully decided that the new church should be built in the new Gothic style, as by then a number of large Gothic cathedrals had already been raised elsewhere in France. The chronicler Jean de Saint-Victor recorded in the Memoriale Historiarum that the construction of Notre-Dame began between 24 March and 25 April 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III. Four phases of construction took place under bishops Maurice de Sully and Eudes de Sully (not related to Maurice), according to masters whose names have been lost or were not recorded. The first phase began with the construction of the choir and its two ambulatories. According to Robert of Torigni, the choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar consecrated on 19 May 1182 by Cardinal Henri de Château-Marçay, the Papal legate in Paris, and Maurice de Sully. The second phase, from 1182 to 1190, concerned the construction of the four sections of the nave behind the choir and its aisles to the height of the clerestories. It began after the completion of the choir but ended before the final allotted section of the nave was finished. Beginning in 1190, the bases of the facade were put in place, and the first traverses were completed. The decision was made to add a transept at the choir, where the altar was located, in order to bring more light into the center of the church. The use of simpler four-part rather than six-part rib vaults meant that the roofs were stronger and could be higher. After Bishop Maurice de Sully's death in 1196, his successor, Eudes de Sully (unrelated to Maurice) oversaw the completion of the transepts, and continued work on the nave, which was nearing completion at the time of his own death in 1208. By this time, the western facade was already largely built, though it was not completed until around the mid-1240s. Between 1225 and 1250 the upper gallery of the nave was constructed, along with the two towers on the west facade. • John of Jandun recognized the cathedral as one of Paris's three most important buildings in his 1323 Treatise on the Praises of Paris : “That most glorious church of the most glorious Virgin Mary, mother of God, deservedly shines out, like the sun among stars. And although some speakers, by their own free judgment, because [they are] able to see only a few things easily, may say that some other is more beautiful, I believe however, respectfully, that, if they attend more diligently to the whole and the parts, they will quickly retract this opinion. Where indeed, I ask, would they find two towers of such magnificence and perfection, so high, so large, so strong, clothed round about with such a multiple variety of ornaments? Where, I ask, would they find such a multipartite arrangement of so many lateral vaults, above and below? Where, I ask, would they find such light-filled amenities as the many surrounding chapels? Furthermore, let them tell me in what church I may see such a large cross, of which one arm separates the choir from the nave. Finally, I would willingly learn where [there are] two such circles, situated opposite each other in a straight line, which on account of their appearance are given the name of the fourth vowel [O] ; among which smaller orbs and circlets, with wondrous artifice, so that some arranged circularly, others angularly, surround windows ruddy with precious colors and beautiful with the most subtle figures of the pictures. In fact I believe that this church offers the carefully discerning such cause for admiration that its inspection can scarcely sate the soul.” — Jean de Jandun, Tractatus de laudibus Parisius. • Christian pilgrims and travellers of every ilk have never ceased to agree with Jean de Jandun. Later history, as well as lots of detail about the initial construction of Notre Dame is available at Wikipedia < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre- Dame_de_Paris >. • During the liberation of Paris in August 1944, Notre Dame suffered minor damage from stray bullets, including some of the medieval glass, which was replaced by glass with modern abstract designs. On August 26, 1944, a special mass was held in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Germans. It was attended by General Charles De Gaulle and General Philippe Leclerc. In 1963, on the initiative of culture minister André Malraux and to mark the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral, the facade was cleaned of the centuries of soot and grime, restoring it to its original off-white color. Artwork, relics, and other antiques stored at the cathedral include the legendary crown of thorns which Jesus wore prior to his crucifixion and a piece of the cross on which he was crucified -- both bought by King-Saint Louis IX in the mid-1200s. Firemen and church officials worked to save them and other artifacts, such as King-Saint Louis IX's hairshirt tunic, even as the firefighters rushed into the burning cathedral to try to save it. One firefighter was seriously injured, but no other injuries have been reported. • On Monday, April 15, 2019, at 18:50 local time, the cathedral caught fire, causing the collapse of the spire and the oak roof. Both original towers, built between 1220 and 1250, and the great doors with their tympannum were saved by 400 firefighters -- the Paris Brigade. The glorious rose windows and the great organ are still being inspected for damage. Many artifacts were saved before the fire spread to other parts of the cathedral. Because of the ongoing renovation, the copper statues that were normally on the fire-collapsed spire had been removed from the building the week prior to the fire. The stone vaulting which forms the ceiling of the cathedral remained largely intact, preventing the burning timbers falling into the building below. French businessman billionaire François-Henri Pinault announced plans to pledge €100 million towards renovation and called for a joint effort to fund repairs. Then, LVMH owner and billionaire Bernard Arnault and his family pledged another €200 million for the restoration of "this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage and of French unity." The Bettencourt family of L'Oreal donated €200 million. • Thus, for half the life of Christianity, the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris has been standing, reminding Paris, France, and the world that the great monument protects all three from the ravages of time and tide. • • • WILL THE TRAGEDY OF NOTRE DAME BE THE CALL TO ACTION FOR CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE? Expressions of sorrow and support for the French people poured in from all over the world as the fire burned. The French government, which own the Notre Dame but has leased it perpetually to the Catholic Church of France, is meeting on Tuesday to begin organizing the reconstruction plan. Online donations are being solicited. • ABC News wrote on Tuesday that : "The Notre Dame Cathedral is hailed as a survivor of wars and revolutions....a towering jewel of Western architecture. It has stood, in the words of one shell-shocked art expert, as 'one of the great monuments to the best of civilization.'....Barbara Drake Boehm, senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's medieval Cloisters branch in New York, her voice shaking as she tried to put into words what the cathedral meant. 'This great hulking monument of stone has been there since 1163. It's come through so many trials. It's not one relic, not one piece of glass -- it's the totality,' she said, struggling to find words expansive enough to describe the cathedral's significance. 'It's the very soul of Paris, but it's not just for French people. For all humanity, it's one of the great monuments to the best of civilization.'....'This cathedral has a number of elements that are not just famous but religiously significant,' said Julio Bermudez, professor at the school of architecture and planning at Catholic University in Washington, DC. 'One of course is the crown of thorns...the faithful believe this is the crown that the Savior put on his head. It's kept in a very safe place. But you know the fire is tremendously damaging.' He also expressed concern about the beautiful stained-glass windows, which he called 'really irreplaceable.'....Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said he was praying for Notre Dame, which he called 'second maybe to St. Peter's Basilica,...the ability of a church to lift our minds and hearts back to the Lord. For the French, my God, for the world, Notre Dame Cathedral represents what's most notable, what's most uplifting, what's most inspirational about the human project.' " • Retired Pope Benedict XVI said this recently in a letter to a German theological publication, in which he blamed the continuing clergy abuse crisis on the sexual revolution and theological developments after the Second Vatican Council. Pope Benecict wrote in his essay : "I would suggest the following : If we really wanted to summarize very briefly the content of the Faith as laid down in the Bible, we might do so by saying that the Lord has initiated a narrative of love with us and wants to subsume all creation in it. The counterforce against evil, which threatens us and the whole world, can ultimately only consist in our entering into this love. It is the real counterforce against evil. The power of evil arises from our refusal to love God. He who entrusts himself to the love of God is redeemed. Our being not redeemed is a consequence of our inability to love God. Learning to love God is therefore the path of human redemption. Let us now try to unpack this essential content of God's revelation a little more. We might then say that the first fundamental gift that Faith offers us is the certainty that God exists. A world without God can only be a world without meaning. For where, then, does everything that is come from? In any case, it has no spiritual purpose. It is somehow simply there and has neither any goal nor any sense. Then there are no standards of good or evil. Then only what is stronger than the other can assert itself. Power is then the only principle. Truth does not count, it actually does not exist. Only if things have a spiritual reason, are intended and conceived -- only if there is a Creator God who is good and wants the good -- can the life of man also have meaning." • I urge you to read the full essay by Benedict, who is still today's greatest theologian at : < https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-benedict-xvi-the-church-and-the-scandal-of-sexual-abuse-59639 >. It comes as no surprise that the progressive side of the Church, taking its lead from Pope Francis, has attacked Benedict's essay as outdated and lacking in understanding of today's world. These critics find Benedict's essay "disappointing," "regrettable," and "troubling." Consider Benedict's words : " A society without God -- a society that does not know Him and treats Him as non-existent -- is a society that loses its measure. In our day, the catchphrase of God's death was coined. When God does die in a society, it becomes free, we were assured. In reality, the death of God in a society also means the end of freedom, because what dies is the purpose that provides orientation. And because the compass disappears that points us in the right direction by teaching us to distinguish good from evil. Western society is a society in which God is absent in the public sphere and has nothing left to offer it. And that is why it is a society in which the measure of humanity is increasingly lost. At individual points it becomes suddenly apparent that what is evil and destroys man has become a matter of course." • "Troubling" indeed for those whose atheism or progressive Christian pandering to atheism have brought us to this moral and social cliff. • Some noted theologians and church historians are expressing serious concern that Benedict's choice to engage in such public action undermines Francis and plays into narratives splitting Catholics between two popes, one officially in power, and the other wielding influence as he writes from a small monastery in the Vatican Gardens. These are the voices of pandering acquiescence in progressive, anti-God statism. • We can learn something about the wide range of Christian fidelity to Christ and about His willingness to forgive us if we are sorry for our errors and really try to do better. The lesson is in the Gospel reading for Tuesday of Holy Week -- John 13:21-33, 36-3821 : "When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.' The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, 'Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.' So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus answered, 'It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it.' So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, 'What you are going to do, do quickly.' Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the feast;' or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, 'Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going you cannot come.' Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus answered, 'Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward.' Peter said to him, 'Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' Jesus answered, 'Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.' " • Holy Week has begun with a terrible, shocking fire. Let us pray that it, and we, will end in love. • • • DEAR READERS, can Notre Dame bring Christians together to save themselves and the world they created, which we call Western Civilization? I sense that today, because of the rigid polarization of political positions, Christianity has also been polarized. There are born-again Christians, social Christians, anti-abortion Christians, Progressive Christians, even it often seems there are post-Christian Christians. We had a perfect example of that in Paris Monday evening when Parisiens and French citizens from everywhere in France were shown on TV in shock and tears as Notre Dame burned. The French proclaim that they are laic, that Christianity has nothing to do with the French Republic. BUT, scratch a French citizen and you will find a Christian -- they are baptized into the Church, they are married in the Church, and they are buried from the Church. France has been called "the Church's eldest daughter" for a thousand years. • What we have forgotten is that in every epoch, starting with the very first Holy Week, there have been devout Christians ready to be martyred, Christians whose faith sometimes wobbles in adversity, and Christians who believe in the tenets of Christianity without giving much thought to how they fit into its overall scheme. All of us have taken advantage of the personal freedoms and rights that emanate from the very clear and uncomplicated words of Christ -- God loves us infinitely and is infinitely patient with us if only we will try to overcome the darkness that exists in each of us. Overcoming that darkness means loving each other, and God, as God loves us. Our personal freedom and rights and expanding ease of daily life all flow from that, because love has made us free to be and to do our best. This separates us from other religions and has earned for us the right to call our modern world "Western Civilization." We could just as easily call it "Western Christendom" as the medieval world did when Notre Dame was being built. • We need now to use the tragedy of the devastating fire at the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris for good. We need to demand leaders who will pull us together, not divide us. We need to be able to look above our doctrinal differences to recognize that the world in which we live and build our future can flourish only if the over-arching tenet of love of God and our fellow human beings guides us. We must begin again to teach morality and political responsibility for our acts, and make use of our right to speak as Christians in the public forum. Otherwise, we will fall into the divisive gutter fighting that marks those who seek to to ruin us and our Western Civilization, replacing it with socialist statism and its disregard for morality, human beings, and God.