I don’t know about you but I have been absolutely fascinated by the rebuilding, the reconstruction, the re-imagining of Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire on April 15, 2019. It is one of the most iconic cathedrals in Europe and it was assumed when the flames were leaping from the building that little would be left of this landmark. With it’s destruction all sorts of questions suddenly came to the surface. Should it be rebuilt? Why would it be re-built, as in what is the purpose of a grand cathedral in this modern, faith rebuffing society? It starts to ask what is the purpose of churches, holy buildings, beyond the interest of tourists and architectural scholars. Why do we have churches? A fair question it seems.
Of course, we know that about five years after the fire Notre Dame Cathedral did re-open after extensive repairs and reconstruction. The opening of the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral took place on December 7, 2024. In fact the work continued even after that and only a month ago the towers were re-opened after extensive repair.
There were a number of beautiful descriptors of the new Notre Dame. Here is part of an article published in The New York Times: “Many Parisians can tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard that Notre-Dame was burning five years ago. Many of them instinctively rushed toward the building, and lined the Seine River to watch in horror as flames devoured the ancient lead roof, sending the 19th-century wooden spire tumbling down, punching holes through the vaults and burning the pews below. Some dropped to their knees and prayed, but the cathedral is not just a sanctuary for the faithful. Nor — its millions of visitors a year notwithstanding — is it just a tourist attraction. Notre-Dame, as the crowds of stricken Parisians testified to on that April 2019 day, is the heart of their city, part of the essential fabric of its identity, and a part of them.
“Notre-Dame is, however, first and foremost a church…. “Five years after its destruction, here it stands again, ready to welcome the prayers of the faithful, to welcome the heart, the cry of the heart of all those who come here from all over the world,” Msgr. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the cathedral, declared in his opening remarks. “Fire has not conquered stone, despair has not conquered life.” He went on to say, “This cathedral is the mother church of Paris, the church of all Parisians. It is for all. It’s a place of peace, a place of joy, a place of life.”
I like that descriptor: a place of peace, a place of joy, a place of life. A place where despair does not conquer life. If you have visited Notre Dame or any of the great cathedrals in Europe, perhaps you have felt some of this as well. Canterbury Cathedral, St. Paul’s, St. Peter’s and many other grand places of worship that invite a connection to God and God’s grace simply by their architecture and design.
Jesus was in Jerusalem visiting the great temple of his day. It too was an astounding feat of architecture and work of art. Josephus, writing not long after the time of Jesus, writes: “The outwards face of the Temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either one’s mind or one’s eyes, for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendour, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But the Temple appeared to strangers, when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow, for, as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white.”
The Temple was considered to be a great monument to the faith much like many cathedrals around the world. But in the passage we heard today, Jesus does not appear to be very impressed with the great Temple. “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” So why does he seem so disturbed by it? Why this reaction to the Temple?
Jesus knew that this grandness could get in the way of what the temple was really all about. It is but a building, true it is dedicated to God but it is not God. The Temple will one day no longer be standing but God will always be with us. We need buildings to gather the faithful together and to celebrate God’s presence in our midst as a community but the building is never our reason for being. Jesus was concerned that too much emphasis was being made on the architecture and not enough on the architect of life. Too much emphasis on the walls and roof and not enough on the foundation, the foundation of all life on which all else is built.
This Jesus that we follow, has a way of getting under our skin and knocking us off of our complacency. He questions us, prods us, annoys us to think more deeply about what it means to trust in God’s presence and guidance. If we say that we believe in God and even build temples and grand cathedrals in God’s name, Jesus will still challenge us and say but what does it mean? Why do we build these buildings if they do not change who we are and how we live into revealing God’s love in our actions? Why do we set aside churches, cathedrals or chapels if they are not reminders of God being our foundation to all of life? We are not called to be builders of grand buildings or ones who only memorize parts of the Bible or ones who appreciate the words of Jesus if we are not deeply changed by them. We are called to be people who live into our faith. Who live into being followers of Jesus by our actions and prayers. We take seriously our baptismal covenant and love our neighbours as ourselves, respect the dignity of every human being, receive the bread and wine of Communion knowing that it will change us and affect us as we receive the body and blood of Christ. These are not mere words to us.
Our world feels a little crazy at the moment. We seem to have lost the plot in terms of what we are all about as human beings. Greed is taking over, self-centred instead of other-centred is too predominant, rejecting the poor and the homeless and the stranger seems to be accepted instead of a deep concern for our neighbour. You know this, you see this. But when we come here, to this church, this grand building we are reminded that we are called to something else. This building, this church is symbolic of our response to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is here that we recognize our calling to acknowledge the holiness of life. To recognize the face of Christ in all we see. To hear the words of Jesus that challenge us to see what is most important in this life, what is the foundation of all else in life. It is not about the grand temple or the great cathedral or even this beautiful church, it is that God’s love is the ground on which we walk and live and grieve and hope. That we are loved and blessed and showered with grace and we need to be bearers of that love, blessing and grace in this world. That just like at Notre Dame Cathedral despair does not conquer life. That we discover here that same peace, joy and life. For we are called to let the words and actions of Jesus reshape us and renew us. So let me urge all of us that when we leave this place at the end of our time of worship take with you some of the quietness and contemplation. Take with you the prayers that will shape your own actions. Take with you the bread and wine of communion to feed you on your journey. Take with you the beauty of this place that points to God among us. Take with you the sense of community that unites in acknowledging Christ’s calling. Take with you the blessing to treasure in your heart that indeed our souls need feeding… and we find that here, not because of the architecture but because of knowing God amongst us.