Reflections on the Notre Dame Fire

Today, I can do no better than cite three reflections I found on Facebook regarding the tragic Notre Dame fire:

First, what survived from the fire? The cross, the altar, the Crown of Thorns. Consider this for your own life — when our lives will be burned up and everything turned to ash, what will survive? Will it be the Crosses that made you holy, the altar where you offered yourself to God as a living sacrifice, the Crown of Thorns in humility you wore, that you may be worthy to wear a glorious crown of gold?

Second, the outside of the church looked completely destroyed, while the inside remained intact, though damaged. A fitting metaphor for the universal Church. To the rest of the world, it looks as if the Church will be completely destroyed. But to those on the inside, we know that, while damaged, it can never be destroyed!

Finally, the fire at Notre Dame is a powerful symbol of what is happening to Christianity in Europe — and soon to be in the United States. The flames of secularism seem intent on destroying it. Will a new generation rise up to save, not their cultural heritage, but their very Faith itself?

Fr. Joseph Gill

Fr. Joseph Gill

Fr. Joseph Gill grew up in a musical family in Frederick, MD, the oldest of five children. His father taught him piano from a young age, and his mother often sang in the church choir. He began writing songs very young, honing his skill further when he received his first guitar. After his conversion, he dedicated his life and his songwriting to the Lord. Fr. Gill was ordained a Catholic priest in May 2013. He is currently serving at the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, Stamford, Connecticut. He shares his homilies at The Cross Stands While the World Turns.

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2 thoughts on “Reflections on the Notre Dame Fire”

  1. Pingback: EASTER  THVRSDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

  2. Leaving Notre Dame as a ruin would, perhaps, be a better option than rebuilding, as its remains would remind the French (and all Europeans) that herein lies the remains of what their ancestors once revered

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