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As I was going through my stories and posts from a year ago, I came across this one, “Beauty From Ashes.” Although the dates don’t correspond exactly (April 19,
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been one year since Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris burned up in flames. It seems more like an eternity.
Although only one year has passed (shy a few days), it’s amazing to me to see the similarity of the Notre-Dame crisis and today’s global crisis with COVID-19.
Notre-Dame was a localized catastrophe that led to a stirring and renewing of faith in the nation of France. Today, we all find ourselves in a global catastrophe that is stirring and renewing faith among all the nations.
I invite you to read the story below and remember what happened in France last year during the Holy Week. Today, on Good Friday, I invite you to contemplate your own life, your own world, the entire world.
May we weave our hearts together in prayer around the world. May we cry out today for God’s mercy, that beauty would rise from ashes.
Remember—One Year Ago
April 19, 2019
Today is Good Friday—the “Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death on Calvary.”
This year, the spiritual atmosphere in Paris, France is different.
A few days ago, thousands of people gathered in the streets of Paris to sing hymns, to worship, to pray, and to cry out to God.
Pain, suffering, and devastation cannot kill our faith. If anything, it seems to resurrect it.
Something stirs. From the ashes of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the beauty of faith is rising. It cannot be snuffed out. Even if the church building burns up in flames and smoke, our faith will not die.
Interesting that all of this happened during Holy Week—just days before Easter—the celebratory day of Christ’s Resurrection—”Resurrection Sunday.”
Today, we stand together in unity—holding hands—spiritual and cultural bridges built between us. Our differences do not seem to matter in the face of such pain and tragedy.
Souls Awaken
A spiritual longing and desire begin to awaken in our souls—as we seek hope and peace in the midst of chaos and destruction. We begin to ask questions about life and wonder about its deeper meaning. As sojourners in this lost world, we follow the light in the darkness—that brightly lit cross that shines in the middle of the darkened and charred ashes of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Beauty rises from ashes.
What was present in Notre-Dame that drew so many people—from all faiths, from all nationalities, from all cultures, from all languages, from all walks of life? Why did twice as many people choose to enter the sacred space of Notre-Dame Cathedral than those who visit the infamous Eiffel Tower? What was the drawing and the attraction to this place? Were wanderers looking for something that they cannot find in this world?
Today, people who don’t usually pray and seek God suddenly search for light in the darkness and meaning in life. Those who don’t often sing and worship God now find themselves humming hymns of praise and thanksgiving.
The streets of Paris are filled with faith—resurrected faith and newly found faith.
Culture Awakens
Faith rises from this tragedy and so does cultural awareness.
On the news, they stated that the sales of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, are skyrocketing around the world. People are suddenly drawn to past literature, history, and culture. They seek to find, discover, and understand that which is now lost—history, art, culture, the treasured “forest” roof of the cathedral . . .
Eyes are open to the world around them—cultural awareness begins to birth.
In response to the astounding figure of more than $7 million already pledged to the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Matthias Sieffert, a French professor of Medieval Literature at Harvard, stated, “Culture has a cost. People are realizing that culture is worth something.”
It may take 10-15 years to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral. However, in the wake of this week’s ravenous fire in Paris—faith and culture remain. Fire cannot destroy them.
The heart of France continues to beat. Our faith, our culture lives on . . . perhaps more alive that ever.
Beauty comes from ashes.
Click here to hear the hymns sung in the streets of Paris.
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
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Let’s Weave Cultures!
How do faith and culture awaken within you in the midst of pain and tragedy? How can our own faith awaken in the midst of our global crisis and suffering?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
