The Meaning of a Cathedral

On Monday the world was aghast to see the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris engulfed in flames.  The fire spread quickly, toppling the central spire that had reached 300 feet above the city streets.

As I looked on, my reactions included anger (after over 800 years, why now, how was this not prevented?), sorrow (at the damage to such a grand edifice), theological reflection (what does it mean to see a heaven-pointing spire topped by the cross come plunging down?), along with a certain disinterest (it’s just a building, after all).

Live coverage showed thousands of people gazing—many weeping as the orange flames and billowing clouds rose high into the evening sky.  I wondered:  What was it, specifically, that was so disturbing about this event?  CNN writer, Frida Ghitis, similarly asked, “How can the demise of a building,… pack such a powerful impact?”

Notre Dame stood as a monument of stability, constancy (dare we say “eternity”?).  Ghitis observed, “The massive, majestic cathedral looked like it had been there forever, and would remain until the end of time.”  Mike Stuchbery, writing in The Independent, added, “Now, more than ever, we need a reminder of the constant things in our lives.”  President Macron declared:  “Notre Dame of Paris is our history, our literature, our imagination.  The place where we sur­vived epidemics, wars, liberation.  It has been the epicenter of our lives.”

Profound claims, to be sure.  But the absence of God from all this public grief is remarkable!  How striking to see that, for so many people, Notre Dame isn’t really viewed as a symbol of Christianity but as a fixture of national pride and a monument to the enduring greatness of France.  All in all, a sobering illustration of how a structure designed to make a bold religious statement can be drained of its spiritual importance and converted into a secular icon.

In fact, the original vision for this cathedral was to glorify God:  The cross-shaped foundation, the stained-glass gospel scenes, the spire directing the gaze of onlookers upward—up beyond the achieve­ment of man, up to the majesty and mercy of a God who saves.  Friends, look away from the frail glory of man and fix your eyes on Jesus!