Why Cathedrals Matter

The burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France this week captured the attention of the world. Immediately afterward, billionaires came forward to donate millions of dollars to restore the historic church.

Stunned crowds formed near the Cathedral for days. People wept. They looked on in alarm, broken-hearted by the scene.

What was it about that event that created so much emotional sorrow and distress?

Some have criticized the news coverage, the horror of people, and even the billionaire donors, saying it was after all just a building. And a building in disrepair, vulnerable to just such a tragedy.

No one’s faith was destroyed in the fire. No one, thankfully, was injured. Most of the historic pieces of art were saved. The basic structure remains. Why then were so many so upset?

For me, it was the desecration of beauty. Though the fire seems to have been accidental, it still destroyed significant parts of a masterpiece of architecture, genius, and skill.

In an age when very little lasts, when today’s buildings are glass monstrosities and cold steel structures, the beauty of the Notre Dame Cathedral stood as a symbol of permanence, grandeur, elegance, and artistry.

Nearly 900 years old it had withstood wars, weather, fires, and devastating events of national conflict, religious persecution, and division.

The majesty of the art, the sculptures, the frescoes, the high arches, the vaulted ceiling, the symbols of faith, and the holy altar with its Cross and the intricate, larger than life statues of Jesus, the apostles, and angels, all made the Cathedral a place to evoke a transforming experience.

Church should prepare our souls for beauty. A cathedral is a place to create within us the presence of God. It is holy not because of religious dogma, the liturgy, or even the Eucharist/Communion. It is holy because it reminds us of transcendence, of mystery, of spirituality, of the beautiful.

On this Good Friday weekend, we trace the steps of Jesus from the injustice of his trial to the foot of the Cross and the Crucifixion. These are the dark sides of our humanity doing our worst to the best. All of our fears and selfishness, our petty arrogance and the meanness in our prejudices, the betrayal of goodness and the violence of hate, are displayed in that ancient scene from Jerusalem to Calvary. It’s the fire burning the Cathedral. It’s carelessness and indifference leaving the sacred open to destruction.

We need beauty in our world today. We need brilliance and creativity, soulfulness and love. That is the real message of this holy week. Not the resurrection, but the dying Jesus, showing us how true love works. That it never gives up. That even in devastation, it remains.

In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Robber Bride, one of the characters longing for meaning and purpose says, “What’s left, if you take away love? Just brutality. Just shame. Just ferocity. Just pain.”

That’s why beauty is vital to our humanity. It puts us in touch with the forces of love. It inspires us to seek to be our best selves possible. It has transformative powers leaving us in awe.

The brilliant Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, has asked, “What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.”

That’s why cathedrals have meaning. That’s why beauty makes our humanity worthy. That’s why love matters. They all open our hearts to healing. And that, we desperately need.

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