Week #16 (Apr.15-21, 2019)

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Week #16 (Apr.15-21, 2019) - Notre Dame & Our History

The Classical Greek empire lasted approximately 350 years. The Romans faired better with the Roman Republic seeing 450 years and the subsequent Roman Empire ending in roughly 500 years. Going back further, Egypt’s first empire lasted roughly 550 years. Then there’s the first Babylonian Dynasty which sits close to 330 years. Let’s not forget about the Xia Dynasty (China) which ran for 500 years. And so on, and so forth. But how do we know about these fallen kingdoms?  Save for written histories, decades of research and archaeological digs, the memories of these peoples would be wiped from human consciousness. At their peak, these civilizations were bustling with life, commerce, drama - the symphony of millions of human lives intertwined in their quest for survival. But no one is immune to the decay of time. For many historical people groups we have no tangible objects that attest to their oral and/or written histories.  In fact there are likely many more cultures of which we have no knowledge. Entire people groups completely wiped from our recorded history.And for the ancient civilizations of which we have remains, all that’s left are relics and crumbling fascades and buildings. Many of their once mighty monuments have either been reduced to heaps of sand and rubble or are now only a vague shadow of their former glory. If you get a chance, I encourage you to visit places like, The Parthenon, Pyramids, etc.So as 21st century citizens we are aware of our mortality and transience. Cognitively, we know that kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Yet we simultaneously suffer from a mass chronic amnesia. We acknowledge the demise of others but fail to make the logical connection that we also will likely go the same way. Well, on Monday, April 15, 2019 we were reminded. Notre Dame Cathedral was in trouble. She wore a bright orange dress - an attire we all wished we would never see on her. Engulfed in it, the flames flicked and flailed in the wind, covering, nay, destroying her beauty. We were shocked! At least I know I was. Would she survive? We didn’t know. But we don’t shed the same tear when we learn that both the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria (ancient Egypt) along with their many historical treasures have altogether been destroyed. Why?Perhaps it is because Notre Dame is living history. 850 years of living history to be exact. Unlike other historical artifacts that we only observe in museums or read about in books, we interact with Notre Dame Cathedral. We walk the same halls, sing the same songs, hear the same vocal resonance generations before us did. We think of how if they could, the gargoyles atop the edifice would tell us tales about the legions of workers who built it over two centuries, the clerics (pious and corrupt) who proclaimed God’s word through its hallowed halls, the drama of the French Revolution, the two world wars and the thousands of secrets hidden in its stone memory, gathered over eight and a half centuries of human activity. Notre Dame’s history is old and new. Our present day is part of its history. Maybe that’s why despite our understanding of human transience, we froze, dumbfounded as part of our history literally disappeared before our very eyes. Alas, the majority of Notre Dame’s imposing structure was preserved. The iconic bell towers continue to stand like two imposing guards, as does much of the building’s stonework. We stood aghast because we were confronted with the stark reality our own impermanence. What we knew in the back of our minds was brought to bear in the front of our eyes. Humans are weak and nothing we build, no matter how formidable will ever last.  And while most of Notre Dame survived, it will not always be this way. One day, Notre Dame WILL crumble. Whether through war, natural disaster or just the slow decay of time, the pinnacle atop which the world’s most famous gargoyles sit, will cease to be. Maybe in our lifetime, maybe not. But it will happen. And when it does, the bitter sting upon the citizens will be even more potent than what we all felt on Monday. Notre Dame will go, as will all of our monuments and institutions.Should the world see many more centuries and millennia, ultimately, generations after us will examine our relics. Further ahead, they will read our stories with no tangible products to behold. Further still, they will likely have no knowledge of us. We will be forgotten.But you know what will never be gone? God and His word. Yes! I truly believe that only God is supreme and eternal. God is the only constant in the ever-changing landscape of not just the world, but the entire universe. In fact, I believe that at an unknown time in the future, God will bring the world as we know it to an end. He will judge good and evil, then restore all that is broken into perfect wholeness in Him. The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral reminded me of this; NOTHING we create will last. Only God and His truth will. I was also reminded that God is not confined to the four walls of our churches, no matter how grand those walls might be. As Christians, we believe God’s body manifests in the collective global Christian community, which no building can contain. We are the body of Christ. And since Christ is God, and God’s kingdom is eternal, I am happy to be a part of that kingdom. A kingdom that will never fade away. Happy Easter!Until next week, #KnowItsRealP.S. What are your thoughts about the fire at Notre Dame?P.P.S. Please don't forget to Subscribe to my Youtube page (and turn on notifications), as I'll be releasing more videos in the coming weeks & months.

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