This week’s devastating fire and considerable damage to the Cathedral of Notre Dame occurring during Passion Week when Christians of all denominations observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is astounding. First, the Cathedral has stood through the bubonic plague that killed between 25-60% of Europeans. It survived the Hundred Years’ War It withstood the French Revolution, when radicals of the time also influenced by the 18th Century Period of Enlightenment, sought to turn the Cathedral into something of a secular church of reason. In the last century, Notre Dame withstood two world wars.
Second, the response to the Cathedral’s destruction seems to be revealing an undeniable truth. Recognizing the many crisis through which the Cathedral has stood, John Kass, Reporter for the Chicago Tribune wrote, “And for all that, President Macron’s defiant vow to rebuild is inspiring indeed. It required courage. Especially given the climate of the modern day. According to a Pew Research Center survey published in 2018, Western Europe has become one of the world’s most secular regions.”
Mary Poplin, author of Is Reality Secular? (InterVarsity Press 2014) wrote, “If reality is secular, that means something for how we orient our lives. But if not, that would mean something quite different.”
My heart has ached for people of France especially, having learned of the great rejection of the Christian faith. However, human reason will never replace reality, no matter how much effort is applied. If simply claiming a matter to be true, made it so, I assure you I would be younger, weigh less, and have no cellulite.
This is my Word for Wednesday. Your reaction?
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