Followers

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

What Is Going On, This Holy Week?????????????????


                               First, on Palm Sunday, there was the fire, in New York, at the Cathedral Of Saint John, The Divine!  It sounded like the damage was minimal, but the Palm Sunday service was forced to be held outdoors, which, really is more in keeping with the spirit of the original event.   Thank God--literally!!!!!--it was an nice day.

                                Monday, while meeting David at a diner for dinner, I first learned of the Notre Dame fire.  At first, I could not believe it,  I thought it was minimal; like Saint John's here in New York.  Rumors abounded the entire church was in ashes, but that turned out not to be true.  Apparently, enough priceless relics were saved, and so was enough of the structure to make rebuilding possible.

                                  But what does it all mean?  Was it an accident?  Terrorism?  Or are the anti-Catholic forces triumphing!

                                    Hons, I may still get to Paris, but, even if I do, even if it's rebuilt by then, Notre Dame will not be the same it was.  How lucky my parents, who took a tour of Europe, back in 1973, were!  They actually got to see the cathedral in all its glory.

                                                                     

                                       Remember the shot of the painting of the burning church in Roman Polanski's 1968 masterpiece, "Rosemary's Baby?"  I always wanted that prop, but when I heard about Notre Dame, I thought of this moment, wondering if that was the church on fire in the picture?  Or was it Saint Patrick's, in New York?  Or the Vatican, in Rome??????????????

                                         Those places, and others of Holy Week, Easter and Passover worship, had better be heavily secured down, because I am not so sure, until I hear for certain, that this occurrence, during Holy Week, of all time, that this was an accident.  If that turns out not to be the case, I am fine with it.  But if it was set by someone, I want justice and accountability.

                                          This upset me so much, I had a visionary dream last night.

                                           I was with a crowd of others, in Paris, watching the blaze.  Suddenly, the sky became divinely alit with blue, and out came Jesus, red robe and all, flying over the church.  When he got near the high domes, he righted himself, stood on what was left.  Then he held out his hands, and, miraculously, before our eyes, the cathedral magically, I mean miraculously, began to reconstruct itself before our eyes.  Exactly as if there had been no fire.  I felt the presence of grace to have been present at such a vision, because I am no saint!

                                              But it does represent my fondest wish for the church, itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               To think, St. Bernadette's Feast Day was yesterday.

                                                What kind of comment is this on religion, architecture, and art??????????

                                                   Pray for Paris, darlings!  Pray for us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 comments:

Videolaman said...

I feel unexpectedly gutted by this. The loss of so much effort made over centuries, turned ashes in an instant, is just horrible to contemplate. Not least because its eerily symbolic of where the entire world culture is headed: the ash pile, with flames lit by our asinine addiction to identity politics, internet memes and Twitter rages vs genuine human communication and interaction.

One of the most subtle but telling aspects of this tragedy was the acknowledgment that Notre Dame's roof can never be perfectly rebuilt, because we no longer have any trees tall enough and old enough to supply the necessary timber. Thinking that fact over, you feel the full import of such living history: this cathedral began construction 800 years ago, back when pagans were still more common than what we think of as Western civilization. That likelihood this fire was caused by ordinary sloppy human error in temporary wiring is appalling: this means even restoration experts took this priceless edifice for granted (i.e., WTH were they thinking to install a chintzy electric elevator to move construction materials up and down the 200 year old wood and lead spire? The thing was pure kindling just waiting for a stray spark, and you installed an ELECTRIC MOTOR WITH SLOPPY WIRING?!?!).

God (whatever that is) help us all.

The Raving Queen said...


Darling,

I was utterly crushed by this. And I was not at
all surprised about the St. Patrick's guy, except it
happened so soon.

But then why should I be surprised. After the Jews
getting it during their holy time, why shouldn't Catholics
and Christians be next?

These are very frightening times!