Notre Dame: Glory and Hope

“…he will give a crown of beauty for ashes…” Isaiah 61:3

 I landed in Paris after a flight where I was seated next to the nicest young couple. They were from Mexico and headed all over Africa. Now that’s really an adventure.

I went to Mass today at Notre Dame. Amazing & beautiful are inadequate to describe the restored cathedral. A more accurate word is Glorious. The whole building works to raise my mind to Heaven  

More important is the Hope. When I visited ND in 2006 and again in 2019, it was more tourist attraction than church. But today, the pews were filled with the faithful and the reverent. Even the thousands of tourists were respectful. The church and the faith have risen from the ashes and are stronger than before. 

Comments

  1. Ben RichardsMarch 31, 2025 at 7:46 AM

    That is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 31, 2025 at 7:47 AM

    I went a year before the flames destroyed it. Would love to see the restored version. Incredible progress! Stuart

    ReplyDelete
  3. YuriMarch 31, 2025 at 8:59 AM

    Thinking of you extra this first Monday morning. We only mentioned you about 100x during coffee. Sending prayers and a big fat hug :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 31, 2025 at 3:25 PM

    Michael, so nice to see you made it to France...and that you went to church! ;-) Beautiful church...and wonderful that pews were filled. We missed you this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 31, 2025 at 3:45 PM

    From Brent: Michael its going to be a awesome journey. So glad you were able to go to mass at Notre Dame. Brendon and Katie were there two months ago. The pictures were magnificent. An amazing restoration.

    ReplyDelete
  6. David C.March 31, 2025 at 9:15 PM


    April l- Mother Teresa- Thirsting for God
    “Come, O blessed Spirit of knowledge and light, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father. Show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for your glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to you and your eternal reward.”

    ReplyDelete
  7. Deacon DarylApril 1, 2025 at 5:11 AM

    Michael, I’m glad you made it to France safely and was able to attend Mass. Looking forward to your future posts. We missed you at Monday’s MP. Your spot in the pew remained empty. No one wanted to sit there. Then Paul walked in…oh well so much for that. ;-).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Chris Hagan-AbohoshApril 3, 2025 at 3:38 PM

    That’s encouraging to hear about the cathedral being more reverent, I felt the same way. My favorite relic there was a thorn from the crown of thorns. I’ve been wondering if it got burnt up. BTW…someone sat in your space 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jan D.April 4, 2025 at 10:14 AM

    Ah beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete

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