Of Temples and Cathedrals

Homily for Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

In a little less than two weeks, the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen. In April of 2019, catastrophic fire destroyed the spire and the roof of this French icon. Now we stand about a year and a half later to see the beauty of Notre Dame accessible once again. Preparations for the day of reopening, especially for the initial Eucharistic liturgy, have claimed a great deal of attention in the media. The French Catholic designer was chosen to create new liturgical vestments for the reopening of the cathedral. They have been described as colorful and minimalist. The focus attention upon the cross with what seem to be shards of colored glass surrounding it. The designer had been one of hundreds who knelt in the street as the cathedral burned. It is estimated that more than 700 concelebrants will wear these newly designed stoles and chasubles as the cathedral reopens on December 8. The church had stood firm and glorious for more than 800 years. The fire was unfathomable.     Fortunately, the magnificent walls of the cathedral remained upright, and much of the art and all of the relics were saved.

The audience who heard Jesus say that the Temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed must have shaken their heads in disbelief. Surely, God would not let this beautiful structure and house of prayer be destroyed. However, the Jesus of St. Luke’s Gospel was not being clairvoyant. St. Luke was simply reporting what had happened to the Temple in the year 70 A.D. I am sure that the destruction of the temple was as devastating for the people of Jerusalem as the fire at Notre Dame was for the people of Paris.

As the first reading from the Book of Revelation reminds us, Jesus will return to judge us all. Those who have borne good fruit will be gathered together by Jesus. Those who have not borne good fruit will be subject to the winepress of God’s anger. This is not necessarily the way that we like to think about God. Yet we must bear witness to the truth of what will happen when Jesus returns.

The Gospel calls people to focus their attention in their lives on God for whom every church, every temple, every cathedral was built. Through the Incarnation, God chose to live among us, falling with in each one of us by virtue of our baptism. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, and authentic worship of God is not limited to any mountain or temple. We are consecrated with that Spirit. We are the church. It is the Lord who establishes our souls as the sanctuary in which God dwells. As we pray just a few moments ago, “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful in all that is in them!” May we be a pure and holy sanctuary for God always.