Is there a song that, no matter how many times you hear it, always gives you goosebumps? For me that song is "The Bells of Notre Dame" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Yes, I'm serious.
Earlier this week, on Palm Sunday, my family & I were taking a drive. Our car is an '08 & doesn't have an AUX port, but does have a disc changer so we often resort to listening to a variety of CDs while driving. And, naturally, there is always at least one Disney CD in the mix.
That song came on & by the end of it my legs were visibly covered in goosebumps. It made me wonder why that happens: why do we get goosebumps when we hear certain pieces of music? The thought occupied my mind for a bit, but I never came to any conclusions & I resisted the urge to Google it & fall into a Wikipedia blackhole of information on biological reactions to external stimuli.
And then I saw the news yesterday about THE Notre Dame. It broke my heart to see those images & videos of the magnificent cathedral in flames, not unlike the climax of the Disney movie when Quasimodo is battling Frollo while carrying an unconscious Esmeralda. But this was real life with real lives & irreplaceable relics on the line. It was a relief to read that many of those priceless artifacts had been saved & that no one was injured. My oldest wondered if someone had "saved Jesus from the tabernacle" & I told him that I was sure someone had, though never confirmed that.
It didn't take long for the internet to erupt with conspiracy theories & finger-pointing. An accident, as the reports claimed, or something more malicious? A sign of God's displeasure? A sign of the Church's inevitable demise? Punishment for the sins of the papacy? I'm not one to read into events like this, even when it involves something as iconic as Notre Dame. While it was a devastating sight to watch the spire fall, it did not carry with it the same human cost as other tragedies. No people leaping from the towers like on 9/11, no people trapped as the smoke billowed like in the Grenfell Tower. And, as importantly, it is not a death knell to our Faith.
In a few days from now we will remember the day our Lord Jesus Christ suffered & died on the cross. Even he had to die, so why shouldn't a building, even one as beautiful & magnificent as Notre Dame? We mourn Christ's death only to rejoice in his resurrection three days later. He died so that we may live.
Parts of Notre Dame are gone, but not what she represents. The people kneeling & praying the rosary & singing hymns in Paris yesterday know that. At the end of the day it's just a building; the church will live on in its people, even after those same people become ash & dust. The Church is eternal; churches are not. Our souls are eternal; our bodies are not.
The timing is appropriate in many ways. Lent is a period of preparation & cleansing. We tear down our old, sin-riddled selves in hopes of resurrecting a more purified version. Maybe Notre Dame will never be the same, but what will spring from its destruction? A more unified Church, I hope.
The cathedral, in all its splendor, is a shining example of the triumph of man - the stone work, the iconic stained glass, the flying buttresses, the gargoyles. It is mankind at its best & most creative, but still it is nothing compared to God's creation & Christ's triumph over sin.
Roll away the stones, sweep up the debris, & be renewed. Easter is nearly here. The bells will ring on.
Yes, I'm serious.
Earlier this week, on Palm Sunday, my family & I were taking a drive. Our car is an '08 & doesn't have an AUX port, but does have a disc changer so we often resort to listening to a variety of CDs while driving. And, naturally, there is always at least one Disney CD in the mix.
That song came on & by the end of it my legs were visibly covered in goosebumps. It made me wonder why that happens: why do we get goosebumps when we hear certain pieces of music? The thought occupied my mind for a bit, but I never came to any conclusions & I resisted the urge to Google it & fall into a Wikipedia blackhole of information on biological reactions to external stimuli.
And then I saw the news yesterday about THE Notre Dame. It broke my heart to see those images & videos of the magnificent cathedral in flames, not unlike the climax of the Disney movie when Quasimodo is battling Frollo while carrying an unconscious Esmeralda. But this was real life with real lives & irreplaceable relics on the line. It was a relief to read that many of those priceless artifacts had been saved & that no one was injured. My oldest wondered if someone had "saved Jesus from the tabernacle" & I told him that I was sure someone had, though never confirmed that.
It didn't take long for the internet to erupt with conspiracy theories & finger-pointing. An accident, as the reports claimed, or something more malicious? A sign of God's displeasure? A sign of the Church's inevitable demise? Punishment for the sins of the papacy? I'm not one to read into events like this, even when it involves something as iconic as Notre Dame. While it was a devastating sight to watch the spire fall, it did not carry with it the same human cost as other tragedies. No people leaping from the towers like on 9/11, no people trapped as the smoke billowed like in the Grenfell Tower. And, as importantly, it is not a death knell to our Faith.
In a few days from now we will remember the day our Lord Jesus Christ suffered & died on the cross. Even he had to die, so why shouldn't a building, even one as beautiful & magnificent as Notre Dame? We mourn Christ's death only to rejoice in his resurrection three days later. He died so that we may live.
Parts of Notre Dame are gone, but not what she represents. The people kneeling & praying the rosary & singing hymns in Paris yesterday know that. At the end of the day it's just a building; the church will live on in its people, even after those same people become ash & dust. The Church is eternal; churches are not. Our souls are eternal; our bodies are not.
The timing is appropriate in many ways. Lent is a period of preparation & cleansing. We tear down our old, sin-riddled selves in hopes of resurrecting a more purified version. Maybe Notre Dame will never be the same, but what will spring from its destruction? A more unified Church, I hope.
The cathedral, in all its splendor, is a shining example of the triumph of man - the stone work, the iconic stained glass, the flying buttresses, the gargoyles. It is mankind at its best & most creative, but still it is nothing compared to God's creation & Christ's triumph over sin.
Roll away the stones, sweep up the debris, & be renewed. Easter is nearly here. The bells will ring on.
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