• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: Notre Dame

Standing With Each Other

17 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

courage, helpless, Holy Week, lament, loss, Notre Dame, Our Lady of Guadalupe, pain, pray, presence, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning as I read the psalm of the day (69) on the USCCB website I was reminded of the prayer service that we prepared in December for the feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, a prayer of lamentation for the caravan of migrants streaming toward the southern border of the United States. Bereft and sorrowful because of great loss, God’s people are searching for comfort and consolation in the present in the same manner as has been true throughout the ages. This seeking, I realize, can be an inner or outer experience – or both – and I find it again appropriately expressed in the paragraph below that was an introductory reflection for our prayer service in December.

Lament is a tool that God’s people use to navigate pain and suffering. Lament is a vital prayer for the people of God because it enables them to petition for God to help deliver them from distress, suffering and pain. Lament prayer is designed to persuade God to act on the sufferer’s behalf. Lament is often most effective as a communal activity. Reading and reflection are intended to express empathy for people suffering as a result of great loss.

Today the flames that devastated the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris have died out but the reality of the loss as seen in the photos rends our hearts. As was true at our prayer service, I believe that the spontaneous gathering of thousands in the Paris streets – inhabitants and visitors alike – who stood and wept, prayed and sang as the cathedral burned must have felt the power of community in that excruciatingly helpless moment.

On this middle day of Holy Week, I wonder if Jesus felt the lament of the few faithful ones who remained with him at the cross. Can we feel the reality of his suffering as present in the world today and enter in a true and visceral way to stand with those who deserve our presence and courage?



Une Grande Tragedie

16 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beauty, connection, Notre Dame, Peace, rebuild, symbolic, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unity

How does one speak of the event of yesterday which sent shock waves throughout the world? Anyone who has had the privilege of visiting the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is in mourning – but so is everyone who perceives the symbolic meaning of the massive structure that the world watched burning over and over yesterday during the consistent coverage on television and the internet. It was said often that Notre Dame belongs not only to all Parisians but to a world that bowed before the structural magnificence and the priceless beauty of design and artistic jewels of all kinds held within her walls.

I have been privileged, as a high school French teacher and a Roman Catholic, to stand in the light of her more than 800 years of existence and feel the holiness that is not confined to one manner of religious practice but transcends all in the energy and splendor of the place. There are no words adequate to measure the loss. President Macron has vowed to see that the structure is rebuilt and one can only hope his promise is fulfilled. But like so many such efforts, it will never be the same. The wooden structure will likely be replaced by more fire-retardant materials and the prayers of nearly a millennium of pilgrims will be hard to replace.

But wait! There is possibility of a sort. President Macron promised to begin today to solicit donations from around the world of people who desire to restore this most precious icon of art and faith. Perhaps such a worldwide effort will create something symbolic that speaks of our connection, a striving for unity of purpose that will stand as a new way of building cohesion. Perhaps in the rebuilding we will achieve a new kind of universal claim of ownership, a recognition of need for beauty, peace and willingness to participate in something larger than ourselves where all are welcome to visit and find a home. Perhaps in our corporate loss we will find a widening of our hearts, a willingness to create something beautiful for God and one another.

May it be so, we pray.

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 103,508 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,045 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • The “O Antiphon” Meditations
  • Memorial to be held this Sunday
  • Mark your calendars
  • A note to readers
  • “Hope Springs Eternal…”

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Join 559 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...