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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If I were to ever visit France, I would want to tour the great cathedrals there.
I’ve seen pictures of the Cathedral of St. Marie on the Island of Corsica. Built in the 1490s, it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the fisherman who headed out to sea hoping that God would provide them a catch, or, their daily bread. The Cathedral Beziers sits atop a cliff in southern France. Near the border with Spain, both cultures influence the area with a history of bullfighting and wine making. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, the heart of Paris, was heavily damaged by fire in 2019. Repairs will be complete for the celebration of Christmas Mass later this year.
I would also like to tour the grounds of Vatican City. I think seeing the Sistine Chapel and walking St. Peter’s square would be fascinating.
Consider that cathedrals, and there are more than 100 still standing across Europe, are physical monuments to faith. They took generations to construct. St Peter’s Basilica, the very heart of Christianity in Europe, took 120 years to build.
Centuries later the great cathedrals, their statues, their stained glass windows, their intricate pipe organs, still stand. But they are mostly empty. The French government has taken over the maintenance of most of the buildings. The costs of keeping them up would bankrupt the catholic church in France, where less than 1 out of 10 people regularly attend mass. We’re not much better in the United States, where 1 out of 3 of us are church-goers.
The church I attend, The Cross on Schofield Avenue, used to be a pet grooming business; it doesn’t even look like a church. But today I ask what good is a mighty cathedral if it isn’t filled? The people of the 1400s in France would certainly be surprised to learn that they built buildings, monuments to faith, that have outlived the faith in the hearts of the generations that came after them.
I still admire the great cathedrals. But the cathedral you build in your heart is far more beautiful to God.
Soon a new group of men will move into the Gospel TLC. It is a one of its kind, live-in facility in Weston for men who are trying to leave addiction behind and would otherwise be homeless. If you’d like to become a monthly donor, I have a link here.
My brothers and sisters in Christ at St. Peters Lutheran Church in the Town of Wausau are holding a rummage sale today and tomorrow. The proceeds will benefit the Gospel TLC. They’re on Del Rio Road, and their sale hours are from 8am to 5pm.
The men of the Gospel TLC also prepare their own meals. They need things like meat, chicken, milk, eggs, and breakfast foods. Those items can be dropped off in person at the Gospel TLC building on Cross Point Boulevard, near the hospital in Weston.
Chris Conley
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