The jewel of the Seine, Paris, France, and much of Christendom reopened yesterday after a devastating fire in 2019. At the time, my son Kevin and I were in Boston when we heard the news about Notre Dame. We spent hours glued to the TV.
Both of us have been to France more than once and were as heartbroken as anyone about the calamity. But then we returned to our usual lives, Kevin in Fargo, ND, and me in Benton Harbor, MI. We went about our business as a major fundraising event began not only to salvage the eight hundred year old church but also to rebuild it in a greater glory. I didn’t pay much attention, nor did I send a contribution. In fact, I wasn’t sure rebuilding was the best idea.
The artisanal skills that were first used in the middle ages have long gone by the wayside. I wasn’t sure technology’s edge could really replace them. The cost of duplicating the interior would be far more than the original. And personally, I thought leaving the charred part of the church and making sure the intact part stayed that way were more reasonable considerations.
But France’s president, Emmanual Macron, saw it differently. He determined the church should rise to greater glory in five years. Through a herculean effort, in spite of a pandemic, lead dust everywhere, and other obstacles, Notre Dame has risen from the ashes. According to all reports I’ve read, it’s even more resplendent than before.
Which just suggests Kevin and I should plan a trip to visit soon.
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