In the aftermath of earthquakes, what gets to me are the pictures of collapsed cathedrals. I define "gets to me" as being initially stunned, then haunted, then fixated. A year has passed and I can easily conjure up the image of Notre Dame (Roman Catholic) Cathedral of Port-au-Prince.
Now scenes of rubble around Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals in Christchurch, New Zealand are getting to me. I've been digging deeper into my fascination with these images of earthquake damage. It has not escaped my notice that these glorious exemplars of human art and engineering have been trashed by what are commonly known as "acts of God."
I love cathedrals, have felt my soul soothed and spirit lifted by simply walking through their much-larger-than-life portals. So imagine my surprise to find myself thinking that the physical destruction of church buildings albeit sad, might not be such a bad thing. Human life is, after all, more valuable than property, I would say this is especially true and worth remembering when it comes to church and faith.
This past week, I've observed myself wondering how people of faith might be inspired to come together as community when grandiose buildings become uninhabitable. The structural damage to these cathedrals has prompted me to consider, once again, what it means to be church.
Image: Notre Dame Cathedral, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
