Notre-Dame des Flammes – And Why It’s Not As Sad As It Might Seem

New Boston Post ^ | April 16, 2019 | NBP Editorial Board

[edwinland]

The timbers of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris had been drying out for eight centuries, so when a fire started near the roof they burned quickly...

The drying timbers, though beautiful before they were consumed, are a reminder of the drying out of religious faith in France, and in the rest of Europe, and to a lesser extent (possibly) in our own country.

...

“You think this was a coincidence, think again. It was prophetic. Monday of Holy Week. Palm Sunday. Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. … You look at the responses. ‘We will rebuild it. It will stand again.’ What will stand again? A cultural monument? An attraction? For tourists? Gaze at architecture? Tell me, did you hear anybody speak about God or about faith? …

... On Monday of Holy Week, God has thrust open one of the greatest churches in the world. Everybody’s attention is riveted on that scene. The doors are all open, and there, here in Holy Week, we gaze upon the cross. We gaze upon the altar of sacrifice. Do we stand present at the paschal mystery, the resurrection of Jesus? … We will only be saved by the cross. As Paul said, all who preach otherwise are filled with fluff. ‘I will preach nothing but the wisdom of Christ and Christ crucified.’ ”

...

“The Lord doesn’t want a monument. There’s no faith left in France. There’s not a lot of faith around the world, let’s not just pile on France. But there’s the altar of sacrifice. There’s the cross, illuminated, and Our Lady. In the divine plan of God all graces come to the earth, come into our souls through Our Lady. It’s a wakeup call. It’s a wakeup call for the world. … He wants to save souls.”

[caww]

Whatever??? Why gloss over the truth so?

[combat_boots]

Yeah.

[caww]

Well I don't agree that Jesus ‘needs us’ to extend His mission. That he fully accomplished and sealed when He said..’It is finished’ and then rose from the dead... And even today HE certainly could do anything He chooses to accomplish His purposes without us. I do not underestimate his power nor any other of is attributes.

When he spoke of the “Body of Christ” he was speaking of all the believers in Him then and all those who would come throughout the generations and the world through the centuries.....that WE are the ones who 'need one another' just as the disciples did who He so often instructed and had to correct so many times. We carry a message...the message of salvation alone through Jesus Christ and no other. ...and that is 'a privilege' and clearly not necessary. After all he created the world and mankind without us....he could certainly save it without us as well....He has chosen to let us be the message carries with Him.

[RedMonqey]

And I bet some folks will slam me for trivializing this,

I for one have the same thoughts.

It wasn't that long ago the great historic churches all across Europe were have problems filling the pews every Sunday. And given the average European is more likely agnostic or even atheist and the growing religious sect in Western Europe is Islam, just how "Catholic" will the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral be. How many "inclusive", secular, multicultural scenes being included?

There was a cathedral(in Italy, IIRC) that had naked homosexual men cast in a net and the Cardinal at the time defined the painting on the ceiling as "Christ said to go out and be fishers of men"

I shudder at the thought of what the " new and improved" Notre Dame Cathedral is be.

It may be a moot point anyway, the Muslims will convert it into a mosque by the time it is finished.

[Species8472]

Exactly what they are doing at the Famelia in Barcelona. They have imputed Gaudi’s original drawings into CAD and using them with computer controlled saws and forming printers.

[TXBlair]

Sounds about right.

Smh...

[mumblypeg]

Yep. Those Satanists and bankers are always conspiring. Q probably predicted it, too. Because it’s all part of the plan. Which we should trust. /s

[Mrs. Don-o]

As you rightly say, "Even today HE certainly could do anything He chooses to accomplish His purposes without us."

Yes, of course He could, but that is not what He did choose to do. He chose to create us "without us" (without our participation) but He will not save us without us.

He has chosen to make us members of His Body. He has called us into a living, effectual relationship with each other, by which makes us like His cells, tissues, organs and systems, His limbs, His senses --- His very self ---working together IN HIM, and needed by each other, to carry His mission to he ends of the earth.

The Great Commission to the greatest possible extent: to be One in Him.

And in this way, He has made us, not just recipients of salvation, but also,in a mysterious way, members of the Savior. Members of salvation.

So Paul can even say"I live; yet, not 'I', but Christ lives in me."

Do you see what he's getting at here? Its a very, very, very big picture.

[Hieronymus]

Islam or accident seem the two things that are prima facia worth considering. When the site got to something that would cause every single Cardinal to resign, it kind of lost me.

The Cardinals are a diverse group.

[invoman]

“Ears”, not “eyes”.

:)

[caww]

Yes I see but that does not equate to mary being a gateway to Jesus that others need to go through nor should they desire. That is a catholic teaching. Which is where this started.

We will most assuredly disagree on her role in the catholic church... so unless you want to debate what has been debate at length here and throughout the catholic church history it is fruitless to continue.

You have stated you believe ‘salvation’ is through Jesus Christ alone yet praying through mary is your tradition..... and I believe that He is the ‘only one’ we need to pray to and through as He has said on salvation and in prayer. One of us is wrong.

[metmom]

You look at the responses. ‘We will rebuild it. It will stand again.’

Just like with 9/11.

Jonathan Cahn addresses that in The Harbinger.

Just like with the Twin Towers, the fire is evidence of God removing His hand of protection from countries that no longer want anything to do with Him.

They kick Him out and they take the consequences.

It's not that He is deliberately punishing them in the vengeful God sort of way that too many people like to portray Him, but when He's not around to protect, this is what happens.

I have a pretty strong suspicion that very few people really have much of an idea just how much He does protect us and how long He does it for before He starts leaving us alone like we want.

[metmom]

This reminds me of the end times book written by some Messianic rabbi. He did this whole big thing on the words “we will rebuild” used at the time of 9/11 and how that meant the apocalypse was coming. Of course, his date came and went.

I read that book a couple times and did not see anywhere where he posited a date.

The whole premise of the book was that the attacks on the WTC were a warning, a harbinger, if you will(hence the title), that God was beginning to remove His hand of protection from the US..

[metmom]

Posting the words of Jesus gets just a *whatever* reaction out of a Catholic?

I can see just how important Scripture and the words of Jesus are to Catholics.

[Balding_Eagle]

Oh, they’ll rebuild it. And it will become an “Inter-Faith” facility.

Which is a way station to eventually becoming a Mosque.

Hmmm, you may be right.

[kaehurowing]

From a New York Times article:

“Tensions came to a climax in 2015, when Mr. Cahn suggested in a book and during several TV appearances that an imminent cataclysm was on the horizon.

Leaning on arcane readings of the early books of the Bible, Mr. Cahn said that just as God visited judgments on the wayward Israelites according to a particular seven-year pattern — something called “the shemitah” — modern catastrophes might follow a similar pattern. In 2001 came terrorist attacks, in 2008 there was an economic crash. Mr. Cahn asked: could 2015 bring another disaster?

But months passed, and the doomsday date came and went. He was dismissed as a grifter.”

I think this is all based on the same analysis. (Googling, his first book was “The Harbinger.”)

I actually believe America is under God’s Judgment and it’s not going to end well.

[353FMG]

The fire probably started by smoking workmen. Cigarette smoking is still a common practice in Europe.

[Mrs. Don-o]

We don't need to extend His Mission? We're not called to extend His Mission?

Then what is the Great Commission all about?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Jesus came through Mary because "Salvation is from the Jews" (as Jesus said,John 4:22) and she is the particular Jew He came from. She, humble as she is, is by His design His chosen connection the the human race, AND his chosen connection to the Jews.

'Cause he had to be Jewish.

On His mama's side.

No Incarnation, no salvation.

I didn't design it that way. He did.

[caww]

To set up a person as a recipient for our prayers, no matter how great they are is making them out to be deity...Asking a saint to help and guide or protect is something only God can do. Further there is not one example of a Christian addressing prayers to Mary or saints, or those who are dead passing from our world.

The Bible says in Eph.2:18, “for through him we both have access by one spirit to the father.....Heb.7:25 tells us “He is our high priest ‘who lives to make intercession’... If God is praying for us is this not sufficient? Why go To a middle man (or woman who God has not instructed to go to) when we have God himself.

When God spoke with an audiable voice from heaven at the mount of Jesus’ transfiguration He said clearly...... “This is my beloved son hear him.”.... God has always pointed to his son... Nothing in Scripture ever indicates that Mary had prayers offered to her.