The Melchizedek Chronicles – Notre Dame Fire – Act of God or Man? Good Friday...

The Soul of France – Notre Dame

As the embers of the tragic fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris finally fade away there are many lessons that can be learned.

On the one hand, there are good things even in the face of adversity.  Melchizedek teaches that we must “look for the good in adversity” if we are to understand the will of God, for nothing happens that is not part of the plan of destiny.

Many good things an be found in the disaster of the fire.  There was the appearance of Jesus in the midst of the flames, as if he came to make certain the raging inferno did not destroy the sacred Cathedral and all the precious relics, priceless works of art, architectural French Gothic wonders and historical impact.

It has been nearly a millennium since the Cathedral was started in 1163, and 674 years since finished in 1345.  Built on the site of two previous churches, and who knows how many pre-Christian temples, the Cathedral was dedicated to the Holy Mother Mary.  The translation of Notre Dame is “Our Lady.”

As for seeking the good in adversity, consider these outcomes of the flames, some bordering on miraculous.  A fire alarm went off nearly twenty minutes before the fire but was dismissed when no fire was found. Many people were still in the Cathedral when the flames exploded on the roof yet everyone got out safely.

Then there was the miracle of the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade rescuing the holiest of holy relics perhaps in the world, the Crown of Thorns placed on Jesus during his torture and crucifixion.  He knew the Crown was beyond priceless and perhaps the only relic on Earth tied directly to Jesus.

For chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier who is being hailed as a hero, he said the hardest task was cracking the security codes to rescue its most precious relic.

Fournier told Catholic broadcaster KTO on Wednesday that “the difficulty for us was to find the person holding the security codes to open the safe where the holy relic is kept.”

The chaplain was also celebrated for tending to the injured and praying for the dead in Paris’ Bataclan concert hall after the 2015 Islamic extremist attack there. He also spent time in Afghanistan with the French military.

At the same time a human chain was formed of firemen and Notre Dame personnel and priests to remove the other sacred relics and historical treasurers while the fire blazed in the roof overhead and scalding molten lead dropped from the ceiling like surreal raindrops.  Other firefighters beat back the flames so the treasurers could be rescued.  All put their lives at risk.

Then high above them the three-hundred-foot spire suddenly buckled, then collapsed down through the roof into the interior of the Church where the rescuers were frantically working to remove the many artifacts, raining debris but resulting in just a single fireman injured.

For nearly twelve hours five hundred French firefighters risked their lives to save not just the most iconic landmark in France or Europe, but of the entire world as over thirteen million people visited the Cathedral every year.

While the battle was raging inside the Cathedral, darkness magnified the blaze in the night sky and suddenly hundreds, then thousands of the people of Paris and tourists from around the world were drawn to the horrible tragedy unfolding, the tourists anticipating spending the Holy Week in sacred ceremonies at Notre Dame honoring the death and resurrection of Jesus, son of “The Lady”.

Slowly, the people made their way to observation points around the La Seine River surrounding the Cathedral, a surprising number of young couples and children, and stood in stunned silence as the flames roared into the night sky.  Then some fell to their knees praying while other started singing Christian hymns.

Now the fire was being fought from within the cathedral around the High Alter, on the rooftop, and from the Bell Towers.  Lowly the ancient temple fought back refusing to succumb to the raging flames and searing heat intent on sinking this venerable holy place into the darkness of oblivion.  As the fire threatened to spread into the Bell Towers and bring down the exterior walls of the Cathedral there was a change.

Somehow, perhaps because of the collective prayers of people throughout the world watching the carnage on television, the outside walls of this ancient site refused to accept defeat, just as it looked as if the flames and intense heat along with millions of gallons of water used to fight the fire would be too much for the beleaguered landmark to absorb.

              

Mysteriously, perhaps a supernatural force sent by the hand of God came to the aid of the heroic firefighters in response to those prayers.  Something broke the stranglehold of the darkness and rampaging spirit of the flames and the ferocity of the inferno suddenly began to wane.

Perhaps the spirit of France’s most iconic Saint returned to finish the task of saving France from the darkness of the soul here in the most iconic Cathedral in the world.  Notre Dame and Joan of Arc had unfinished business.  The magnificent new Cathedral opened just sixty-seven years before Joan was born.   It dominated the landscape and was the center of Paris.

Those not familiar with the only teenage female warrior in history to lead the army of an entire nation into war should know dear Joan.  Born in 1412, she answered God’s call to sacrifice her own life to save France from moral self-destruction and at seventeen years old led a collapsing French army against the English empire occupying Orleans as well as Paris and Burgundy, and intent on ending French rule on the continent by the end of the year.

Often referred to as the Maid of Orleans she defeated the English around Orleans, oversaw the installation of Charles VII as King of France and she was on her way to Paris to drive the English out of France ending the Hundred Year war between the enemies.  By this time, she was just eighteen and knew through divine voices she had one year to live.

While attacking Paris her support from the King ended, and she was denied taking back Paris.  She was captured and sold to the English who feared her.  With no opposition from the French throne, Joan was charged and tried as a heretic under church law, excommunicated by the church, condemned to death, and burnt at the stake in 1431, at nineteen years of age.

Later church authorities acknowledged she was betrayed by the church and would nullify her excommunication, declaring her a martyr unjustly executed for a secular vendetta.  Her legend would grow from there.

When Joan fought to save France the army was despondent, defeat seemed inevitable, and the people were losing faith in the Catholic church and the teachings of Jesus.  Immorality was rampant much like the caustic attitudes and moral bankruptcy of today.

Dissent, animosity, hatred and division were eroding the moral character and contaminated the people and bloodlines of royalty.  Joan’s sacrifice of her life helped lead the French people out of the darkness and despair.  Today, nearly six hundred years later, a statue of the beloved Joan of Arc stands proudly in Notre Dame.

In a strange irony, Joan of Arc became the most beloved of all French saints and when it was finally time to recognize her sainthood, she was beatified April 11 1909 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, finally finding her rightful place in history by completing her last battle in life.  She was canonized in 1920.

Joan of Arc is the only figure in our history ever to be both condemned and canonized by the Catholic Church.

Her long-deserved battle to save Paris and France from falling away from God and the teaching of Jesus is here.  She was stopped by the King before, but God is letting her finish her dream during Holy Week of 2019 by saving the beloved French icon of Notre Dame from the fury of the dark side.

There is no irony or coincidence behind the near destruction of Notre Dame and the miraculous saving of the Crown of Thorns of Jesus, the relics and priceless art work, the framework of the Cathedral, the Bell Towers, the Rosette stained glass windows, the sixteen sculptures of the spire, or the High Alter in the middle of the carnage.

When the firefighters finally got to assess the damage and could open the doors to the Cathedral, through the fallen timbers, debris, smoke, haze and water, the brilliant Gold Cross above the High Alter illuminated the dark interior radiating hope and life to the astonished firemen.

No greater sign could be given to the world than the raging inferno and eventual saving of Notre Dame.  The rising of the damaged Cathedral from the ashes to even greater glory in the future, thanks to the also miraculous raising of over one billion dollars to restore Notre Dame in less than forty-eight hours after the fire.

We have been given the opportunity to wake up.  To do this we must acknowledge that we have lost our way, all over the world.  We have forgotten God’s plan, forgotten God sent his son to die for us in order to teach us the path of death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven.

Nearly six hundred years ago Joan of Arc was also called by God to sacrifice her life to remind us we lost our faith.  We must follow the teaching of Jesus to find the path of salvation.  Joan finally got her chance to fight the forces of darkness in Paris and again save Christianity and restore faith by honoring the sacrifice of Jesus and the love of God the Father for us.

The Holy Mother Mary, patron of Notre Dame, was certainly involved in protecting the greatest international symbol in the world dedicated to honoring her because of the sacrifice of her son through his death and resurrection.

Paris and France again will have the greatest icon in the world in the new Notre Dame standing as a beacon for all God’s children as it is renewed, resurrected and restored for the next thousand years of humankind.

People of the world were stopped for a moment in time by the Notre Dame fire, pause from the chaos, hatred, and animosity sweeping the world, as they watched the heroes, prayers, singing, Jesus and Joan of Arc save Notre Dame to inspire future generations to find their way to God.

The seeds of salvation have once again been sown, by Jesus and now it is up to us to awaken and find our way out of the darkness engulfing the world and back to the message of joy, hope, faith and salvation for all of God’s children.

Once again Divine Providence has found it necessary to intervene in human affairs.  As Holy Week draws to a conclusion this weekend, we will remember the teaching and example of Jesus, as demonstrated through the loyalty to God of Joan of Arc.

As Melchizedek says, our Creator will never turn his back on his Creations.