April 16, 2019: Like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we should see the theological meaning of the partial destruction of Notre Dame. What took place filled me with grief, but in the end, I saw the rays of hope. Allow me then to share with you my reflections below.
1. Notre Dame burning April 15 evening is the symbol of the Catholic Church burning, the symbol of the current severe crisis in the Church by which the devil seeks to destroy her, our Holy Mother. Church.
2. Notre Dame’s partial yet severe destruction, which symbolizes the deformities of the Church, did not come about by any external bombing or the like. The deformities originated from within. The worst enemy is always the enemy within — and this is true, whether at the individual/personal level or at the collective level. Right now the worst enemies of Holy Mother Church come from within, just as Pope Benedict said.
3. The collapsed spire and 2/3 the roof destroyed, symbolize the loss of the Church’s credibility in the world — an unrelenting loss of credibility caused by the moral depravity among her many sons (and daughters) especially those in high ecclesiastical offices.
4. But Amen, both towers of Notre Dame remain standing firm, reminiscent of the two pillars anchoring the barque of Peter in the dreams of Don Bosco. We had the faithful praying the Rosary outside the Cathedral yesterday evening, joined by many other Catholics around the world; and we had firefighters valiantly fighting the fire to save Notre Dame from complete destruction. Amen, the Lord heard the cry of the poor! He answered! Praise be the Lord!
The Lord will always comes to rescue us as we reach the bottom of our brokenness, on the verge of complete self-destruction. He will rescue us, provided that we cooperate and put in the effort in prayer and in works ( cf. the faithful praying and the firefighters putting out the fire)
This, God willing, marks the turning point. There is Hope, Hope for rebirth. Conversion is a reality, both at the personal and collective level.
5. The reality of conversion: it is a slow, steady (painstaking process). It requires the perseverance of a lifetime. The reconstruction of the destroyed parts of Notre Dame will take years and cost millions.
I pray that hand in hand with the physical rebuilding of Notre Dame, there will be also the moral-spiritual rebuilding of Holy Mother Church (for this, let’s beg the Lord to give us true shepherds), and a rebuilding of the culture of life.
I wish you a prayerful and blessed Triduum.
(LifeSiteNews)