A series of essays....
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| THE PEOPLE OF PARIS SING THEIR PRAISES TO THEIR LADY, THE BLESSED VIRGIN AS THEY WATCH THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL BURN |
Courtesy of Chicago Tonight
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Waking up this morning, the morning after the fire, my nostrils are filled with the acrid smell of empathy smoke and my eyes are swollen by the tears that continue to be shed. It is so simple to identify with all of Paris, all of France, the entire world, today.
How resilient the French citizens of Paris are! After all of the suffering they have been forced to endure at the hands of trained terrorists, they kneel, illuminated by the orange glow of angry flames that devour their Lady, and sing their praises to her with great sadness filling their hearts! Like soft spoken tributes set free on miniature clouds of glory, their words rise above them and collectively float over the Seine to touch her soul with their Love.
No other violence occurred at this time, to my knowledge. No looting. No other fires set. No senseless damage done to anyone else’s property. Only the unified beating of hearts that believe in something greater than themselves can be heard. Their Beautiful Lady, along with all of her familiar relics and adornments, is reflecting powerful strength and courage in the distance; a Middle Age wonder caught up in the Modern Age of Martyrdom. How apropos that Joan of Arc was canonized a saint within Notre Dame’s hallowed walls.
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
“Say three Hail Marys as your penance and may the Lord be with you, my child,” the priest would say before sliding the petite and fragile, curtained window closed. I would step out from the confessional feeling blessed and slide into the nearest pew, press my knees into the slightly cushioned kneeler and devoutly say my Hail Marys while gazing, lovingly, at the statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the baby Jesus. She has never let me down and has always been there for all of us.
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| THE BLESSED VIRGIN HOLDING THE BABY JESUS |
According to CatholiCity, the practice of reciting the Hail Mary three times, dates back to the 12th century. One of the first to practice and recommend it was Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231). His purpose was “to honor the spotless virginity of Mary and to preserve a perfect purity of mind, heart, and body in the midst of the dangers of the world.” Lest we forget, ours is not the only time period that danger and hate have infiltrated the world.
Stephen Colbert’s ‘Midnight Confessions’ segment on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where he makes light of the deeply personal Act of Contrition, allows Catholics to smile, be our vulnerable selves, and not be ashamed of our personal weaknesses.
The Notre Dame Cathedral has always been a relevant part of French history. To be able to save her shell of stone and mortar, her melodic bells housed within the iconic twin towers (bell towers) that have rung out historical notes of victory and hope for centuries, and her flying buttresses that are, even now, reinforcing her heavy, stone walls, we acknowledge the fact that her future rides on the capabilities of mankind. We remember her humble beginnings nearly 900 years ago when mankind mapped out her iconic beauty and gave her life in the heart of Paris.
We see her as being beautiful. It has now been determined that she is savable. She is so much more than just a pretty face. Notre Dame Cathedral is a symbol of the good that lives within each one of us. She is worthy of every ounce of our defiance and determination. God bless the firefighters who knew exactly how to do their job in order to keep her glory and symbolism alive. And, we are relieved to know that this precious gift of all humanity will rise once again!
My personal memories of Our Lady and the Notre Dame Cathedral are many. I have two visits that stand out the most for me. First of all, I remember watching our eleven-year-old daughter demolish a jambon et fromage sandwich for lunch while we stood admiring the The Bronze Star, the reference marker from where all road distances from Paris to other French cities are calculated, and was embedded in the paving stones of Notre Dame Cathedral square in 1924. We felt as though we were standing smack dab in the heart of the world! Secondly, Dan and I were able to attend vespers, a service of evening prayer, while we joined others who happened to wander into the Cathedral at dusk. The singing voices, amplified by the incredible acoustics, sounded like the angels singing their praises to God and we were fortunate observers of this melodic miracle.
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| THE BRONZE STAR |
Courtesy paris-walking-tours.com
Our Lady’s personal prayer, The Hail Mary, serves us all in that the Lord does look upon her, his Mother, with favor and considers her a blessing among women. He has sought her out for consultation, believes in her every word, as we, sinners all, implore her prayers to save our souls at the hour of our death when we will then be judged by God. She is a powerful figure and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will rise once again to physically represent our human need and desire for grace and beauty while meeting our spiritual needs and answering our prayers for salvation.
Continuing to say my three Hail Marys each day, I feel grateful that the French will carry out the mending of their Beautiful Lady. I will hope and pray that its completion will take place in my lifetime, not to compare the original with the new, but to revel in her survival.
Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
