“Our Lady” has fallen, but CHRIST has risen”
Someone sent me a text message on Tuesday morning, informing me that the “Notre-Dame” has fallen. No doubt most of us are aware of the fire that virtually destroyed the iconic Paris Cathedral, “Notre-Dame de Paris.” Perhaps no other building site represents France and the city of Paris like Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame has stood tall above Paris since the 1200s. It took about one hundred years to build, survived revolutions and two world wars. It was one of the few sites sure to make a Parisian feel good about living there. Not only was the Notre-Dame de Paris a popular tourist site in Europe with an estimated fourteen million tourists visiting every year, but it was also still used as a place of worship with about 2,000 services held there every year with baptisms, marriages, and confirmation ceremonies regular events.
During our European tour in 2016, we were privileged to see many Cathedrals and we also went into the Notre-Dame. It was very impressive and the many artefacts and paintings that decorated the inside of the cathedral were just magnificent. From simply a human, non-religious perspective, I feel sad that such an iconic building has virtually been destroyed.
Interestingly though, did you know that “Notre-dame” is French for “Our Lady” (the Virgin Mary)? Many years ago, and perhaps some Parisians still do so today, people would see this building and its spire and say a prayer, using Mary as the mediator to Christ and then to the Father in heaven. This fact should make us very sad. With respect to the many Parisian Roman Catholics and others the world over who are weeping over a “Fallen Lady,” Scripture clearly reminds us that there is only one mediator between God and man and that is the man Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven given by men by which we must be saved (Act 4:12ff).
On this Easter Sunday, may we not turn our places of worship into idols or where idolatry is performed. Rather, let us focus on and rejoice in a resurrected Saviour, Jesus Christ. Please pray that people everywhere may not weep too long over a ‘fallen lady.’ Rather, pray that the Holy Spirit would cause those who weep now to see an empty cross, and be drawn to the resurrected Christ as the only Mediator, for this is what is most glorious to our heavenly Father. JZ