As enjoyable as the holiday season may be, we can all feel the need for physical renewal once it’s over. The “new year, new you” mantra strikes a chord with many of us.
We can glean inspiration from a story of amazing restoration. On April 15, 2019, a devastating fire extensively damaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The crowd of onlookers gasped as flames shot through the roof and her iconic steeple toppled to the ground, with debris even spilling in to the Seine River nearby. To see this beloved medieval Catholic cathedral, built from the 12th to the 14th centuries, crumbling before their eyes was a horror beyond imagination.
But hope sprang from the ashes. France’s President Emmanuel Macron declared that the grand cathedral, visited by thousands of sojourners yearly, would be rebuilt and restored to her original glory in five years.
My husband and I were privileged to walk the streets of Paris in July of 2023. 
As we looked up at the massive scaffolding surrounding the majestic cathedral we shared our tour guide’s view that Macron’s deadline would probably not be met. Naysayers were many, yet thousands of diligent artists, artisans and craftsmen began the pains-taking work of cleaning and repairing stained glass windows, recreating stone and wooden carvings from photos, restoring centuries old paintings and murals, and resurrecting the damaged organ—the largest in France. The billion-dollar project was funded in part by donations from all around the world—with 57 million coming from the United States.
And so, taking just a bit longer than Macron predicted, Notre Dame Cathedral was rededicated in December 2024, welcoming thousands of worshipers and curious tourists through her doors.
Photos reveal that the cathedral is lighter and brighter than before. And it truly is restored to its original beauty with attention paid to every minute detail.
Now the gasps are those of awestruck visitors and worshipers attending mass.
Europe is full of amazing cathedrals, Notre Dame perhaps being the most famous, but the Bible reminds believers in Jesus Christ that we are the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), indwelled by God Himself through the Holy Spirit. We the people are the church, not the buildings.
So if our temple needs a bit of restoration, let’s get started. Let’s pay more attention to what we do and don’t eat, lace up those walking shoes, and enter the New Year grateful for the bodies we have and in anticipation of where they may take us next
We still have a picture of our dear departed son, Philippe, when he was almost 11 years old in 1981, standing next to a huge gargoyle near the top of one of the towers at Notre Dame, when people were still allowed to climb up one of the two towers at the front of the cathedral.
We were also horrified when it burned, and now, as a result of the dedication of many artisans and construction people it is restored to its original grandeur! We never dreamed that they would be able to restore it to its original glory!
Nancy, you are right; it looks much lighter in the interior, which likely appears what it looked like when it was first built. Yes, we are the temple, as we, Christian believers, are God’s church!
A great inspiration. Thank you.
Paris was never on our schedule, so I haven’t seen Notre Dame. However, I have seen many European cathedrals and stood in awe at their magnificence. And, oh, the organs! I wanted to blow a whistle and tell the talkative tourists to hush! Thanks, Nancy!
Wonderful description and observations, Nancy! For those of us who live in older tabernacles, duly noted to honor, sustain and love them even in their less than glory days…
I remember vividly our visit to the restoration site. The work they have done is truly incredible.
May we endeavor to care for and continue to daily restore our own aging bodies (temples)
Your huzzband