58 degrees and sunny; a nice day for a trip to downtown St.
Louis. We spot the famous Arch to the
West in the distance as we exit the interstate. Driving through city streets
that are a mix of run down and uncared for or shiny, well-maintained buildings.
Apartments, offices, churches, a hospital; structures in every shape, size and
condition.
Spotted a few blocks away, the great green tiled dome of The
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Missouri. It was Pope John Paul II the Great who designated this palace of
worship a basilica when he visited in 1999. We round the corner to park on the
street in front. The massiveness alone causes me to catch my breath. Instantly
I think, how could people build this? I had already done some research and
discovered that construction began in 1907. It was consecrated in 1926, though
not 100% complete for a total of 85 years. But I was not prepared for its full
city block square of stone and concrete Byzantine design.
Walking up the steps that seemed at least a quarter mile
from the street, I pulled hard one of the heaviest solid wood double doors, one
in a set of three, that I’ve ever seen. I entered a place I was even more
unprepared to see. Color, mosaic, arches, arcades. And this was only the twenty
foot deep narthex. Quietly I made my way to the nave, whose center doors were
open.
And then my eyes beheld the most glorious white marble
figure of Christ crucified, hanging within a majestic golden domed sanctuary,
at the end of row upon row of dark wood pews flanked by chapels and arcades.
Walking quietly down the center aisle, I stopped beneath the central dome whose
depicted heavenly vision was just that. Its mosaic panels exquisitely honored the
Holy Trinity. I turned slowly in all directions. Truly there are no words to describe 83,000
square feet paved with 41.5 million pieces of tesserae in 8,000 shades of
color. I closed my eyes to allow the memory of the sight establish itself in my
heart. I opened them again and knew my memory could not adequately hold what
lay before me.
Later at mass, I sat among all the grandeur intended to give
glory to God. Indeed, it does. The talents of men have been returned to God in
this, His temple, an appropriate action of man who has been given such gifts by
the Creator and Giver of all life and love and beauty. I wondered at the people
who say a building cannot give glory to God. It is here that the glory He gives
to His people is returned.
And I wondered at others who say God does not live in a
place built by man. I looked around me. I saw God in every face worshiping with
me. I saw God in the air as the incense wafted to the heavens. I saw God in the
8,000 shades of color that is part of His creation. And I saw Him in every
mosaic scene that told the story of salvation through the people He has called
and whom He has worked through from the beginning. I saw Him in the bread and
the wine lifted up by one chosen for that honor. And I saw that same bread and
wine become His resurrected body and blood.
God is not here? I determined that if one cannot sense the
presence of God in this place, then they do not know Him nor do they care to
find Him.
You can learn more about this magnificent cathedral: http://cathedralstl.org/intro
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