On April 15, 2019, the world was stunned when Notre Dame de Paris blazed with fury. As if it were a mere twig, its spire snapped and plummeted 314 feet into the nave below. Through this ceiling of intricate carvings which had been meticulously crafted by artisans hundreds of years prior using five thousand pieces of oak timber - an entire city saw their “City Of Lights” burn before them as nightfall approached. As the blaze raged, viewers were left wondering if Notre Dame's iconic twenty-eight flying buttresses—a revolutionary invention of Gothic architecture—would collapse inward and bring down the building. Fortunately, they managed to withstand such a great test of strength! This was an important reminder that these stone structures created in 1180 are what have kept this structure standing for so long. Without them, it would have been reduced to rubble like matchsticks.
Paul's poetic language calls to mind his reminder of the church as the "pillar and buttress" of truth (1 Tim.3:15). In other words; it is our responsibility to uphold what is right. The church of Jesus Christ is good, beautiful, and true. The truth is her mission. The truth is her message. The truth is her reason for existing in the world. The church must hold the truth high.
