During the breaking newscast of the Notre Dame fire, the words
“They were creating a giant prayer…” in reference to the creation of the cathedral caught my attention.
I cried.
I cried again later during another news report which said, “Firefighters directed much of their efforts towards saving the artwork stored at the back of the cathedral.”
It moves me deeply to know that my fellow humans value art, beauty and history to the point of risking their lives.
Years ago, I cried while watching a documentary about Afghan professors rescuing art from the taliban. And while reading about US soldiers rescuing art from the nazis.
These acts of heroism speak volumes to me about what it means to be human and what it means to care about the legacy we offer future generations.
But
the people who cried on 4/15/19 and put their resources and power towards saving Notre Dame,
my people – the ones of European Christian ancestry,
allow corporate greed to destroy God’s art.
Indigenous peoples go to court to save the Amazon from oil company greed.
Image Credit: Mitch Anderson/Amazon Frontlines
Imagine the state of our planet today if
those who claim to believe that God created the forests, valued natural Creation as much as the Creation of our greatest human artists.
Imagine too the state of the world if we recognized the Sacred in every culture.
What if we saw God in the history and traditions of every race and continent? What if those saving Notre Dame did all they could to stop the destruction of the Sacred in all its expressions around the globe?
During yesterday’s fire, I was privileged to know that the wealthy and powerful shared in my grief, and were doing all they could to stop the destruction of the Sacred art and history of my own spiritual ancestors.
Today I ask what if the wealthy and powerful did all they could to stop the destruction of the Earth and of all peoples?
All life would be recognized as a prayer.