Good morning, Prince of Peace!
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it! What a wonderful gift this new Church is to our school, our parish and the people of God here in north Texas!
Yesterday marked the end of a 9 year project of planning, fund-raising, and three phases of construction, culminating in the dedication of this beautiful new church yesterday.
An appropriate question is “Why?”
Why did we do this? Why spend so much time, effort and money to re-create this sanctuary, to put in the amazing mosaics of the stations of the cross, the extraordinary dove mosaic at the top of the church, the new crucifix, the beautiful new tabernacle, the marble altar, and baptismal font?
About 4 years ago, my wife and I visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. I had seen pictures of it all my life, watched clips on TV. But when I walked to the edge of the rim and looked one mile straight down, looked out at the majesty of the sediment cliffs, soaked in the sheer immensity and beauty of it, I was blown away.
And it wasn’t just me. There were people there of many different races, cultures and nationalities, and they seemed to be having a similar experience.
I think this is what was happening to us: this was more than just a wow! experience. I think it was a religious moment. Confronted by magnificent beauty, we were all being drawn toward God, the creator of this beauty, He who is beauty right through.
There are so many distractions that pull us away from God, that thwart us from being close to him, that confuse us. But on those occasions we come face to face with great beauty, we are drawn back, re-focused. It’s as if, inside us, our souls are saying, “Yes, that’s it! That’s what—that’s WHO—I am looking for!”
St. Augustine said it: “You have made us for your purpose, Lord. And our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
And that’s why this parish has worked so long and hard to make this such a beautiful place for worship. To draw us in, to experience God as we come into this majestic new church, to remind us who we are, and WHOSE we are, children of a creator who loves us right down to our bones.
The song we sang in the gym for our last school mass there, just before our Eucharistic procession, is a great reminder of our purpose this morning, and each and every time we gather in this new church:
“Here we are to worship. Here we are to bow down. Here we are to say that you are our God.”
Let’s do that this morning, through our praying, our responses, and our singing—let us praise and thank him for all he has done for us!
