XV: Truly the Light is Sweet

Tell Your Friends About "How Great Thou ART!"

Truly the light is sweet, and a wonderful thing it is for the eye to behold the sun. Ecclesiastes 11:7

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 Morning Coffee with Barry Stebbing

 XV:  Truly the Light is Sweet

Stained Glass Window in The Cathedral of Notre Dame

Standing within one of the grand cathedrals of the Gothic Period, one is in awe. Lifting your eyes beyond the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the prodigious edifice spires up to heaven itself.  Stone Biblical statues look upon the congregation with spiritual solemnity, and masterfully cut glass, translucent in the morning light, emanates the glory of God.  Everyone utters in hushed tones, Surely the Lord is in this place.  And thus was the purpose in building these massive churches.  

Accomplishing the completion of these magnificent cathedrals was an ineffable feat of ingenuity that some believe even surpass the brilliance of the ancient Egyptian pyramids.  Soli Deo Gloria, All for the glory of God.  Each cathedral would take over one hundred years to complete.  This too, proved to be a glorious endeavor.  An abbot who witnessed the building of one in the 12th century wrote,  Who has ever seen the like?  Princes, powerful and wealthy, proud and beautiful women, bend their necks to the yoke of carts which carried the wood, wine, oil and lime – everything necessary for the building and the men working at it.  One saw as many as one thousand people of both sexes, drawing wagons and pressing forward with emotion filling their hearts.  Nothing could stop or delay them – and from dawn to dusk the sound of hymns arose.  The words of the abbot ring true in God’s ear, delighting in seeing His people dwell together in harmony.  It was a time when there was one Church, one denomination, with everyone rejoicing and singing hymns together.

Gothic Cathedral

In the 19th century the great French writer, Victor Hugo, would add his sentiments about these grand cathedrals when he wrote,  The spiritual history of the Middle Ages was written in stones of the cathedrals – in the statues designed to clothe the idea of Christianity in forms that all could appreciate, and to instruct the faithful in great truths.  To enter the cathedral was to experience a great uplifting, like the partaking of a sacrament.  The cathedral was a place of religious light colored by the stained windows; it was the symbol of faith and love, and within it worshipers felt the mystical union with the body of Christ and the mingling of soul with soul.

With the possible exception of Solomon’s temple, the Gothic cathedrals extolled the glory of God more than anything else built by the hands of man.  Ironically though, I have grown to become just as spiritually inspired in the midst of nature or under the evening stars.  And if one truly seeks God fervently, is it not possible to experience a spiritual elation in our own homes?  The most magnificent of all cathedrals is within us.  As Jesus says,  Kingdom of God is within you.  And our eyes, like the stained glass windows, should reflect His radiant glory.   As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake,  I will be satisfied in Your presence.      Psalm 17:15

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Art History Tid-Bit:  The term Gothic was given to the Gothic Period (1100 AD-1300 AD) by the great Renaissance artist, Raphael (1483-1520).  He believed that the style, especially the gargoyles that were placed on the exterior, had been strongly influenced by the Goths.  This great era was actually an awakening as man was coming out of the Dark Ages

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Coffee Memo:  I do not serve my best coffee to company.  It never seems to be appreciated. I have found that the animation of conversation all but gives coffee a secondary role.  Coffee should be enjoyed in morning solitude.

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