Let's keep it all in perspective! My faith is in Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior! I don't fall down before Idols, even if they are intended to be a representation of Christ, and certainly if they are not!!! Iconic representations of the Apostles, or Biblical scenes in paintings, are nice, but irrelevant, as far as my faith goes. And I'm sure every Christian has heard that the true Christian church consists of the people within the building, and not the building, itself! That goes for Cathedrals, as well, regardless of how beautiful, expensive, or how old they are, and how many hunchbacks rang the bells, or any other historical reputation they might carry. (Was Joan of Arc burned in the courtyard in front of it? If so, I wonder how much the bricks cost from the courtyard, and how many thousands of replacement bricks were sold as genuine from the act???)
Forgive my seeming to be irreverent after the terrible tragedy of the fire that destroyed much of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, but we should be glad that no one was hurt seriously, or killed in the blaze. The destruction can be repaired, and I'm pleased that money for that is already pouring in from all over the world, as we consider the depth of the tragedy! But no one should feel that this is a tragedy that harms the faith of Christian believers, even slightly. And the fuss over the successful saving of the "Crown of Thorns", believed to be worn by Christ as He was crucified, is unimportant, as far as I am concerned!
I understand that Emperor Constantine's mother had a passion for touring the Holy Land, proclaiming various sites as the locations where various Biblical stories took place. Most of them have been discredited, as unlikely, but similar to the actual locations. And various Icons, like pieces of the "actual" cross of Jesus' crucifixion, and the Crown of Thorns, etc., are so unlikely to be genuine, as to seem almost laughable. Not because they would not be important, but because they would not have been considered so, by the people of the day, or specifically preserved as such! I suspect that the Romans of the day would have reused the cross many times after crucifying Jesus, and after it was too worn to be used that way, it would most likely have been used as fire wood. I speak no blasphemy, in suggesting this, because God wants us to consider that Jesus longer has a use for it, since His resurrection makes it's power of no affect, and again it is not the cross that is Holy, but the Man who came off it, and rose again that is Holy!!! It is not a sin to hold these things in high honor, so long as we do not connect our faith with them. It is not the cross that the young girl wears on her necklace that makes her a Christian, but the faith that resides in her heart beneath it, that does so!!! It is not a sin for her to wear it, but it is not an emblem of holiness, either. We give Medals of Honor to soldiers who perform valiantly, on the battlefield, but Christ has His own rewards when we go home to Him!
So labor to receive His reward at the proper time!!!
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