Cathedrals

It is interesting to reflect on the building of the great cathedrals of Europe. These magnificent structures were built over an extended period of time, often more than 100 years. Notre Dame de Paris, for instance, also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, began with the appointment of Maurice de Sully as Bishop of Paris. He ordered the original cathedral demolished and a new one constructed in 1160 C.E. In 1163, the cornerstone was laid and construction began. Within 20 years, the first section of the cathedral had been completed, however when Bishop Maurice de Sully died in 1196, work on the great Western façade and towers had not yet even begun. Notre Dame Cathedral was not completed until 1345; 185 years after it was originally commissioned!

Think of the hundreds, probably thousands of people who worked on that structure: architects, stone masons, carpenters, labourers, painters and more. Many probably invested their entire working lives in a building they never saw completed! In fact, given the significantly shorter life expectancy in the thirteenth century, it is conceivable that up to ten generations of workers knew no other career than working on this one structure.

From our modern world view, to think of working your entire life on a building you will never see completed seems incredible. And yet it occurs to me that in many respects, each of us do the very same thing. We work at building families, companies, churches, charities and lives, and at the end of the day, few if any of those enterprises are ever really complete. For instance do not know what effect the investment we make in the lives of our children and grandchildren will be. Will the values we seek to instill bear fruit? How great will be that yield? We cannot know.

Realizing this helps us realize the significance of every single day. The great cathedrals were not built century by century or even decade by decade. They were built one day at a time.

May you enjoy your work and life today.

Posted by Carman