St. Louis Cathedral- New Orleans

On Saturday night in New Orleans we were blessed to attend Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the United States. What a wonderful, holy place. It struck me that right outside the cathedral were tons of palm readers, fortune tellers, tarot card readers, etc. The enemy had put up his army right outside the doors of God's house.

I have always loved beautiful Gothic architecture since long before we became Catholic. When I worked one summer in downtown Mobile I went to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception every day during my lunch hour to pray. I was just drawn to the quiet, holy space (even though I was still certain Catholics were probably not Christians). :) The architecture lifted my spirit from the troubles of the earth and put me in a heavenly mindset. You can imagine yourself before the Lord of Heaven in the company of angels. That's the idea. We are supposed to leave the world behind when we enter into Sunday worship- when we worship God on His day we are entering into the heavenly worship described in Hebrews. The veil is torn and we are able to be with the Church Triumphant and the Heavenly Host as they fall on their knees and cry Holy Holy Holy.

Marc, who's read extensively about the Crusades, was able to tell me all about St. Louis, the pious King of France. The mural above was him calling his knights to crusade. He wrote a famous letter to his son, Phillip III, which shows the holy mindset he had.

You will notice Latin phrasing in old Cathedrals, and many people don't understand why the Church uses Latin- it was a universal language of the Church. The Church is such a melting pot of cultures that it is a beautiful thing to have a universal language. We already have a universal Missal- if you enter any Catholic Church in the WORLD on any Sunday you will hear the exact same Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Gospel reading. That's right- every Sunday Catholics hear at least four parts of Sacred Scripture. And if we still used Latin (which many Traditional Parishes do) we all say the exact same responses and prayers.

Above: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth- Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God Sabaoth.

These two sides give us John 6:56, "Caro enim mea vere est cibus sanguis meus vere est potus."

"He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him."

"Ego sum via et veritas et vita", "I am the way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6.

The three statues above are Hope, Faith and Charity respectively. The words just above the tabernacle that holds the conscecrated Host read, "Ecce Panis Angelorum", "Behold the Bread of Angels."

Below we have "Te Deum Laudamus Te Dominum Confitemur", the words to an ancient hymn saying "We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord."

What's the deal D? Why are you posting all this? I just know 90% of my readers are Protestant and may not be acquainted with Cathedrals or understand why we love them and why they are built. They are supposed to take our souls out of this earthly, fallen world and transport us with their beauty to find the truth that is there (and the truth WHO is there). There is a heavenly sphere, it is beautiful, this world is not our home. When you walk past the sin and debauchery of the city and enter into a holy place you walk out changed. Pope Benedict spoke on this last year:

I have been speaking in recent weeks about medieval theology, and would now like to turn my attention to how the Christian faith of the Middle Ages inspired some of the greatest works of art of all time: the cathedrals of Europe. Romanesque cathedrals are distinctive for their size and for introducing to churches beautiful sculpture, including the image of Christ as the Universal Judge and the Gate of Heaven. By entering through Him, as it were, the faithful enter a space and even a time different from everyday life, somewhere they can anticipate eternal life through their participation in the liturgy. Gradually, Gothic architecture replaced the Romanesque, adding height and luminosity to the previous style. The Gothic cathedral translates the aspirations of the soul into architectural lines, and is a synthesis between faith, art and beauty which still raises our hearts and minds to God today. When faith encounters art, in particular in the liturgy, a profound synthesis is created, making visible the Invisible, and the two great architectural styles of the Middle Ages demonstrate how beauty is a powerful means to draw us closer to the Mystery of God. May the Lord help us to rediscover that "way of beauty," surely one of the best ways to know and to love Almighty God.