What’s the spiritual significance of the Notre Dame fire?

The newspapers have been full of accounts of the blaze that was within half an hour of destroying the whole structure, and several have even mentioned divine intervention to save the building. But has anyone asked the question, “Is God saying anything to France through this fire?”

The inferno at Notre Dame was horrible to watch on television. Certainly, my heart went out to the Parisian crowds standing in silent disbelief, some weeping in the streets, others too numb even to weep. Their iconic monument that symbolised the city and held hundreds of years of history was being destroyed and they were powerless to help. But I could not help wondering if the crowds were mourning the loss of a national place of prayer, or just an historic monument.

When any national disaster takes place, it is always right to seek if God is conveying something important to the nation, which in biblical terms is a ‘sign’. A good example is the way Jesus dealt with a tragedy that had shaken the whole of Jerusalem when the Tower of Siloam collapsed, killing 18 people (Luke 13:4).

I did not hear any of the clergy or political leaders in Paris speaking of the spiritual significance of the fire: if I missed some important statement I will gladly apologise. But the most outstanding comment I heard was President Macron’s determination to rebuild the burnt-out structure and restore the building to its former glory.

Of course this is laudable, but it surely misses the significance of this event which is clearly in the context of God shaking the nations. I believe God is sending a warning shot to France that they are in grave danger of losing the spiritual soul of the nation. They need to see this fire in the context of what is happening to churches all over France, where two church buildings a day are being attacked by various forms of vandalism or arson, reportedly carried out by Muslims who are attempting to wipe out Christianity in France.¹

When any national disaster takes place, it is always right to seek if God is conveying something important to the nation.

The Church Under Attack

Last month, the 800-year-old Basilica of Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb now mainly occupied by Muslim immigrants, was heavily vandalised with considerable damage to the organ and stained-glass windows. The alleged perpetrator, identified by his DNA left on the altar, is currently before the courts. He is said to be a Pakistani immigrant who speaks no French and has only been in the country two months.² This is reported to be his third offence.

A report from the Central Criminal Intelligence Service of the French police, according to Le Figaro, says that between 2016 and 2018 there have been thousands of cases of church vandalism in France, with 1,045 cases in 2017. In 2018, the Ministry of the Interior recorded 541 anti-Semitic acts, 100 anti-Muslim acts and 1,063 anti-Christian acts.³

France is said to have the greatest amount of anti-Semitic activity in Europe, with gangs desecrating Jewish cemeteries and synagogues: but the desecration of churches is outstripping other forms of vandalism. The Catholic hierarchy has kept silent about these episodes, not wishing to give publicity that might encourage copycat action. In any case, the Church has enough trouble on its hands dealing with the revelations of clergy sex abuse and a chronic shortage of priests.

The politicians also don’t want to speak about the anti-Christian attacks: they fear being dubbed Islamophobic by the left, or stirring more anti-immigrant sentiment on the right. They also have enough problems on their hands with the Yellow Vest protests and the rising level of street violence, as anti-establishment populist sentiment grows across France.

The Church has been a stabilising influence in the country for many hundreds of years - until recently, when there has been a catastrophic fall in church attendance. The question now is: will the Notre Dame fire spark a resurgence of faith, a return to prayer and support for the Church, or will the issue quickly be forgotten and the protesters soon be back on the streets?

I believe God is sending a warning shot to France that they are in grave danger of losing the spiritual soul of the nation.

Revolution or Reformation?

France has had its fair share of political upheavals and revolutions, its Joans of Arc and its Napoleons, but it has never had the equivalent of Germany’s Martin Luther or Switzerland’s John Calvin. Perhaps what is most needed in France today is a Protestant Reformation breathe new life into the Church - a resurgence of the 16^th Century Huguenots (who were persecuted and eventually expelled), to bring a fresh Bible-based reformation to restore the soul of the nation.

References

1 Read more at the Gatestone Institute.

2 Pakistani Migrant Faces Trial for Smashing Historic Church Holding Tombs of French Kings. Breitbart, 16 April 2019.

3 Statistics as reported by The Times.