When a disaster strikes but leaves part of a Catholic church that is in its way standing or items of significance inside it largely unscathed in some form or another, the first question that comes to mind is whether God had a hand in it. The atheist's answer is always no but this blogger always thinks yes.
It is sad to see a church or part of one turn into a pile of rubble but if that is what God wants, any hint of sadness must be converted into acceptance. On Sunday, October 30, 2016, "'[i]n the walled town of Norcia, [Italy.] the 14th-century basilica of St. Benedict was devastated [by an earthquake], with only the façade still standing.'" [1] Below is a photograph of the Basilica di San Benedetto before the earthquake [2] and immediately below it are two photographs of the Basilica di San Benedetto after the earthquake [3], [4]. Further below is a before and after picture of a church in Amatrice, Italy [4], hit too by the same earthquake.
The photographs show that the front entrances of both churches were left standing. Why is anyone's guess. Maybe God is saying that the door to the Church built on the suffering and death of Christ remains open to all but not what was behind it which needs to be cleaned out and rebuilt. Unlike Francesco d'Assisi who was asked by Christ to rebuild His Church (not the Church of San Damiano that Francesco thought that needed rebuilding "but rather the universal church that was suffering from inside scandal and avarice as well as outside heresies") [6], this pope did not appear to have received the same assignment.
The Sunday earthquake that caused the churches in Norcia and Amatrice to collapse was not the first to hit central Italy. On September 27, 1997, an earthquake damaged the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, [7] located approximately 80.7 km from the Basilica di San Benedetto in Norcia. [8] The ceiling caved in near the main altar where two friars were killed, [9] the same area where visiting buddhists were given permission by JP2 to place a statute of Buddha on top of the Tabernacle 10 years and 11 months earlier on October 27, 1986, [10], [11]. Traditioninaction.org thinks that the destruction of the alter was related to a statute of Buddha being placed on top of the Tabernacle, saying that "God may appear to be late, but He never fails to strike..." [12] The atheist would say it was a coincidence but this blogger, agreeing with Traditioninaction.org, thinks it was a purposeful act of God.
It is sad to see a church or part of one turn into a pile of rubble but if that is what God wants, any hint of sadness must be converted into acceptance. On Sunday, October 30, 2016, "'[i]n the walled town of Norcia, [Italy.] the 14th-century basilica of St. Benedict was devastated [by an earthquake], with only the façade still standing.'" [1] Below is a photograph of the Basilica di San Benedetto before the earthquake [2] and immediately below it are two photographs of the Basilica di San Benedetto after the earthquake [3], [4]. Further below is a before and after picture of a church in Amatrice, Italy [4], hit too by the same earthquake.
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| Basilica di San Benedetto http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/ |
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| Matteo Guidelli /Associated Press |
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| MATTEO GUIDELLI / EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY |
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| Chiesa di Sant'Agostino http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37176601 |
The photographs show that the front entrances of both churches were left standing. Why is anyone's guess. Maybe God is saying that the door to the Church built on the suffering and death of Christ remains open to all but not what was behind it which needs to be cleaned out and rebuilt. Unlike Francesco d'Assisi who was asked by Christ to rebuild His Church (not the Church of San Damiano that Francesco thought that needed rebuilding "but rather the universal church that was suffering from inside scandal and avarice as well as outside heresies") [6], this pope did not appear to have received the same assignment.
The Sunday earthquake that caused the churches in Norcia and Amatrice to collapse was not the first to hit central Italy. On September 27, 1997, an earthquake damaged the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, [7] located approximately 80.7 km from the Basilica di San Benedetto in Norcia. [8] The ceiling caved in near the main altar where two friars were killed, [9] the same area where visiting buddhists were given permission by JP2 to place a statute of Buddha on top of the Tabernacle 10 years and 11 months earlier on October 27, 1986, [10], [11]. Traditioninaction.org thinks that the destruction of the alter was related to a statute of Buddha being placed on top of the Tabernacle, saying that "God may appear to be late, but He never fails to strike..." [12] The atheist would say it was a coincidence but this blogger, agreeing with Traditioninaction.org, thinks it was a purposeful act of God.
[1] http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/30/499955453/6-6-magnitude-earthquake-flattens-much-of-historic-basilica-in-central-italy
[2] http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/01/event-announcing-2016-summer-theology.html#more
[3] http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/oct/30/powerful-quake-shakes-italy-topples-benedictine-ca/
[4] http://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-hit-by-powerful-earthquake-causing-severe-damage-to-buildings-1477837536
[5] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37176601
[6] http://www.stfrancisuptown.com/our-parish/the-life-of-st-francis-of-assisi/
[7] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/earthquake-assisi-in-mourning-as-quake-shatters-basilica-of-st-francis-1241382.html
[8] Google directions
[9] http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/27/world/a-fatal-quake-shatters-fresco-in-assisi-shrine.ht
[10] http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A430rcAssisi1986.html
[11] Photographs - Google search
[12] http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A430rcAssisi1986.html
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