the full homily of Mgr Ulrich for the inaugural mass of the cathedral

Contrary to what one might spontaneously understand, it is not primarily to recall a story from the past that the author of the gospel, Saint Luke, situates his story with such historical and geographical precision: “l ‘year fifteen of the reign of Emperor Tiberius’.

The evangelist even adds even finer indications that are identifiable by our modern researchers: archaeologists have identified certain traces of the man named Pilate whom we cite in our Creed, and it is said: “John, son of Zechariah, traveled the entire Jordan region. If the evangelist chooses to name these details, it is rather to say that what happened there and at such a time is part of a long tradition – and then he takes up the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Voice of him who cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.”

This tradition has not finished its course and it joins us, in our time, and in our place! What happens at the time of the prophet Isaiah, what happens at another time, that of the prophet Baruch of whom we heard a few lines in the first reading, what happens at the time of the last great witness and prophet of the old covenant, John, son of Zechariah, called John the Baptist, is the constantly renewed experience of the people of God who were able to move away from Him, or who were deported, exiled by neighboring empires, victim of the powerful this world; but God never abandons this people who thus become a permanent witness to the concern with which He surrounds all humanity, humanity in search of justice and peace for all peoples: “You saw them leave on foot, carried away by the enemies, and God brings them back to you, carried in triumph, as on a royal throne.”

One could fear that this story is naive optimistic! Yet, generation after generation, believers experience it, the Lord does not abandon his own. And if distress and violence do not cease throughout human history, the life of men is so precious in the eyes of God that He raises up, in all times and in all places, witnesses and disciples who nourish with his strength to show the path to the victory of life, to trust in Him, to the common construction of the universal fraternity of the children of God and to the gift of self which leads to it. The task is never easy, but it finds great opportunities to verify itself, to show itself, as the exemplary completion of this project to rebuild Notre-Dame de Paris has provided proof. “Every ravine will be filled up, every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked passages will become straight, the rocky paths will be made straight; and every living creature will see the salvation of God.”

Yes, the ravines that separate men from each other can be filled, the mountains of pride can be leveled, the tortuous lies can make way for the joy of the truth, the obstacles placed on the path can be replaced by mutual admiration of those who compete honestly: we can rejoice without ulterior motive in the success of others which increases shared esteem. We can desire this and contribute to it; In any case, it is God’s very intention to achieve it with our help. And it is already a way of glimpsing the salvation that He offers us and the path that He Himself indicates to us to walk towards Him, to join Him since He calls us to it.

This morning, the sentence of April 15, 2019 is erased. In a way, and even if the astonishment caused by the fire may have been lasting, the pain was already overcome when prayer rose from the banks of the Seine and from hundreds of millions of hearts throughout the world.

Prayer was already the sign of a hope still surprised by itself, but very real. The immense people of those who seek God could already sing: “take off your robe of sadness and misery, and put on the adornment of the glory of God forever, wrap yourself in the mantle of the righteousness of God…”.

And here we are around this altar which, in a few moments, I will consecrate to you so that it becomes the table of Christ’s sacrifice, the place where He gives His life for all. The material chosen by the artist, bronze, enters – as you see – into a frank dialogue with the stone building, it is the first shock that grips us. And this block of the altar, as if coming from the earth for the sacrifice, is prepared in a fraternal table for the Lord’s meal. It forms with the ambo, in an exchange without confusion, the table of the Word and that of the Eucharist. As for the lines of both pieces of this furniture, their purity, their simplicity, are extremely accessible, even welcoming; a power of life, a peaceful force emanate from this very simplicity, responding to the Church’s request that the components of the liturgy be all marked with noble simplicity.

It is Christ himself that we place here at the center of our Eucharist, at the center of our assembly; Saint John-Henry Newman designated the altar as this center towards which all our eyes converge, our eyes as believers.

With what love will we surround this altar, sign of Christ! It is certainly not a magical object, but it is an instrument by which we learn to see Christ in our midst, as the solid rock on which our faith rests, as the Calvary on which we discover even where self-giving and total love go, like the table around which Christ forms his disciples.

With what tenderness we will surround him by calling upon our assembly the power of holiness of the immense cohort of the blessed of heaven and earth! Among them, there will be five coming from several provinces of France and even Romania and having a strong link with Paris, of which a relic – that is to say a sign of their believing existence – will be placed inside: Saint Catherine Labouré, Saint Madeleine-Sophie Barat, Saint Marie-Eugénie Milleret, Saint Charles de Foucauld and Blessed Vladimir Ghika; by then invoking the Spirit of God who transforms everything into an instrument of peace and joy; by spreading on him the oil of good smell which attracts every man on the virtuous paths of disinterested love!

With what admiration we will still surround him when the smoke of incense rises with all our prayers to the most obvious intentions of peace and justice for all men and also to the most hidden intentions in the secret of all our hearts , and when, dressed in the white habit of baptism, he will shine with the light of heaven.

Finally, what recognition, what thanksgiving we will be able to raise towards the Father and the Son by then celebrating for the first time here the Eucharist which builds the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Spirit, the People of God who ‘offer with his Lord!

Brothers and sisters who are particularly invited on this day, do not just enjoy the pleasure of being there on such a special day when the Paris Cathedral regains its splendor, such as no one has ever known it before: that you whether you are a believer or not, you are welcome to participate in the joy of the believers here who give glory to God for having found their mother church.

And you, bishops, priests and deacons, faithful of Christ, baptized, consecrated, servants of the Gospel according to your condition and your particular mission, beloved Parisian brothers and sisters, do not only remain dazzled by the beauty of the stones found, but let -lead you to the greatest joys, to the most beautiful gift that God gives you and gives us of his amiable presence, of his proximity to the poorest, of his transforming power in the sacraments.

Like our sister Madeleine Delbrêl – a humble believer who attended this church, a servant of the poor in our neighborhoods and those of the Paris region – let yourself, like her, be “dazzled by God”! She was twenty years old when this desire, this lightning struck her, and it was just a hundred years ago. God is freedom itself, the freedom which surrenders itself, which gives itself; He reveals himself to us on this altar; we await his coming in our flesh, as Christmas approaches.

We rejoice in what we see, we savor this moment that we are given to experience, we love this gathering where we are united, and we dream that it could be like this in our so worried society.

But this morning, the source of our joy is even deeper and more lasting: it comes to us from God himself. He is the cause of our joy: let us not hesitate to repeat at all times with the psalmist we heard earlier, “what wonder the Lord did for us, we were in great celebration!”