In March 2005, St. Raphael's Cathedral in Madison, Wisconsin burnt down in an arson attack. On arrival Bishop Morlino tried to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament but it was too dangerous and he was not allowed to enter the wreckage. He found some Catholic fire-fighters and asked them to try and retrieve the Blessed Sacrament. They succeeded and this iconic image was capture by an onlooker. This scene has been reproduced in a a painting in the lobby of the Diocese's chancery.
This image reminds us of the importance of the Real Presence. It is Jesus, present in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, that makes our church buildings holy and sacred. The Bishop was not concerned with trying to save ornaments or precious vestments but with finding the gift of unending love.
H/T to Fr. Z who included this image in a post about the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest.
It's worth noting that it wasn't that the Bishop wasn't willing to go and try and recover Our Blessed Lord : he was actually forcibly prevented from doing so.
ReplyDeleteThat sort of respect and love is precious, particularly because today it's all too common to discover that people just don't view the Most Holy Sacrament in that way.
Which is, of course, a good reason for making periodic Acts of Reparation to the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar . . .