Falling in love in Paris

I just spent a week in Paris and I had a fabulous time. I went crazy for the gardens, the museums, the churches and the wonderful sweets. The weather was perfect - sunny yet cool. The roses were blooming, the trees were changing colour and shedding their leaves. There were just so much beauty assaulting my senses whether it was nature, the architecture or the art. Love. Love. Love,

What I found very encouraging was that people still believed in God and loved Jesus. Mass attendance was not just new immigrants but those of French descent themselves, young and old. There is a great love and reverence for Mary as the mother of Jesus. There were just so many Marian Churches which leads me to believe it is our Mother who is helping to draw people to her Son still.

Part of French culture, or should I say Parisian culture specifically, is Catholicism. The artists, the writers, the politicians, the great thinkers of old, many were Catholic. And even if the creative monde weren’t practising Catholics, many were commissioned to create works that had a religious bent and bore glorious results. 

The beauty of the stained glass and murals adorning most churches I visited are all attempts to glorify God and impart a sense of reverence for our Maker. I have to say I did experience the intended sense of awe. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the Eucharist daily in any church several times a day. It was also inspiring to visit the tombs or discover relics of so many saints and martyrs in Paris. So many incorrupt bodies of saints, so many places where holiness resides. So many wow moments for me. 

While the week was a vacation, it was a pilgrimage of sorts for me as well. I got to know more saints, read about their lives and spiritualities, and I had time to reflect and pray, whether I was sitting quietly in church, or walking outside in the sunshine. 

Life is beautiful. Life is good. God is beautiful. God is good. I found myself falling in love, again, and again, and again. Thank you, Paris, you are indeed beautiful in the fall. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to find you and love you in this beautiful city in so many ways.