The world watched in horror on Monday as flames nearly consumed the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathredal.
Though the historic monument of Christianity and worship escaped complete destruction, colossal damages from the fire ensured that the cathedral will never be the same.
In a recent Facebook post, Sister Sharon Eubank, the first counselor in the general Relief Society presidency, shared a message of solidarity and hope and showed how this tragedy can be a metaphor for our own lives.
"I spent 2006 living in Paris. My apartment was just a few blocks from Notre Dame Cathedral, and I can’t count how many times I walked along the river and ended up staring at that stunning church. With the rest of the world, I watched in horror as the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral was on fire. I read a news report describing the 'forest' of lumber that medieval craftsmen used to build the great ceiling. Many of those trees, in order to be long enough, were 300+ years old. I can’t imagine how those laborers cut down those trees, dragged them to the little island in the middle of the river where the cathedral stands, hoisted them hundreds of feet into the air, and somehow attached them to the walls and roof. Tragedies like this one make us mourn what is lost. Much of it is not replaceable. There is no way to calculate the value of what a visit to that glorious edifice has meant to millions of people. Our hearts are with beloved Paris. "But I also believe the cathedral can and will be rebuilt and will be even better suited to serve as a reminder of God’s love—ancient and modern—to all who visit. Most importantly, our Heavenly Father can make 'cathedrals' of each of us. We will probably have to suffer the scorching of our hearts to really know the depth of His power and love. We long to keep the old-growth forest on which we’ve built our lives. But He has a plan that is even better. When we call out, Jesus Christ rushes to our aid to help quench the flames. Let us turn our hearts over to Him and not be afraid to build with His beauty upon our ashes."