![]() ![]() One focal element of the design is the apse which is separated from the nave by a large arched opening and carved marble altar rail. The exterior features outstanding decorative brickwork and stone trim, particularly on the facade and around the windows. Architect Dowling was a prolific designer of parochial buildings in northwest Ohio, including Catholic church buildings in Tiffin, Archbold, Toledo, Marblehead, and other communities. Ground was broken for the new church on July 22, 1924, and the cornerstone was laid on October 12 of that year by Bishop Stritch before several thousand people.Ĭonstructed in basilica form and designed in the Romanesque style of architecture, the church was finished in 1928. Stritch would go on to become Archbishop of Chicago and was made a Cardinal of the church in 1946. By the early 1920s, the then-Bishop of Toledo, Samuel Stritch, decided that the parish deserved a larger, permanent home for worship. The first frame church building was completed in 1866, followed in 1890 by a brick church. The history of Catholicism in Shelby begins with efforts in the 1840s to establish a worshiping congregation. Jesus’ words in his Sermon continue to search us.Interior, second Catholic church in Shelby For as John Stott succinctly put it, ‘only the pure in heart will see God, see him now with the eye of faith and see his glory in the hereafter, for only the utterly sincere in heart can bear the dazzling vision in whose light the darkness of deceit must vanish and by whose fire all shams are burned up’. For they remind us of the attitude of mind and the quality of life we need to work at living now by the grace of God. When we come across the concept of purity, we right away think of abstinence, sobriety or having a clean. The searching nature of Jesus’ words here and the promise attached to them are challenging. Blessed are the pure in heart Matthew 5:8. So this Beatitude asks us awkward questions: Do we let our circumstances determine our response in each situation – what mask we might wear, what half-truths we might speak, what role we might play? Are we known and respected as a person of integrity, someone to be trusted, someone whose heart is pu re ? Hypocrisy and deceit are abhorrent to them’. As John Stott put it, ‘their very heart – including their thoughts and motives – is pure, unmixed with anything devious, ulterior or base. They are without guile, before God and people around them. The pure in heart are characterized by sincerity and genuineness. Nor are their lives shaped by lies and deception. To pick up the theme of Psalm 24, the pure in heart are those who do not serve false gods – the gods of wealth, success or self-interest. Rather, as New Testament commentators such as RVG Tasker and John Stott have pointed out, pure in heart here is primarily a reference to single-mindedness in the way we relate to God and to one another. In the light of the broader context of the Beatitudes, let me suggest that Jesus is not speaking about an outward conformity to rules or even simply an inward purity or righteousness – although these elements are certainly biblical. Life in the new heaven and the new earth should not surprise us by its purity, but be the perfecting of what God has already begun in our lives. Certainly, those who call themselves God’s people and who look forward to the perfection of the coming kingdom, should already be preparing for it. ![]() ![]() Indeed, the present tenses of his statements that day, tell us that Jesus is saying that purity is something we, men and women, should aim at now. Jesus knew that because his words are true and because men and women are made in the image of God, his teaching is beneficial for everyone. Yet we need to remember that while his primary audience for his Sermon on the Mount consisted of ‘followers’, vast crowds were present that day when he spoke. In the light of this attitude it’s tempting to think that Jesus is thoroughly unrealistic. Pure hearts, no! SO WHAT IS JESUS SAYING? Rather, I quickly discovered New Yorkers were not particularly enamored by the idea of a ‘pure heart’. While we received some positive responses we were not inundated with newcomers. Some years ago, to promote Christ Church New York City, we advertised our service times and locations and our website with words drawn from Psalm 24 on small bottles of hand sanitizer: ‘Clean hands… Pure heart’. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |