As inspired by GK Chesterton in his brainiac book "Orthodoxy", I dial up Amiens Cathedral (in France) on You Tube. Holy Macaroni, what a "sheep shed!" Earthly adjectives fizzle quickly in describing this 13th century Gothic Cathedral. The open sanctuary is about 12 stories high and the interior is a paltry 250,000 cubic yards. A feeble attempt to explain it might be combining the glorious structures from the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, but then you are probably still talking "trailer park" next to the Amiens edifice. Chesterton is cool in showing how Christianity can take the utter simplicity of a St Francis (barefoot, rope belt, coarse wool garment,) merge it with the stunning baroque-ness of an Amiens Cathedral and still have a transforming result. He argues for the proof of a God who AT THE SAME TIME could be both an Infinite Divine Creator and a hungry, thirsty carpenter-rabbi. In a lot of ways, a God who could use 2 opposite icons and achieve His desired effect of revealing the eternal to Smurf's like us must actually like us. That may be an even harder puzzle than seeing St Francis walking the nave of Amiens.
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