As light passes through the windows in a great dome of a grand basilica and fills it with light so too does Christ fill our hearts with His light. These rays that fill our hearts are love, mercy, the Eucharist, the sacramental life, the Cross and so much more.
What if the windows of the grand basilica were never cleaned, never cared for? The light passing through would become dim due to the film of dust and residue of the rain and fog left behind between the panes. So too with our hearts. So many times, due to the residue of sin, temporal or personal attachments, and even complacency, we fail to keep our hearts pure to allow Christ to completely fill us with His light, His love and to reveal His will to us.
Our Lady of Victory Basilica is a blessing to our diocese. It is a grand basilica built by Venerable Nelson Baker with the intention of bringing the faithful closer to the Lord simply by setting foot into this holy place. With a dome higher than the depth of Lake Erie, over 2500 Angels, tons of marble, breathtaking murals, and many awe-inspiring stained glass windows, the basilica does just that.
The stained glass windows in the dome are in great need of restoration and cleaning. The basilica is currently undergoing an extensive restoration process to remove, clean and return these beautiful windows to the original granduer of the basilica. Scaffolding is being carefully erected for the length of two weeks before the project can begin. It has to be sturdy, strong, and secure to protect the integrity of the rest of the basilica as it is repaired.
Let us seek from the Lord healing from our sin, freedom from our chains, and complete openness with reckless abandon to His will. Let us build scaffolding in our hearts so that we may reach the heights and restore within our souls the light of Christ within us, so we may be the face of Christ to all we meet!
Let us let our hearts be a sanctuary for the Lord as is the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory, a most holy name of Mary!
Written by Nicolette
