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SAINT JOSEPH'S ORATORY

I was in Montreal in 1986 visiting some friends who were volunteering at the Seafarer's Center and had some time on my hands.  They told me to go to St. Joseph's Oratory on the Mountain and tell them what I thought of it, so I went, they were my best friends after all.  I found out that St. Joseph's is a place of worship built in celebration of the Roman Catholic St. Joseph and of many miraculous healings that took place at an earlier shrine on the site.  When I was there I saw stacks of crutches left by those who had been healed.  After wandering about the grounds for an hour or so and enjoying the view of the city I went up to the upper basilica.  It had a stark interior at first appearance with bare stone walls stretching on up to forever but as my  eyes began to adjust to the darkness the subtle beauty of the structure leapt out at me.  I am not Roman Catholic and cannot worship as they do, but I have always appreciated the magnificence of many of the buildings of that faith and have often felt that the beauty of these buildings is in itself an offering to God.  St. Joseph's Oratory is no exception.  Wandering along the stations of the cross (marvelous carvings into the stone of the wall itself) I found myself gaining a growing sense of wonder as I viewed the progression of Jesus' life from His birth as a human, through His ministry to mankind as both God and Perfect Man, to the ultimate goal of His sacrificial death in my place.  With my mind filled with these thoughts I turned a corner and what you see as the image below literally leapt out at me:

All my life I had been a Christian but it was not until this moment that I was suddenly struck by the incredible truth that a real man had died a real death on a real cross many years ago.  An innocent, punished for deeds foreign to His nature.  Though I had never been in doubt that this was true the difference between the knowledge that I had previously had and what I experienced that day was similar to the difference between knowing that food will cure my hunger and  actually eating a meal that cures my hunger.  In this wonderful moment the problem of my sin and the joy of its forgiveness met as I gazed at this portrayal of the greatest even in history and worshipped God, everything I ever believed finally found its focus.  The reality of His sacrifice was undeniable and I could do nothing but weep at the reality of His incredible love for me, and for all mankind.