In Barcelona, Spain, there is a Basilica called la Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family) with some of the most detailed, unexpected architecture and design that I have ever seen in my life. Having toured places like Westminster Abbey and some of the most famous basilicas and cathedrals in the United States, I was accustomed to seeing the intricacy and splendor of churches like this. But what was most unique about my experience at Sagrada Familia was that, despite beginning construction in 1882, the church was still not complete.
As I walked around the inside of the Church, I was struck much less by the finished pieces of the building. I was not moved by the crucifix above the altar, the spiral staircases up to the choir loft, or the magnificent colors of the stainglass windows. I was not convicted in faith by the height of the ceilings or the ornateness of the sculptures. What I was most inspired by was the mess--the unfinished pieces, the construction tape in the center, and the uncompleted portions of the sanctuary. For as I gazed at each work in progress and each unfinished section, I recognized the thought and intention that went into crafting this church. Great care was taken for great worship to be given out of great love for God.
And as I recognized this truth, I found within me a desire to have my life mirror this model. I want a life carefully crafted for the Lord. I want a life specifically ordered and built to worship my God. I want a life that is molded in detail and intricacy so as to honor the God who molded me in such a way. I want each part of my life to direct others to adoration of the Father. But so often I only let the Master Builder into such a small fraction of my being. I only let him shape a section of my heart instead of the entire dwelling. I only let him craft the part of me that goes to Mass or works in ministry or volunteers, but fail to allow him to complete the unfinished parts of me--the gaping holes, the unpolished pieces, and the forgotten corners.
1 Peter 2:4-5 says, "Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house." LET YOURSELVES BE BUILT. What a demand! What a huge undertaking that requires great humility! What an order that requires true abandonment! Yet what a command that is precisely what our souls are yearning for--to be built FOR him, to have lives crafted BY him, and to find purpose IN him.
This week, may we reflect on the building of our lives. Does there exist within us unfinished construction that we are afraid to bring to the Master builder? Are we trying to construct our lives on a foundation other than Christ? Are we obstinate stones who won't allow for the needed reconstruction to take place? Are we seeking to be the architect and failing to see the intricate beauty with which God wants to fashion our lives? As we reflect on these things, may we find comfort in the imagery of la Sagrada Familia: that despite the fact that it is a work in progress, worship still exists within it. People are brought closer to God by witnessing it. Beauty is still found in it. Such is the case with us. May we seek grace to accept the reality that we, too, are a work in progress and respond to grace by allowing ourselves to be further built up by Christ.
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