Churches / Cathedrals in Europe.

When you travel to Europe, you will soon realize that churches and cathedrals are everywhere. Often in many of the smaller towns, the significant feature will be the cathedral in the center of the town. For the larger cities, the cathedrals are popular tourist attractions that draw crowds to see their architecture, sculptures, windows, and history.

The weirdest part about seeing these cathedrals is that I would always have a funny feeling. It was almost a sense of despair. These cathedrals, built as places of worship, have turned into tourist attractions. At first glance, it is awesome that the cathedrals are full of people. However, it is soon apparent that the people inside don't come to worship, and may not even understand the Christian significance. Instead of entering a place of worship, tourist enter a building that has cool art. Many of the cathedrals even sell souveneirs - inside the sanctuary. I couldn't help but think about Jesus overturning the tables inside the temple of Jerusalem. What would he do to the commercialized Christianity that exists in Europe?

It really is tragic that Europe, previously a center of Christianity, is struggling to survive spiritually. Europe is spiritually dying, in desperate need of revival. It's hard to believe that an entire continent, saturated with churches and cathedrals, has lost understanding of their significance. However, it makes sense when you understand that the churches and cathedrals have often lost their Christian attachments. The physical infrastructure is there, but not the spiritual.

Some churches don't even close for Mass. I was at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in Paris, and there was a mass going on. I couldn't help but feel sadness watching people walking around the cathedral during mass. It's as if tourists saw Mass as a spectacle, just another thing to experience while in Europe. What has happened to the reverence and respect that our God deserves? I know that if I were in a service, I wouldn't want tourists walking around and viewing me as an attraction. I also wouldn't want my place of worship to be an attraction, constantly drawing camera-laden crowds.

Let's pray for a revival in Europe. The churches and priests and pastors and missionaries are all there. What's missing is the hunger and desire for God. I pray for a spark to ignite the hearts of all Europeans, and then the desire and passion to see the flames grow and shine to the rest of the world.