Finding Rest in the City That Never Sleeps

It was day three on our jam packed New York trip, and our out of shape Mississippi bodies were starting to feel the strain of walking, walking, walking. The heat was getting to me through my jacket; it was January for crying out loud New York was supposed to be a snow filled city during then! We (my theatre family and I) were preparing to go on a tour of NBC studios, but first we had some down time. Our feet may have been dragging but our sense of adventure was vibrant and ready to explore, so it was decided we would duck into St Patrick’s Cathedral. As soon as I stepped inside there was a calming sense of reverence and peace that pervaded the whole church.

Thousands of candles filled the room with their flickering holiness and it made me take a breath and step out of the rush of the world around me. Padding softly, I drank in the magnificent stained glass windows that encased the walls. The pictures showed the Bible come to life in a way more real yet more awesome than anything I had seen before. There were statues in a ring on the edges of the wall, and the lifelike quality made it seem as though Mary was right before me, confused but trusting God that her baby was something special. Perhaps the most shocking one was of Jesus with a crown of thorns in his head and blood running down his temples. Experiencing that made me appreciate what exactly he gave up to save this world and the pain and humiliation people put him through. The beauty and the sacrifice was enough to bring me to awestruck tears. The high ceiling and cool stone was a reminder of God’s power and might, making me feel very small yet somehow still connected to Him. We had to leave all too soon, and even though we still hustled and bustled during our journey, the peace that had pervaded me in that room still glowed inside of me for the rest of the trip.