It is easy to walk into some of these massive structures and misunderstand that baptism is just a promise about the future, that holiness is something we have to earn, and that the real work of evangelizing is only for clergy.
On the other hand, many churches from the past still proclaim a deep spiritual message that God’s presence is here and now.
What we want our catechumens to learn is that baptism is not a deferred hope but a living reality. We can learn from these monumental churches that, through beauty, sound, and silence, all of the baptized share one holiness and one mission. We are all called to announce the good news of God’s unbounded love to the world today.
