From the moment you enter its plaza and step through the main doors of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, you are surrounded by both religious and secular, Catholic and indigenous images of God’s divine presence.
On the stone tiles of the outdoor plaza, you walk a path of constellations placing you among the stars each named by God. That path leads to bronze doors depicting not only various manifestations of Mary but also ancient symbols of the sacred from the various cultures that make up the City of the Angels.
God makes a home of us, of our very bodies, our very cities and communities. God’s home is wherever God’s people dwell. Share on XOne of my favorite spaces in the cathedral is the wall behind the crucifix. Hanging there are seven tapestries creating one image—a stylized map of Los Angeles, concentric circles radiating from the third panel showing downtown where the cathedral stands. Embroidered on each panel is a phrase from Revelation 21:3: “See God’s dwelling is among mortals. God will dwell with them. They will be God’s people, and God will be with them.”
Sometimes we try too hard to delineate the places where God is and isn’t. But the Incarnation seasons of Advent and Christmas, and especially today’s readings, remind us that it is not we who build a home for God. God makes a home of us, of our very bodies, our very cities and communities. God’s home is wherever God’s people dwell.
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