La Catedral de Justo

In our new pueblo you can find all the normal Spanish icons - Plaza Mayor (main town square), Iglesia (Catholic Church), Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), Pastelería (pastry shop), Pandería (bread store), Ferretería (hardware store), numerous bars, and of course a churrería (another post will have to be done on this one - a chocolate and churro restaurant).  But there is also a cathedral - La Catedral de Justo.

This cathedral is not an ordinary cathedral.  It is not a finished work of art that was built hundreds of years ago.  It is a work in progress, a work being completed by one man, a work of faith.

Justo Gallego, an 89 year old from Mejorada del Campo (where we are now living), is building this cathedral.  At 27 he joined a monastery, but was later expelled due to having tuberculosis (to prevent him from spreading the disease to the whole community). Out of a frustration of not being able to pursue this spiritual path, he decided to build a work dedicated to God.   He is not an architect, nor a mason, nor does he have any construction training, yet he began this work using only his family resources.

His finished vision

For Justo, this is an offering of gratitude for the life he has been given and penance for those who do not follow His way.

The majority of the building is from recycled materials and with little outside support. 

With this in mind, it isn't your typical cathedral.  He has a vision for how it will be when it is finished, yet what you see today is far from it.

My first American reaction was how horrible the insides were.  It is pieced together with what he can find.  Yet over the days as I have pondered this work and talked with a Spanish friend (thank you Sara) about this achievement I have seen beauty.  I have seen a man who is so grateful to God for his life that he has dedicated 40+ years of his life to giving thanks.  I have reflected on a man who loves God so much that he wants to share with those who do not.  I have seen a tremendous act of faith - a steadfast faith in the midst of what I can imagine has been much criticism and mockery.  I see a man who looks at all the "trash" around him and sees a beautiful cathedral.

As I flipped through the pictures that we took on our first visit, I wondered what God sees when He looks at me.  When he looks at my "insides" he often sees a lot of "yuck."  He sees the trash and the left overs.  He sees what others see as "unusable, left over, invaluable pieces of trash" with a whole different reaction.  He sees hope and his finished design.  He sees in my insides a beautiful finished work. 

But I wonder, do I have the faith to allow HIM to finish the work in me.  Do I allow the "visitors" to my life to cause me to stop letting him work on me.  Do I allow the "stork poop" (there are several stork nests on the highest points of the building - so you can imagine what is all around) of others who "reside" in my life to mar the view of beauty that God sees. 

Do I have the faith to believe in the beauty my creator sees or do I trust what those around me see instead?  And when I look at those around me, do I see them as their Creator sees them - beauty among all the "junk," or do I see the piles of trash in their life and wonder what their Creator sees?  Oh how I desire to see not only myself, but each person around me, with God eyes - ones that see the beautiful finished project.