It was a gouge, really. I didn't want to end up like that poor lady who botched Jesus on the pillar. I have to say, though, between you and me, that botched Jesus makes me laugh really hard. Not because of the ruined art work (well, that too, truth be told), but because I can just imagine that lady, with the best intentions, poking away at it with her paint brush, thinking all was going along swimmingly, and then stepping back and seeing....not so much. Going from touch ups to an unfixable mess. Haven't we all been there?
You think, "If I just pull this thread...." "If I just put a dab of paint here...." "If we just cut the dog's toe nails a little..." "If I just stack a few more things in this pile..."
And then...an unfixable mess.
So we were nervous about how to fix the statue. At least we avoided any finger pointing as to how he became chipped. It remains a mystery, although not a Sacred Mystery. Just a "he was fine when we put him in the box last year" mystery.
At least for his "birth" tonight, he's looking rosy, with a patchwork of spackle and water color paint. The spackle absorbed more paint that anticipated, making one cheek more rosacia than rosy, so we had to rosy up the other cheek. Botched Jesus could have snow balled from there. But all is calm and his cheeks are especially bright. We'll leave it at that for this year.
Then we'll let the pros take over.
So Merry Christmas! I'll leave you with some nuns at Christmas for your holiday (holy day) enjoyment.
5 comments:
Hi, are you there right now?
Merry Christmas
Hi Sister! I'm 14, and I believe that God is calling me to be a sister. The only convent that is near me is Dominican. What is the difference between Dominican, Franciscan, Benedictine, or any other kind of sisters? How do I know which one to join? Thank you!
Hi Sister! My sister and I were discussing our mutual dislike for the new translation of the Mass.
Just out of curiosity, what would happen if a priest refused to use the new translation and continued to use the old, even after these 2 years? Or if thousands of priests did so?
Abigail-
The "new" translation is very close to the words used in the early 60's right after we switched to the vernacular from Latin. I, myself, am delighted to hear a Mass so close to the one said in my childhood. I wish they would have brought back more of the gestures of humility, not just striking the breast during the penitential rite, but reminded people to strike their breasts during the elevation of the host and cup. Also I remember making the sign of the cross several times during the Mass. I have been told to do that now, unless a congregation has held on to the custom, is not in good form, we should all be doing the same thing. Most of the people in my parish don't even bow their heads when they say the two lines in the Creed where the missile actually say to bow.
I think people don't want to be humble thinking they are entitled to all God's blessings.
If a priest or many priests refused to say the new translation ordered by Pope Benedict and supported by Pope Francis, what would that say about those disobedient priests? What if one or thousands decided to get married. What are rules and vows for anyway if we can't trust those to whom we confess to keep them?
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