My daughter, who is only 19-months old, pointed to the icon and exclaimed: “Jesus!” Thumbs up to that.When my time came, our class was asked to perform the story of my favourite saint, Thomas More, using the script of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons as the basis for our production. The other day we were at our friends’ house for lunch, and they had a Christ Pantocrator icon on their wall, like the one in the image to the right. Meanwhile, though, I will continue to let my daughter play with Buddy Christ, since he has already proven to be helpful. The crucifix with all its blood and gore is actually cause for much rejoicing. He came to live as one of us, and to do what we could not do for ourselves, what no amount of cheerleading or boosting could ever accomplish: to reconcile all of us inveterate glory-seekers to God. Of course, he did not come to give us the willies either. But Christ did not come to throw us a pep rally. Which sounds nice, and not just in an ironic way-a supernatural homeboy, copilot, etc. With a wink and a nod, he has your back when you need some advice and cheering up. Doesn’t it pop? Buddy Christ!īuddy Christ makes a lot of sense if we are just looking for someone to help us out-a cheerleader or a life coach. Now that’s not the sanctioned term we’re using for the symbol, just something we’ve been kicking around the office, but look at it. So it is with great pleasure that I present you with the first of many revamps the “Catholicism WOW” campaign will unveil over the next year. And it is with that take on our Lord in mind that we’ve come up with a new, more inspiring sigil. Christ didn’t come to earth to give us the willies. While it has been a time honored symbol of our faith, Holy Mother Church has decided to retire this highly recognizable, yet wholly depressing image of our Lord crucified. Now in an effort to disprove all that, the Church has appointed this year as a time of renewal, both of faith and of style. People find the Bible obtuse, even hokey. They think of us as a passé, archaic institution. Now we all know how the majority and the media in this country view the Catholic Church. In fact, the amusing scene below from Dogma starring the late George Carlin as Roman Catholic Cardinal Glick introducing the Catholicism WOW campaign, actually pits the Cross against the new, improved, and glorious Buddy Christ:Īnnouncer: Ladies and Gentlemen, the driving force behind “Catholicism WOW,” Cardinal Glick.Ĭardinal Glick: Thank you, thank you. Buddy Christ, of course, is emblematic of theologies of glory in contrast to the crucifix, which is emblematic of theologies of the cross. Since then she has carried Buddy Christ around saying “tank tu” and kissing him on the head, which her mother and father consider absolutely adorable.Īll this is by way of explanation as to why I’ve been reflecting on the film afresh after all these years. One day I asked if she could kiss Buddy Christ and tell him “thank you” (for salvation, etc.). In any event, I thought the toy would be a convenient way to begin teaching her about Jesus. But I recently let my daughter begin playing with my Buddy Christ statuette since she had been pointing to it on a bookshelf and making quizzical utterances (“hunh?”)-yes, I have a Buddy Christ toy. This is a bit of a throwback given that Kevin Smith’s film Dogma is about 12 years old.
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