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February 26, 2007Laughing at The Jesus TombLast Friday - the first Friday of Lent, actually - I posted this story about the so-called “Tomb of Jesus” being “found,” and then forgot about it. So, I was surprised today to find the post getting eleventy billion hits. Soon the emails began to follow, both good and bad. There were the usual extremes from left and right, from the “you stupid Christians are finally going to find out you’ve been played for suckers all these years,” to the “Oh my GAWD, the world is ending, these [secularist] people are going to crucify us all.” Admittedly, there are only a few of those. Some emails are wisely mocking the whole affair and most are more along these lines: “Anchoress, why aren’t you going after this with both barrels? Why are you just laughing instead of hitting back?” What’s to hit back? Why hit back? This is just the world, doing what the world does. But His Kingdom is not of this world! Stop fretting that “some may lose faith,” over this. If they do, then they were in the shallow soil to start with, and they’ll either find a better place to root or they won’t. Pray for them and then let the Holy Spirit do that Spirit Thang we love so much. Some of you are writing that you fear this is the beginning of an era of suppression for the Church. As one of Buster’s g/f’s would say, “Well, duh, you just figured that out?” So what? There will always be a remnant, and the Church is never stronger and more alive than when the world is trying to beat it down. For goodness sake, why are you surprised at any of this? Why are you worried? Remember that half of what you see is an illusion and the rest of what you see is a passing fashion, and you’ll fret a good deal less, no matter what the issue. But on this particular story, I say let the world spin it. If the Spirit moves you to, instead of wringing your hands or indulging in hate, which will in the end only disable your own soul, do what the monastics have done throughout the history of the church: make reparation and do penance for those who can’t or won’t do it for themselves. It’s Lent, after all - season of reparation and detachment. Detach, a little. I think it’s an extraordinarly good thing that this issue is coming up during Lent, when we’re already supposed to be in a mindset of humility and conciliation. If you’re really concerned about this story - or even if you’re only mildly annoyed - this might be the perfect application of Lenten discipline, a way to “make amends” for the disrespect of the world. So, pray. Chant the Psalms. Get up in the middle of the night, when no one else is doing so, and pray. Be silent. Best of all, fast. Pray and fast and “offer it up.” Let the whirling dervishes whirl. You can’t stop them, anyway. And then be amused, because if you know history, you know that sometimes - often, in fact - the machinations of the world seem to have the upper hand, but again and again the Eternal has defeated time and trends. So it goes, and thus it shall continue. And yes, I am amused. I’m not cavalier, but I see this stuff as both predictable and tiresome and so I’m choosing to be amused at the assaults upon Christianity which occur like clockwork (or labor pains) every Christmas and every Lenten/Easter season. And I think it behooves Christians to take all of this with as much humor as possible - laugh at it in every way you can - because laughter is a lance into the empty bubble of pride by which so much evil wafts by. Whenever we look up at the world and its princes, we see a telling lack of humor, an utter inability to self-deprecate at its core, which exposes a vulnerable soft underbelly which may be pierced. So, pray. Fast. Laugh. The world was never supposed to love you, after all. You signed on to be despised. Julie at Happy Catholic is already laughing, at some Dyspeptic Mutterings. Favorite Fun Line So Far: from Autopsy: I just want to see the “reenactment” scenes, where Jesus stands at the head of Peter’s fishing boat and says, “I’m the King of the Jews!” Related: We must be getting close to Easter Also writing: http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/02/26/laughing-at-the-jesus-tomb/trackback/ 24 Responses to “Laughing at The Jesus Tomb” |
February 26th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Very wise response, ma’am. People get wound up when unbelievers don’t believe. Jesus said we’re blessed when we’re reviled.
Some will fall away, while some will examine the evidence and come to believe. And so it goes…
February 26th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
You wrote of Madonna here:
” …am I the only one who finds her latest stunts merely predictable and perfunctory? Hey Madonna, it takes no courage to ape the Crucifixion of Christ or make a vulgar joke about George W. Bush - those are the safest things in the world to do - you want to really be daring, try this. Instead of simulating sex and bondage (didn’t you DO that back in the ’80’s?) why not come onstage wearing a Burka…yeah, that’s it…and then you can have your crew simulate a genital mutilation or an honor killing…got it? Now that’s edgy, honey, especially if you then have some dancers show up like US Troops who liberate you, and you kiss a mask of George W. Bush…now THAT would be brave and daring. THAT would be something worth looking at, too. THAT would justify the press’ pavlovian response to every ringing of your bell.
Why haven’t I written more? Well, to be honest, I just don’t care about either of these over-hyped, over-exposed things.
I have not bothered to get myself into an uproar about Madonna and her crucifix (how old, anyway…remember the burning-crosses, necking with St. Martin de Porres in church while she gets stigmata video…from the 1980’s? She’s been confused for a long time…) or about DVC is because…well…
And thirty years from now there will be another book, another play, another photograph of a Holy Thing dunked in urine. And everyone will gasp again and controversy will fly…and it still won’t matter.”
You are right, of course. When this drivel blows over, there will be drivel, ad nauseum.
This is what happens when shallow people pretend they are serious artists, commentators or scholars.
In the end, they will be forgotten.
February 26th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
“So it goes, and thus it shall continue”. Amen. That is all that is needed to be said about this.
February 26th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
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No bones were found. DNA was found and it could be anyone’s DNA. The Apostles went to their deaths because they would not deny Christ died and rose again. Why die for such a lie?
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It’s all predicted in the Bible that there will be many false prophets and if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived.
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Jesus knew this day was coming. It just means we are closer to seeing Him face to face! Praise God! Do not lose sleep or faith over this.
February 26th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Hi Anchoress,
My take over at Three Massketeers.
February 26th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
[...] Anchoress is thinking along the same lines… posted by [...]
February 27th, 2007 at 1:09 am
As much as anything, I think we need to respond to this with faith–faith that God can take care of himself just fine without us worrying about it–faith that, to pull from the great anchoress Julian of Norwich, by the grace of God “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” (Not sure the quote is exact, but the point holds.)
February 27th, 2007 at 4:11 am
I have to say my eyes were rolling as I read the “Jesus tomb” stories. If all it takes to demolish the New Testament is a carved tomb, why wasn’t it publicized, oh, 2000 years ago? The Romans and Jews both had reasons to create a fake and publicize it then. And that’s just one of the holes in the story — I found a few more within 5 minutes. Nope, it’s just a family that shared the most common names of the time.
My greatest fear is that I’ll hurt myself as my eyes keep rolling back in my head at the stupidity. Sigh. It will all blow over soon. I just wish people know more about evaluating information.
February 27th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Another Tomb Found!
James Cameron and The Discovery Channel are set to unveil a documentary (”The Last Tomb Of Christ”) later this week. In it, they supposedly reveal the “discovery” of the coffin of Jesus of Nazareth, his wife Mary Magdelene, his mother Mary, and son…
February 27th, 2007 at 8:54 am
EVERY Lent this happens - some yahoo comes out with some half-baked “proof” that Jesus was this, or Jesus was that! And how, pray tell, would James Cameron be able to prove via DNA that this really was Jesus? The answer is, of course, he cannot!
Just another secularist drive-by trying to debunk a faith that has endured for over 2,000 years! And doing it badly. The expert Cameron is using is the same one whose findings in another area were completely debunked years ago.
February 27th, 2007 at 8:57 am
And of course, NONE OF THIS is about money for a director who hasn’t done anything much for quite a while. Yeah, right - and pigs can fly without assistance from an airplane!
February 27th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Web Reconnaissance for 02/26/2007
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:40 am
[Post removed by Admin, who is generally a pretty open-minded girl but who will not allow guests to come into her home to pee on her carpet and who will also not allow guests to come into her blog to call her church the Anti-Christ, or to link to a Catholic hate site. Pull that again and you will be banned. - Admin ]
February 27th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
I certainly don’t hope it happens, but I wonder what the MSM would do if some nutcase was to kill the director of this movie. Would they suddently be more wary of criticizing Christianity like they were more wary of criticizing Islam after Theo Van Gogh was killed.
February 27th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Well, we certainly hope such a thing does NOT happen. I frankly don’t want to see our media afraid of Christians. I do wish they had some more courage with the others, though.
February 27th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I am certainly not saying I hope it happens, and I agree I don’t want anyone to fear Christians, but I do get tired of everyone thinking they have to tiptoe around Muslims, and not saying anything that might offend them, including quoting from the Qur’an, and yet movies like DaVinci Code and this one are perfectly acceptable, as is art work that is very offensive to Christians, and all because we follow a man that said Thou Shalt Not Kill, and they follow a man that said Thou Shalt Kill (or forcibly convert, or treat other faiths like second class citizens paying a major tax (the jizya) so that the second class citizens feel subjegated (Surah 19:4294)
February 27th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Submitted for Your Approval
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council li…
March 1st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Anchoress, I’m reminded of that Scripture that says every knee show bow, and every tongue shall confess. I think the Bible meant what it said when it said “every.” We believers have to suffer the indifferent, apathetic, and downright hostile in this life, but the final battle is the Lord’s. The unbelievers can discuss their findings with Him.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:07 pm
God doesn’t waste opportunities
We should be thankful Mr. Cameron was, frankly, stupid enough to bring this story out at a time when the Church (Catholic and catholic) is more focused on what it is and what it is called to be than at any other time in the year. Deny Easter when peo…
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:27 am
The Council Has Spoken!
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Germany and Iraq, Part 4 by Done W…
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Watcher’s Council results
And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Germany and Iraq, Part 4 by Done With Mirrors, and The Blame Game by From My Position… On the Way!. All members, please be sure to…
March 4th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Anchoress, I think your response to this story was exactly what it should have been. A peaceful position can pierce through so much darkness. We are called to pray and love, - not to fight.
Thank you as always. ~Viola Jaynes
March 5th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Watcher’s Council Results
The winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Germany and Iraq, Part 4 by Done With Mirrors, and The Blame Game by From My Position… On the Way!. Here is where you can findthe full results…
March 13th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
“Whenever we look up at the world and its princes, we see a telling lack of humor, an utter inability to self-deprecate at its core, which exposes a vulnerable soft underbelly which may be pierced.” This text of yours made me open this page and read.. and I can congratulate you for a great site!