Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Murderous Encounters

I must have Holy Week on the brain.

I was driving to work this morning behind a black car that had custom silver lettering on the back. (The letters were in the place that usually designates the model of the car).

Anyways, I could have sworn that the letters read, "BARABUS." And although that clearly would have meant someone forgot to use spell check when they picked out their letters, I spent a good 45 seconds wondering why in the world someone would plaster the name of Barabbas on the back of their car. Maybe he wanted to be constantly reminded that he is like the thief/murder who got a second chance at life while an innocent man was put to death. Maybe this "Barabus" thing would be the next trend in Christian wrist wear. Maybe it was his last name. Maybe it's his dog's name...

My ponderings came to a halt when I glanced again at those shiny letters. Turns out they actually said "BRABUS."

I don't even want to know.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Close Encounters

Well, she's at it again.

My adorable adopted niece - previously featured here and here - has gotten more adorable. Much like the toddler who thought Fr. Jeremy was God, she too has her own perception of the Big Guy and His Only Son.

While listening to a children's song that talked about the Emperor Constantine, Ana's mom asked her if she knew anyone by that name - which was a total setup, considering our head priest is named Fr. Constantine. Ana replied with a confident nod, "Yes, I do." When her mother asked her who it was that she knew, she again nodded confidently and said, "GOD."

You see, Fr. Constantine is an older man, with grey/white hair and a white goatee. He works at the church and serves in the altar. Plus, he has sparkly robes and a sometimes booming voice. Makes perfect sense that she would think he's God.

But the kicker is what she thinks about Fr. Jeremy, our much younger assistant. One morning they ran into Fr. J. at Panera and on the way home had a conversation about Lent and the upcoming celebration of Christ's resurrection. Ana's mom asked where Jesus is. Olivia, Ana's older sister, answered by saying "He is in our hearts." Ana answered and said, "Nuh uh. We just left him at Panera!"

The older senior priest is God and the young tall one is Jesus.

I love three-year-old theology.