4 responses to “Politics of Pilgrimage”
-
Living in Ireland – at one time not too far from Knock – it always astonished me when driving through the village how those who had just visited the shrine seemed to think that it had made them invincible! They’d wander into the middle of the road and totally ignore the traffic streaming around them!
A bottle of Knock holy water in the shape of Our Lady sits behind me as I type – next to a similar one from Lourdes and a knitted Orangeman bedecked with a collarette proclaiming him a member of LOL 1, Portadown! The juxtaposition is deliberate! (I wonder if + David has one on his shelves from the "support Drumcree" shop?!)
Which leads to the question "How do holy water taps work?" – theologically, that is! What is blessed to make it holy? Is it the reservoir (but that is constantly replenished and so eventually, after being diluted for a long time, the water becomes "unholy". Is it the tap itself and the water is sanctified by passing through it?
Discuss!
-
Holy Water Taps
Perhaps the water becomes holy when it is applied by the believer to the cat. -
Holy water and questions about pilgrimage
Hmmm, yes I can see the dilemma…I guess the female ordaindees (not a word really, apologies for my attack on the English language) are excluded – though would it be possible to construct a small al fresco altar and hold a ceremony of your own? Pilgrimage places become so because people believe something, not just the ecclesiastical hierarchy, I think? If we don’t go then it is like saying ‘ok, you have that site of devotion then’. (Yikes I sound so serious, which I am, but I really do mean my statements to come out as questions…not commands.)
As to the cat, holy water, and the believer – maybe all the water is holy and we just think we play a role in making it so? Alternatively, maybe the cat is the believer and the water is transformed through a great mysterious purr.
-
The Cat in Question
As for the cat in question, she is not a believer as such. Rather, she thinks that she is the only proper object of veneration.
Previous Posts
-
Scottish Episcopal Flickr
I’m pleased to announce the existence of a flickr group for the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is open to anyone, not just members of the church; the only criteria are that photos shared with the group are of church events or buildings or people. Tourists passing by, you’re welcome. The group’s guidelines are over here.…
-
Ecumenical Websites (Sex and Gargoyles)
Two ecumenical websites to report on and draw to people’s attention. Ecumenical websites seem to be all the rage at the moment, but like a lot of ecumenical things, it is hard to focus people’s attention on them. Firstly, www.resourcingchurches.org.uk. This one has things for Christians to do. Quite a lot of C of S…
-
Elephants are apocryphal
We are reading stories from one of the books of the Macabees at morning prayer this week. There are a lot of elephants there. Nuggats such as this are on offer: “They offered the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle.” So far as I’m aware, elephants only appear in…
-
In Search of the Presbyterian Sense of Humour
I’ve received a request off-blog from someone in the colonies, asking to be pointed to any Scottish bloggers writing from a presbyterian point of view who display the same kind of sense of humour as some of those linking to and posting comments on here. I don’t know the answer to this one, so my…
Leave a Reply