Gave it the 24 hour rule...
My feelings haven't changed that much. I laughed and thought oh my! That's not cool.
Maybe it is because it wasn't the first time I have seen grown men dress in drag (I lived for years in South Austin and still work in the downtown area). Maybe it's because as a Christian, I know that we have been a "pinata" for the world to smack around since the Romans lit up the early Christian martyrs (the original Roman candle) and Hollywood continues today with uninformed portrayals of exorcisms, so-called Vatican secrets, and on and on. Not much surprises, nor shocks me anymore when it comes to these types of attempts by artists who know very little of my faith, but choose to use it as a medium for their vision.
This is more obvious when you read what the opening ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, had to say:
"My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock," Jolly said. "Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide." Jolly went on to say, "In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want. In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila."
It was both shocking and offending to many who understand the significance of that moment when Jesus gathered his friends and broke bread for the last time. More importantly, it is when he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. While this is preaching to the choir, for many Catholics, this was a very meaningful event precisely because of the words Jesus spoke, "Take and eat, this is my body" (Mt 26:26). Which, I don't think that understanding was lost on the organizers who closed that scene by wheeling out Dionysus (naked blue dude) on a platter no less.
Part of me was sad, because I know what a sacrifice Jesus made for us that very next day and what that moment meant to him and his Apostles. Another part of me was offended, because I think this was the intent all along, to scandalize a sacred moment for the sake of controversy. But most of me was troubled.
I happen to believe that artist are like prophets among the people. They can use their art to make visible the invisible truth about subjects like love and sacrifice. For me, there in lies the trouble with this spectacle. Instead of understanding that the last supper between Jesus and his Apostles was about establishing a bloodless sacrifice, "take and eat, this is my body, this is my blood" he turned it into a feast for the excess of the flesh. Dionysus was no choir-boy!
The only good that can come out of this event is to witness to family and friends why this is wrong and why the sad attempt by Thomas Jolly misses the mark. The Olympics can do better!
My feelings haven't changed that much. I laughed and thought oh my! That's not cool.
Maybe it is because it wasn't the first time I have seen grown men dress in drag (I lived for years in South Austin and still work in the downtown area). Maybe it's because as a Christian, I know that we have been a "pinata" for the world to smack around since the Romans lit up the early Christian martyrs (the original Roman candle) and Hollywood continues today with uninformed portrayals of exorcisms, so-called Vatican secrets, and on and on. Not much surprises, nor shocks me anymore when it comes to these types of attempts by artists who know very little of my faith, but choose to use it as a medium for their vision.
This is more obvious when you read what the opening ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, had to say:
"My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock," Jolly said. "Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide." Jolly went on to say, "In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want. In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila."
It was both shocking and offending to many who understand the significance of that moment when Jesus gathered his friends and broke bread for the last time. More importantly, it is when he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. While this is preaching to the choir, for many Catholics, this was a very meaningful event precisely because of the words Jesus spoke, "Take and eat, this is my body" (Mt 26:26). Which, I don't think that understanding was lost on the organizers who closed that scene by wheeling out Dionysus (naked blue dude) on a platter no less.
Part of me was sad, because I know what a sacrifice Jesus made for us that very next day and what that moment meant to him and his Apostles. Another part of me was offended, because I think this was the intent all along, to scandalize a sacred moment for the sake of controversy. But most of me was troubled.
I happen to believe that artist are like prophets among the people. They can use their art to make visible the invisible truth about subjects like love and sacrifice. For me, there in lies the trouble with this spectacle. Instead of understanding that the last supper between Jesus and his Apostles was about establishing a bloodless sacrifice, "take and eat, this is my body, this is my blood" he turned it into a feast for the excess of the flesh. Dionysus was no choir-boy!
The only good that can come out of this event is to witness to family and friends why this is wrong and why the sad attempt by Thomas Jolly misses the mark. The Olympics can do better!
