Friday, April 4, 2008

New Day #99

You know how it goes--you live in a city for a long time, but you never visit the tourist spots. My partner lived in Manhattan for seven years, but didn't visit the Statue of Liberty until the week we left. After climbing inside a stifling hot copper statue only to peek through a grimy window at New Jersey, we understood why.

I had a similar feeling today as I visited the the Grotto, a peaceful Catholic sanctuary where you can reflect and meditate surrounded by nature and images of our Lord and Savior being tortured to death.

The Meditation Center itself has all the peace and sanctity of an airport waiting room. What's worse, it's got this creepy Aryan Madonna and Child in a plexiglass case that makes them look like they're trapped in an elevator.

At the risk of stating the obvious, don't these Grotto people realize that Mary and Jesus were Middle-Eastern?

14 comments:

Susan said...

For the full hallucinatory effect, go there during the holidaze mob scene where you can browse through about 7 million nativity sets for sale, listen to costumed dudes with manic grins yelling scripture, and take a pony ride. It's like the Grotto is throwing an over-the-top kid's birthday party for Jesus. (You could work it into your play).

Anonymous said...

I've never actually been to the top of the Statue of Liberty, but I played a Japanese wedding there a few years back. I wore a dress. Bad move. I'm sure that in all of their pictures, they'll show the violinist with a skirt sandwiched between her legs to keep it from flying up in the wind. Oh well.

Hey Marc, thanks for the birthday wishez. Couple of things. What happened to New Day #98?

Need your address again so that I can mail you a NEW CD!!! YEAH!

Anonymous said...

Hi from Laying on the Couch! The names Nemo...you commented on my blog earlier on my angsting teenage rant?

Anonymous said...

I think they're the actual jesus and mary frozen in time thanks to the power of the tube

Julian Ryan said...

Im leaving for NYC on the 29th...so after I get there I'll put a little update...

and I WILL SO BE THERE at the reading...with my copy ready to be signed

Anonymous said...

I thought this was a photo of a woman stepping out of a shower with a baby. My thought was, "Cool, look how big her bathroom is!"

Martina said...

Wow. I have not been to the Grotto since I was a kid, but I totally DO remember the imagery looking more of von Trappy spring on the color wheel than of Nazareth, but do not remember The Virgin of the Plexiglass (is it just the angle, or does she have unusually long arms?). I wonder if she's a new addition?

Marc Acito said...

Random answers:

Yes, Nemo, that was me.

Not sure why New Day #98 disappeared. But it's back up.

And the woman in the shower comment made me laugh out loud.

Anonymous said...

Is there some specific reason why some churches depict Mary and Jesus as such pale-skinned people? I was just wondering and it always confused me.

Thank you for the comment by the way. I really enjoyed your book How I Paid For College. High school years must greatly amuse your now.

Anonymous said...

*you

Gah. Typos.

Marc Acito said...

Yes, Nemo, it's called racism.

Anonymous said...

Lovely.

Marissa Skudlarek said...

Grant and I were just in a play that made a running joke out of the fact that "Jesus looks like a terrorist" (Middle Eastern not Aryan). Good times.

therese patrick, author said...

The Mary Statue does have really long arms.

The view is of an industrial wasteland with planes taking off and landing at PDX.

So basically this spiritual retreat has the long armed (and short legged) lady and the baby, showering for all 'travelers' to observe.

Mary & Jesus were not only middle eastern, they were Jews.

Which is why I have heard some call themselves, "recovering Catholics."