Preached

There were a couple of comments on yesterday ‘s entry, Preach it, Brother, that I thought I’d say a few words about.

First, Dan notes the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The Black Nazarene is a statue that was made in Mexico, but that upon arrival in Manila in the Philippines, was caught in a fire onboard the ship and had its original white skin turn dark.

There is a procession carrying the statue on January 9, and by tradition the devotees go barefoot. This picture, from The Windsor Star, gives a bit of a feel for that.

The Procession of the Black Nazarene

But as Dan points out, the silliness comes from the Light Rail Transit Authority in Manila. For that day, they suspend the portion of their “Safety and Security” policy that requires footwear on their vehicles. Of course, that makes no sense (not suspending it, but having it in the first place).

First, obviously, bare feet pose no security threat, so that cannot be the justification for the rule.

So, is it safety? Regular barefooters know that there is really nothing unsafe about being barefooted. Besides, and this is the clincher, does the Light Rail suddenly become much safer on this one day? Are they horribly negligent every other day of the year, but make an exception for the Feast?

Of course not. It’s just an excuse. It’s probably those in charge of the rail thinking, “Hey. Developed countries (i.e., the USA) require shoes on their trains. We want to show how ‘developed’ we are, so we will require them, too.”

In another comment incu points out that Sundays were used to show off your best clothes. How true. Here in the U.S. there is this odd dichotomy between the idea that when you are religious you should be humble, but at the same time you need to show off for going to church. (The epitome of this, I think, is the Easter bonnet.)

And finally, Paul asked about Moses and the burning bush. I’ve referenced that a few times.

[Let your mouse hover over the image for a second or two.]