Sunday, October 21, 2007

Today's Reading

I've begun going to church again, as my godson's Confirmation is coming up, and I need to be a Catholic in good standing in order to take part. But until then there are little rewards for going to church, such as hearing the first reading today as follows:

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.

So far, so good. But then:

As long as Moses held up his pants, the Israelites were winning,

What?

but whenever he lowered his pants, the Amalekites were winning.

It wasn't until I heard the following sentence ("Aaron and Hur held his pants up—one on one side, one on the other") that I realized it wasn't Moses' pants, but his hands. Completely changes the meaning of the passage.

I once asked my friend Bob which he would chose: deafness or blindness. He immediately picked deafness, not only because he is an artist, but also because loss of hearing would spare him all the annoying noises of the city. I also chose deafness: not just because the deaf have a tight-knit, insular community, but because, as today's reading shows, I would then live in a wonderfully surreal and silly world.

4 comments:

Bob Fingerman said...

Well, seeing as how I'm churchaphobic, I don't get to hear such unintentionally lurid-sounding sermons.

We did once attend a Catholic wedding, though, where the priest went on a little too long about the bride's (or was it the groom's?) alabaster thighs. And no, we didn't hear that wrong. Oh, priests, when will you ever learn?

the hanged man said...

Alabaster thighs? I guess they (like me) don't wear shorts that often...

Anonymous said...

hmm, I think you already live in that "wonderfully surreal and silly world" john.

colette

Anonymous said...

Ive been living in that surreal world for quite a while now (ask Tom or the boys about the "magic Beans" story). I have to say that while I find it very amusing at times, the people closest to me tend to lose patience when I say "What?" and then start to giggle "oh, I thought you said...".