This is a GREAT opportunity to teach about the Catholic use of statues.
H
ow many Protestants are getting upset about people trampling on the flag? Yet the flag is merely colored thread, cloth. Why do Americans care so deeply that a bit of cloth be respected?
Well, because that particular cloth REPRESENTS America. When you trample the flag, you are figuratively trampling all Americans.
In the same way, the statue of a saint, or the icon of a saint REPRESENTS the strength and power of God’s grace in our human weakness. When you destroy statues, deface icons, or even simply ignore these symbols, you are saying that God’s grace in human beings is either unnecessary or downright offensive. You figuratively reject the working of grace in the weak vessels of our human frailty.
Flags can be trampled, granite statues can be shattered, and both represent the willingness to destroy or defile a whole people — either all Americans, or all Christians who live by grace.
These riots are a great teaching opportunity.
Don’t waste them.
___
2 thoughts on “Symbols: Trampled Flags & Smashed Statues”
I note that the Italians are not destroying the statues of ancient emperors such as Hadrian and Trajan (not at all very nice people) and the French still hold Napoleon in high esteem despite his very checkered career. Seems only in America can one pass on sin to future generations.
Indeed, but that is because America is Protestant-atheist. The Catholic Church teaches that there is no such thing as institutional sin. All sins are personal. Personal sins can give rise to “structures of sin”, but those are only analogous (CCC 1868-1869)
Because America is not Catholic, it does not understand this fact.