Monday, March 08, 2010

Curmudgeophan the Recluse - On Vestments

15 comments:

Grace said...

Ouch! He's a tough one, that Curmudgeon the Recluse.

I've been kind of glad there was no temptation for women to wear vestments. But then, Curmudgeon's opinion could just as well apply to how I think women get about head coverings.

Anonymous said...

I. Love. Curmudgeophan.
I am a phan of Curmudgeophan.
May God grant Curmudgeophan many years!

Good point, Grace. I don't wear head coverings for various reasons, but one of them is that I would feel exactly like I had stuck Curmudgeophan's peacock feathers on my head. And I'd be thinking nothing but, "good grief, I have peacock feathers on my head" for the whole service.

Anonymous said...

He looks like Treebeard. I mean that as a complement.

Anonymous said...

Headcoverings aren't so bad. :) It's a nice thing to avoid the peacock neon-flashing-lights colored ones, though...blinding one's neighbor is not conducive to prayer.

I agree about Treebeard. And it's a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Walter reminds me so much of my late father.

His language is too clean, though.

Steve Robinson said...

Anon4:49pm, He's a bit of my Dad too. The R-rated version is in the link to Walter. I've purposely gone PG-13 for the sake of keeping the blog somewhat family friendly. Lord knows this construction guy has dropped more than his fair share of "f-bombs" in some *ahem* inappropriate settings (to his wife and priest's chagrin...) Although I have been counseled by monastic elders that a well placed expletive dropped somewhat passionlessly for emphasis is sometimes warranted and blessed.

Treebeard... Now I'm going to hear that voice when I draw him. Maybe its archetypical that old wizened characters look like 1000 year old "bark". :)

Anonymous said...

babushkajoanna: Understood. And I am amused by a few who wear head scarves totally covered in sequins to almost every service.

But what I meant, for myself, is that even if I were wearing a plain solid navy blue cotton scarf, as unflashy as possible, I'd still feel tremendously self-conscious, and would have trouble not thinking "yikes, I'm wearing a scarf, I'm wearing a scarf" constantly.

Obviously, others' mileage varies.

Anonymous said...

LOL. I read the R-rated version. ("This description rated "R" for realistic")

I was helping out at an adult baptism not long ago at our parish. While the baptismal was filling, Father and I were just standing there shooting the breeze. We both glanced at the baptismal at the same time, which just happened to be the exact time that the hose, either through bouyancy or water pressure, decided to slide out of the baptismal and spray all over the carpet.

To my dying day, I swear that my beloved priest said "Oh, sugar".

And we said it in unison. Loudly.

My father was an infantry officer. I learned to cuss at the feet of a true master. (Come to my house when I fix a car. You will leave edified, and in awe of my skills).

I have to say that the Orthodox are far less afraid of salty language than any other "denomination" I have encountered. To me, it follows the line of thinking that comes with acknowledging that Scripture didn't really fall from Heaven, but was made in a fallen world by men who were truly close to God. This isn't magic. It's life. And life is sometimes funny, and sometimes crude, and sometimes both. It is what it is.

margaret said...

I think there's a direct correlation between no drinking and no swearing. People who drink vodka will have the occasional expletive; people who drink tea don't. As for sequins... I have a shawl that's 2/3rds sequins, very nice uh tasteful bronze sequins, and I wear it to church even though it's totally age inappropriate. I've decided I'll stop wearing it when (a) I grow up or (b) the clergy stop wearing red satin and gold lame or (c) when I see a Reader with peacock feathers on his tushie :) infact I'll give him the shawl, I'll say, "Easterwine (that's your name now yes, Eric?) this will make a lovely subdeacon's stikhar..."

Anonymous said...

Margaret: Hahaha! Hilarious.
And I never thought to correlate head scarves with gold lame clergy vestments. Hmm.
Subdeacon Easterwine and the sequined stikhar: it's getting a little Project Runway in here. This is what's so great about s-p's blog. Curmudgeophan and Subdn. Easterwine all in one handy stop. Heh.

Steve Robinson said...

Margaret and Anon, I actually had in mind yet another character Rdr. Barsanuphius, but I'm liking Sdn. Easterwine a lot too.... this may turn out to be the "Bloom County" of Orthodoxy. :)

Anonymous said...

Bloom Country, Orthodox Style! I am SO for that, Steve. :)

I am a notorious headscarf wearer. But the one with sequins only comes out for major feast days, LOL.

I <3 you guys.

Babushka Joanna

Anonymous said...

The scientific name of the peacock is Pavo Cristatus.

"Rdr. Cristatus" has a certain ring to it. Just sayin.

Moo! said...

Anon5:32, I'm thinking Sdn. Pavochristatus. Rdr. ? has yet to earn his feathers.

margaret said...

Oh, yes, Subdeacon Pavochristatus has a ring to it. A decided ring of many bells. I am sure he will go far and entertain us every step of the way.

I still like Easterwine though, we've just had his feast and every year I wonder why no Tolkien-loving convert has chosen his name, I'm sure if I'd been a bloke and my priest a tad less sensible I'd have been an Easterwine :)