Washington DC Day 2

The day started with breakfast with a friend and then the National Gallery.

Here is a lovely Christological Goldfinch!

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A closer look.

I then met a congressional staffer for lunch and a tour of the Capitol.

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Since a while back I had lunch with a staffer in the Houses of Parliament in London, the staff cafeteria seemed a good place to go rather than someplace off campus.

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UPDATE

The time at the Capitol was well spent. My friend really knew his stuff. Very grateful for the time. We went to the floor of the House and to the Senate and even had a chance to see the members’ chapel.

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UPDATE

R and R with priest friends.

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About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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12 Comments

  1. Andkaras says:

    We’re with you in spirit,Fr. Z give our best wishes,admiration and our many prayers to those who are able to represent all of us who are unable to be there. Especially to those courageous elected officials who are on the front lines representing the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.

  2. Christopher says:

    That is a lovely piece of art Father.

    God Bless.

  3. VexillaRegis says:

    Awe, pure awe.

    What does the coral pendant signify? The Holy Blood of Jesus?

  4. Dismas says:

    Too funny, Fr. Z swag has made it out of the wild and penetrated the Twilight Zone!

  5. jenne says:

    There is a crossroads event tonight in Silver Spring Civic center – one veterans place. “Three Chords and a Longing for truth” – free and presented by John Waters an Irish journalist writer and music critic. I might go if my dear husband is not too run down with the flu! Tomorrow I am with teens from the parish at the march. I am sure you are in high demand but I am pleased you are around the town. Do you celebrate a mass this weekend in the area?
    Jennifer

  6. Supertradmum says:

    Jesus is holding the symbolic goldfinch just like any child would. What a sublime painting.

    Thanks for the juxtaposition of art for the sake of Beauty and work for the sake of Freedom….I hope.

  7. Ichabod says:

    If you have a photo of the chapel, would love to see it!

  8. DisturbedMary says:

    I think I heard John waters speak at columbia law. If I’m not mistaken he is a powerful man when it comes to a fathers right in the face of abortion. God bless his warrior spirit!

  9. DisturbedMary says:

    Father, I’m arriving at approximately 10:45 At union station. Do you know of the closest Mass I can attend? Leaving NY too early to go beforehand. PS I’m a March shipmate. : )

  10. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Coral was a very typical necklace or bracelet to put on a baby, because it was pretty and supposedly good for the health. I’ve only seen it used in paintings in bead form before this, though. (But maybe that part of Italy is closer to the sea.)

  11. StWinefride says:

    From “Signs and Symbols in Christian Art” George Ferguson (1954):

    Coral was used as a charm against the ‘evil eye’, and as such, was commonly hung about the neck of children. In pictures of the Christ Child it denotes protection from evil.

    For those who don’t know:

    The goldfinch is fond of eating thistles and thorns, and since all thorny plants have been accepted as an allusion to Christ’s crown of thorns, the goldfinch has become an accepted symbol of the Passion of Christ. In this sense, it frequently appears with the Christ Child, showing the close connection between the Incarnation and the Passion.

    The distinguished ornithologist Herbert Friedmann (1946) traced no fewer than 486 devotional pictures containing the Goldfinch attributed to 254 artists, 214 of them Italian.

    http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/95

  12. PostCatholic says:

    I hope you got a chance to visit Ginevra de’ Benci in that part of the museum.

    I’m going to extend my stay here in New York so I’ll miss your meetup tomorrow night. Enjoy your stay.

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