Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe

While in the LA area, we took a day to visit the Getty Center. What a beautiful place, a beautiful view, there's an atmosphere of wonder there, and curiosity.

On display were many paintings, illuminated manuscripts and altar pieces representing Christ. From what I could tell the collection was exclusively European and because of the age of the pieces, mostly Roman Catholic.

I didn't participate in one of the learning tours, but my path intersected theirs a few times. The docent's approach surprised me, as well as the kinds of questions that came from the touring group.

What were the surprises? The questions asked by the group were so elementary. "The Holy Family fled to Egypt after Jesus' birth, didn't they?" The docent's response was equally foggy. "Yes, that's right. And they were fleeing from . . . Nazareth, I think."

I decided that instead of trying to be a know-it-all and setting the story straight (and then feeling like I'd scored for Jesus), I wanted to quietly continue my random route through the galleries, listening as I went.

But a thought hit me. The story of Christ, for so many, is a thing of cultural curiosity. His story is one among so many others. The devotion of the artists and the religious culture of that time are not at all disputed, in fact they are honored. The audience was awed by the artistic achievements of the past. Yet I thought to myself, why not partner with a Catholic professor in the LA area, one who is steeped in the tradition and story? Couldn't someone from the inside do a better job describing the details of the paintings and the culture?

Then another thought. My faith is one of cultural curiosity. The people are making their way through an "Olde Curiosity Shoppe," picking up the Christian faith as if it were a spoon rest with a price tag stuck to its bottom, examining it, and then setting it down. Wow. The core of my personal identity and the purpose of my vocation are met with some level of indifference. Brings about a change of perspective!