simple is beautiful
New York Daily Photo: It Behooves One
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Thursday 23 October 2008

It Behooves One

When we passed this statue of Jesus holding the Twin Towers, we were quite surprised - we brought our car to a halt, reversed and parked briefly to get a real good look, less our eyes had deceived us the first time around. But they had not - Jesus was holding the Twin Towers in front of St. Ephrem's Church at 929 Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn. On a plaque below the statue there was a passage from Isaiah in the bible:

"I will never forget you.
See, upon the palms of My hands
I have written your name;
Your walls are ever before me."
Isaiah 49:15-16

I am not adequately schooled in the bible to explain the meaning of this passage and its relationship to Jesus holding the Twin Towers. Also, the word order of this biblical passage appears differently everywhere else I have read it.
There was a realization that this sculpture was not a casual or whimsical thing - it was obviously planned, commissioned in some way, designed, created and installed. And it is not hidden from view at all but prominently placed in front of the church on a major thoroughfare.
It certainly has created controversial remarks by those who have seen the statue live or in photos. A photo featured in the Gothamist, which was posted on Flickr, shows a broad range of sentiments in the comments.
The Twin Towers disaster of 9/11 is a very delicate subject. I believe it behooves the prudent person to leave the subject alone if at all possible - I had reservations in doing this posting at all. On this one, I am just the messenger ...

Personal Confession: I love the word behooves, find it underused and am always looking for an opportunity to use it.

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