Columbus

We wandered around Barcelona in the blazing sun and came upon this chap.

He's quite hard to miss but, not having my guidebook in hand I didn't recognise him at first. I felt a bit embarrassed when I discovered that it is no less than a statue of Christopher Columbus. It was a mistake no American would ever have made!

I plead two things as excuses.

1. His hand is pointing out into the Mediterranean. From this I'd assumed he was some Catalan general or admiral who fought upon that sea. America is, after all in the other direction (at least when you head the way Columbus went)

2. Each evening, when the building fascias on the waterfront are floodlit and each palm tree is also lit by floodlights poor old Columbus was left in the dark. From that I wrongly deduced he really couldn't be very famous, who ever he was, because he was deemed less worthy of a floodlight than a palm tree.

I reflected that in a funny way it reflects how our society honours Jesus. He is still thought of quite highly and worth some substantive piles of stones and art.

At the same time although he clearly pointed one way (I am the way, the truth and the life; no-one comes to the Father except by me) he can now be thought of as pointing in any direction we choose.

And when the lights come on, the streets buzz and the bars open, we are much more likely to be thinking about palm trees than about Him.