“Holy cow” seems
to be the most common headline associated
with the story. A calf in Connecticut was
born with a cross-shaped white mark on its forehead.
Now
before we get too deep into this story, allow me to refer you
to another article. See… when I visited the version of the Connecticut
cow story that I have linked to above, there was another story
available off to the side… about Jesus
and the toilet door in Ikea.
And
the thought this creates for me is… well… isn’t this getting old
for people? I suppose not. In recent years you could use a search
engine for Jesus, Mary and… yes… Mickey Mouse and get a ton of
images. Articles would tell you about people… supposedly sane
and clear-thinking people, though I have my doubts… making actual
travel plans and personal sacrifices to see the so-called shrines
in person. In fact, as I write this…
“Jesus
seen in” will bring you to links claiming Jesus has appeared on
toast, a grilled cheese sandwich, the plate of an iron, grease
in a frying pan, and on an ultrasound. In fact… now get this one…
the ultrasound and toast were listed well before results that
referenced people looking for Jesus in their daily lives. Seriously…
use my search words, “Jesus seen in”… and note that I didn’t ask
for strange places or a sighting of his image. I asked where he
had been seen. I asked for “Jesus seen in” and Google told me
grilled cheese sandwiches.
How
about Mary?
“Mary
seen in” brings us a griddle in California,
ice, and even… the link I had is no longer active, but you get
the idea and likely will believe this, so I’m keeping it here
because this one is really funny… bird poop.
Oh…
it gets better… because in the bird poop link you can read about
how Cristal Pachuca considers the poop a miracle. A miracle! With
friends and neighbors stopping by to pray and take their picture
with the poop.
(I’ll
pause a moment so you can join me in a moment of solemn eye rolling
and head shaking. Praise Jesus! Praise that pigeon!)
Many
years ago I went to Disney World. Visited the Magic Kingdom and
went through an area that featured a cow with the Mickey logo
on its side. I can’t even link you to a story on it because I
can’t find one. But I seem to recall reading way back then about
how Disney used to get claims all the time from people that had
strange versions of hidden Mickeys for them. Most were get-rich-quick
attempts and scams. Occasionally though, they would actually be
interested in a claim and would send someone to check it out.
And… rarely, I’m sure… they would obtain the item in question
and put it on display. In this case… a cow with spots that looked
like Mickey.
Funny
thing… “Mickey seen in” doesn’t work the same way. Look for Jesus…
get some toast. Search for Mickey and the same search criteria
form gets you items like Mickey Mouse at Wikipedia, or a listing
of the movies and cartoons Mickey has appeared in. It offers you
the official Disney web site. It tells you about how to find Oswald
the Lucky Rabbit. (Mickey buffs know what Oswald means.) And the
first pages of many search engines don’t even mention the hidden
Mickeys, which is a legendary subject that… personally… I find
much more interesting (and authentic) than grilled cheese and
bird poop. (Maybe that’s just me.)
I’m
still trying to figure out what all of this means. Is there something
deeper to the idea that so many people are looking for Jesus…
and most find him in unusual places? Is it something missing,
a sense of fulfillment or such, that has created a need in people
to find significance in the bottom of a used frying pan or the
way snow accumulates?
What
I can tell you is that I’m not sure we have a holy cow here. I’m
more likely to believe it’s an addition symbol and the calf is
mathematically inclined. But the thing is, many people I know
do look for significance in certain moments and images. And what
they find… what they believe… is important to them.
Maybe
the people that have found holy images in a variety of ways feel
better because of it. I sure smiled when I saw Mickey on the cow
that day. And while I may make fun of it, there are those that
see it as more than coincidence. If they sleep better because
of it… if they find some sort of contentment from it… than perhaps
the joke is really on me.