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Surplice Surprise

My surplice came in today!

This is the full shot of it. Click for the large version:

Here is a close-up of the embroidery on the front:

The gryphon represents the two natures of Christ: the king of heaven and the king of earth–the eagle and the lion. He carries the cross while he defeats the serpent.

This is the embroidery on the back:

This is the shield of the faith. It says “the Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit” on the outside of the triangle. The inside says “the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.”

This entry was posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2006 at 2:20 PM and is filed under photographs, religious practice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Surplice Surprise”

Bombadil Posted October 2nd, 2006 at 4:38 PM.	That is pretty cool. I love the latin on the back, although you know latin is a dead language. You have to get with it Spanish is the new Latin. What is with seminarians wearing cassocks these days. The Holy Spirit triumphs as always. I would love here what the E thinks about the gryphon.
Dylan Posted October 2nd, 2006 at 4:45 PM.	Thanks. E probably thinks I’m a pagan or something. Jack told me that Juan said that the nuns were scandalized by the gryphon.
Mom Posted October 2nd, 2006 at 9:56 PM.	I think it is pretty cool, and I am glad you explained the symbolism. I hope someone told the nuns what it meant. I had never seen a surplice with anything like that on the front or back. I like the other detail on the sleeves and at the bottom too.
Dylan Posted October 2nd, 2006 at 10:15 PM.	Yeah, the embroidery is not very common. However, there is some precedent for it, I believe, so I don’t think it’s too much an infringement on the intention of the surplice.
Digitus canonici Posted October 2nd, 2006 at 10:41 PM.	The Vatican lace on the bottom and the sleeves is very nice. The nuns have really given a lot of care and attention to your surplice. It is quite a compliment to them and a great lesson to us on donating the best of our gifts to our Blessed Lord who humbly takes on the appearance of bread and wine everyday out of love for us. A diversity of symbols is only healthy for the faithful who must continually seek to deepen their understanding of a God who transcends all symbols. Props for the shield of the Trinity. Right on.

Surplice Surprise

One Response to “Surplice Surprise”

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