Ever wonder how expressions come to mean what they mean? Yes, of course you did! (Ever come to hate how people tell you how you might answer a rhetorical question that really is just an excuse to get a paragraph going? Yes, of course you did!)
It starts in childhood. Molly says, "my parents are taking me to Disney World this summer." Katie replies, "oh yeah, well my parents already took me there last year." Or, "I'm going to go see the new Ghostbusters movie!" "Oh yeah, well I already did that last night!"
Yesterday, about 30 minutes before the library closed, a woman came up to the circulation desk to check out a handful of books on Holy Week. I commented (in a joking kind of way), "a little late for Holy Week, don't you think?" (inside voice: why did you just say that you moron not EVERYONE in the universe is part of the "western" church). . . and sure enough, "oh, well we haven't had our Holy Week yet." Then followed some interesting (no, really) conversation about the Eastern and Western churches, the filioque clause, and why are we so picky about the "correct" timing of Easter anyhow.
Now imagine this response: "Oh yeah, well we already did Holy Week!"
Now let's think about it: is being first really better. "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). Hmmmm. . . .
It starts in childhood. Molly says, "my parents are taking me to Disney World this summer." Katie replies, "oh yeah, well my parents already took me there last year." Or, "I'm going to go see the new Ghostbusters movie!" "Oh yeah, well I already did that last night!"
Yesterday, about 30 minutes before the library closed, a woman came up to the circulation desk to check out a handful of books on Holy Week. I commented (in a joking kind of way), "a little late for Holy Week, don't you think?" (inside voice: why did you just say that you moron not EVERYONE in the universe is part of the "western" church). . . and sure enough, "oh, well we haven't had our Holy Week yet." Then followed some interesting (no, really) conversation about the Eastern and Western churches, the filioque clause, and why are we so picky about the "correct" timing of Easter anyhow.
Now imagine this response: "Oh yeah, well we already did Holy Week!"
Now let's think about it: is being first really better. "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). Hmmmm. . . .
Comments