About lions and horses...

Today is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. At church today, the cover of the Order of Worship was intriguing:

But it all became clearer during the sermon by Rev Daniel Tan. The illustration is based on Isaiah 11:1-10 (especially verses 6-9):

Lest it be said that Christians lack a sense of humour, there's this "interpretation" of verse 6!...

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The world paid fulsome tribute to Nelson Mandela, who died on Dec 5. The Toronto Sun's headline was:

Nelson Mandela: Lion of Africa has left the stage

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/12/05/nelson-mandela-lion-of-africa-has-left-the-stage

I also like Oprah Winfrey's tribute to him, especially the part about his always loving to tell a good joke...

On that note, I am sure Mandela would have enjoyed this joke, sent by CC:

CATHOLIC HORSES

A punter was at the horse races playing the ponies and all but losing his shirt.

He noticed a Catholic Priest step out onto the track and blessed the forehead of one of
the horses lining up for the 4th race.

Lo and behold, that horse -- a very long shot -- won the race.

Next race, as the horses lined up, the Priest stepped onto the track. Sure
enough, he blessed one of the horses. The punter made a beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the horse.

Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse won the race.

He collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see which horse the Priest
would bless next. He bet big on it, and it won. As the races continued the Priest kept blessing long shots, and each one ended up winning.

The punter was elated. He made a quick dash to the ATM, withdrew all his
savings, and awaited for the Priest's blessing that would tell him which horse
to bet on.

True to his pattern, the Priest stepped onto the track for the last race and
blessed the forehead of an old nag that was the longest shot of the day. This time the priest blessed the eyes, ears, and hooves of the old nag.

The punter knew he had a winner and bet every cent he owned on the old nag.

He watched dumbfounded as the old nag came in last. In a state of shock, he went
to the track area where the Priest was.

Confronting Him, he demanded, 'Father! What happened? All day long you blessed
horses and they all won. Then in the last race, the horse you blessed lost by a
mile. Now, thanks to you I've lost every cent of my savings!'

The Priest nodded wisely and with sympathy told him, 'Son, that's the problem with you non-Catholics. You can't tell the difference between a simple blessing and the last rites.'