Today’s youths, with the oil prices fluctuating and the global stock market struggling to recover from recession, have no choice but to invest in fashion. Consequently, the days of oil boom have been put behind us, with the fashion boom taking its stead. Now, I have no problem with the outrageous and burgeoning craze for fashion as I too am fashion savvy but what I won’t condone is when we begin to equate sacred beads and divine items with the BLING-BLING.
Growing up, I was a devout member of the Block Rosary Crusade and since then, I have remained devoted to praying the Rosary while counting on its beads. Hitherto, some wore the Rosary as a sign of their faith, some others wore it for protection from evil, but more recently people now wear it as a fashion accessory. Ave Maria!
The recent increase in the sales of the rosary noticed in the Catholic Church has drawn the attention of its leaders. This increase in rosary sales has been attributed to rising popularity amongst the youths, celebrities and rock stars, who favour it as the jewellery of choice. How spiritual! Rock stars and celebrities like Britney spears, Tyrese, David Beckham, to mention a few, have been photographed wearing the rosary without any pious affiliations or obligations. Many of the celebrities who also adorn these holy beads are either atheist or Satanist. Then you wonder what the significance of the rosary on their necks is; a fashion statement, mockery of the church or a contradiction to religion?
These days it is a common thing to see agberos (street urchins) wearing more than one rosary at a time while harassing bus drivers and causing a menace to the society. I even have friends who are non-Catholic, some Muslims who own more than 3 different rosaries to match different colours of their several rock star tops. Some seem to favour them more with tattooed shirts which have designs filled with various depictions of Satanism in form of skulls, guns, blood, knives, thorns and roses. What a contrast! Painfully, young Catholics like me walk this same path. Rather than use the rosary to pray, they join others who desecrate and use them as blings to up their swag. More so, regarding the fact that the rosary is cheaper than the bling-bling, its sheer affordability and availability have made it the premium bling of choice for every vilde, tansa and fashionista.
However, I understand that some rosaries are so beautifully crafted and designed that one is tempted to mistake it for a fashion accessory but just in case people have forgotten the differences between the rosary and the blings, I will remind them. While the bling-bling may be worn as fashion accessory and may have pendants ranging from skulls, guns, upside-down crosses etc, hanging from it, the rosary, unlike the blings, is an object of prayer, with a crucifix hanging down from it and so it must be revered. From history the rosary was handed down to saints who used it to perform great miracles and achieve divine feats, but the same can’t be said of the bling-bling.
In a world where darkness is overshadowing light at an alarming speed, people; especially the vulnerable young, quickly adopt abomination as a norm. It is a mocking enough to describe the devil as beautiful and charming but please do not describe Jesus as SEXY! One female artist already did, referring to Jesus on the cross as shirtless and hot. Lord, have mercy on us. Then again if you see me wearing a platinum or emerald rosary on my neck and my shirt seems to match, do not judge me because I am probably travelling, walking the streets at night, or saying this prayer; Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and until we realise what a sacrilege we have immersed ourselves in by using the Rosary as Bling –bling.
Over a decade now, and this is still gold 👏👏👏
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