{"id":1077,"date":"2010-04-08T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2010-04-08T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/now-thats-what-i-call-a-mascot.html"},"modified":"2010-04-08T00:00:01","modified_gmt":"2010-04-08T00:00:01","slug":"now-thats-what-i-call-a-mascot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/04\/now-thats-what-i-call-a-mascot.html","title":{"rendered":"Now That’s What I Call a Mascot!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today as I was driving to work I saw a bus from St. Mary’s
\nUniversity. This highly-regarded university, situated in San Antonio,
\nwas founded in 1852 and is the oldest Catholic university in the
\nSouthwest.<\/p>\n

I’ve been familiar with St. Mary’s ever since I moved to Texas, near
\nSan Antonio, two and a half years ago. But, until today, I did not know
\nthe name of the St. Mary’s mascot. They are . . . the Rattlers. That’s
\nright, the St. Mary’s Rattlers.<\/p>\n

Now
\nI don’t know how that strikes you, but it seems rather ironic that a
\nuniversity named after the mother of Jesus has a rattlesnake as its
\nemblem. Not an angel or a manger, but a fang-bearing rattlesnake.<\/p>\n

I wondered how St. Mary’s came to be called the Rattlers, so did a bit of research, and found an explanatory page on the St. Mary’s website<\/a>.
\nIn summary, it explains that the Rattler mascot was named by Brother
\nCharles Kinsky in 1926 after a spirit committee decided to borrow the
\nname of the school newspaper, The Rattler<\/em>. Legend holds that
\nthe name was based on the fact that the school’s football field had to
\nbe cleared of rattlesnakes on a regular basis. This seems not to be the
\ncase. I can believe, however, that some real rattlers figured into the
\nstory somewhere.<\/p>\n

Now what I find most interesting here, apart from the odd connection
\nof the Virgin Mary and rattlesnakes, is the theological irony. There is
\na long, long tradition that associates Mary with snakes. It is based on
\na passage in Genesis 3, where God cursed the serpent who had tempted
\nAdam and Even to sin:<\/p>\n

\n

“Because you have done this,
\ncursed are you among all animals
\nand among all wild creatures;
\nupon your belly you shall go,
\nand dust you shall eat
\nall the days of your life.
\nI will put enmity between you and the woman,
\nand between your offspring and hers;
\nhe will strike your head,
\nand you will strike his heel.”  (3:14-15)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From the early days of the church, Christian theologians interpreted
\nthis passage as referring to Mary, whose offspring, Jesus, would
\n“strike the head” of the serpent. Mary and snakes are enemies from
\nalmost the dawn of time. But not at St. Mary’s University, apparently.<\/p>\n

At least the Rattlers mascot conveys something strong and scary,
\njust the sort of thing you’d want for your athletic teams, unless of
\ncourse you go to the University of California Santa Cruz, where your
\nmascot is the Banana Slug. No kidding!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today as I was driving to work I saw a bus from St. Mary’s University. This highly-regarded university, situated in San Antonio, was founded in 1852 and is the oldest Catholic university in the Southwest. I’ve been familiar with St. Mary’s ever since I moved to Texas, near San Antonio, two and a half years…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun"],"yoast_head":"\nNow That's What I Call a Mascot! - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}