Seeing 'Touchdown Jesus' a real kick

I am big on seeing things just for the sake of saying that I did. “Touchdown Jesus” is one of those things.

If one is a Notre Dame college football fan, then one knows that “Touchdown Jesus” is the nickname given to the large mural by Millard Sheets of the resurrected Jesus titled “The Word of Life” that is on the outside of the Hesburgh Library on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind., just north of South Bend, Ind.

The library is very visible from one end of the Fighting Irish’s football stadium and shows Jesus with raised arms, looking very much like a football referee signaling a touchdown.

So on a recent drive home from a visit with family and friends in Illinois, we found ourselves passing through the northern part of Indiana right near Notre Dame.

“Oh, we have to stop and see Touchdown Jesus,” I said to The Blonde Accountant.

“Who? What?” she responded. Although she is Catholic and is familiar with the institution that is Notre Dame, she is less of a football fan than me.

So I quickly explained what I knew about “Touchdown Jesus,” which was very little, and headed for the Notre Dame exit off the interstate.

“I want to have my picture taken with ‘Touchdown Jesus,’” I said, not pausing long enough to even ponder why, since I am a baseball guy and would likely be more interested in having my picture taken with something like a “Home Run Jesus.”

A fairly simple request I thought, except for the fact that it was the Saturday that all the students were returning to school and the campus was packed with everybody and their dog carrying boxes hither and yon. By the way, Notre Dame has a beautiful campus.

We eventually located “Touchdown Jesus,” — it’s a big mural on the side of a big building and really isn’t hard to find. I hopped out of the car and The Blonde Accountant snapped a picture of me and “Touchdown Jesus.”

At the very least, I figure it’s good karma to be in the same picture as Jesus.