She Has Done What She Could

An 80-year-old Spanish woman ruined a fresco of Jesus in a church in a misguided attempt to restore it.

Here's the fresco before her work:



And after:



And, of course, a hue and cry has gone up at the destruction of such a priceless work of art. And so it should.

But...

What would Jesus of Nazareth say?

A similar occurrence happened in his life:

Mark 14:3-9
King James Version (KJV)

3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

The old woman is probably frightened and ashamed, and doesn't need condemnation. She needs compassion and empathy, as well as your prayers.