You're pulling our leg, right? Registered today. The wires you (say that you) tucked up into the ceiling are short circuited. Repeated attempts to reset the breaker will damage those wires.

So those damaged wires need to be replaced?

Pull all the wires down that you tucked up into the ceiling box. Put a plastic wire nut on each individual wire that is loose. Turn power back on.

You did mark all the wires when you took it apart, right?

That is, a wire nut for each wire.

You won't know that they are damaged till you pull them down. Most likely not.

I didn't mark any wires though -- I don' recall there being anymore than 2 wires. I appreciate the input -- guess I'm learning the hard way on this one.

Just a guess. Could be a short due to a nick in the sheathing of one of the wires. Possibly where the lamp wire goes through the threaded nipple, or maybe another wire in the box where a screw might be rubbing up against it (and damaged the casing). Just some things to consider.

"Could be a short due to a nick in the sheathing of one of the wires."

Or just the bare ends (formerly covered by a wire nut) touching another wire or a metal box.

You need to get at least a copy of 'Wiring Simplified' before you cause a fire.

As Hendricus says: 'put a wire nut on each wire 'individually'. What difference does it make if
the wires are hanging out of the ceiling? Who's going
to climb up there to grab on to them????
You have OBVIOUSLY wire nutted two wires that shouldn't
have been wire nutted together....duhhhh.

The reasoning to putting a wire nut on each wire is so the painter or whoever doesn't get in contact with a bare wire and it be energized.

Or if you're going to push it back into the box that it doesn't come into contact with the box or some other exposed metal.

It is really simple.

Bare wires are NOT energized without being connected to something (still can be dangerous) or capped off with protection at least equal to the wires insulation rating.

New houses often have the new conductors rolled into a bundle and pushed back into the box because they are NOT ENERGIZED. The breakers are OFF.

With a copy of 'Wiring Simplified' you should be able to figure out how to hook everything back up when you are done painting.

In the mean time, put a wire nut (ideal orange size) on the end of EVERY wire in the box.

Let's see if I have this correctly, you, the OP, disconnected a ceiling fixture and removed the wire nuts? Then you stuffed the bare end wires up in the cieling touching each other and you wonder why the breaker won't reset? Do I have this correct? Then you sign for the fist time to share this event? Just curious, did it not occur to you to put the wire nuts back on the bare wires which you shoved in the ceiling?