Yesterday, Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, wrote a very fine editorial on the prohibition of using patriotic songs in liturgy, especially the celebration of the Mass. Informed by the many liturgical classes at had at the St. Paul Seminary, and using the liturgical principles stated in the Church’s liturgical documents, I threw in my own two cents in addition to what Fr Martin expressed.
The celebration of the liturgical rites of the Church, including all sacramental rites, is focused on our relationship with God, NOT our relationship with our country of origin. Roman Catholic liturgy transcends all nations, all nationalities, all cultures, and all races. In fact, the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church point and lead us to a concept that strikes at the heart of nationalism of any nation. Jesus did not just die for a particular nation, ideology, form of government, or culture. JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ALL NATIONS, ALL IDEOLOGIES, ALL FORMS OF GOVERNMENTS AND ALL CULTURES. Not one of them was left out of Christ’s sacrificial offering.
Symbols of any nation, whether it be the American flag, the Canadian flag, the Mexican flag, the Vatican flag (the Vatican is recognized as a sovereign nation), or any nation, should be not be displayed in any liturgical space. If a congregation wants to have a flag flying outside the Church, or in the narthex of the Church, fine. But the flag of any nationality must not be within the liturgical space for the simple reason that Jesus did not die to save just the people of that nation. JESUS DIED FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE ENEMIES OF ANY PARTICULAR NATION. This is what our Roman Catholic liturgy expresses in word and sacrament. In the middle of the American Civil War, when a person stated to President Abraham Lincoln that God was on the side of the North. Lincoln responded so very succinctly, “The question is not whether God is on our side. The question is, are we on God’s side?”
Roman Catholic liturgy transcends all the divisions of human language, culture, customs, and nations simply because ALL of humanity are children of God, all of humanity, including our sworn enemies!
If one objects to this by saying, “you are getting too political”, well, the gospel of Jesus Christ is very political. The Great Commandment of Jesus, the Beatitudes, the mandate by Jesus to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, take of the sick, visit the imprisoned and welcome the stranger are very political positions that transcends the ideologies of political parties. No political party is the political party of Jesus. No government, and no ideology is that of Jesus. The gospel of Jesus must be used to evaluate all political party platforms, all ideologies, and all national governments. And, in doing so, all of them will fall woefully short. All the more so political emblems, symbolism and songs must not be part of Roman Catholic liturgy.
If one wants to wrap themselves in the flag, or the political parties they espouse, then they must do it at events that are strictly limited to those kinds of events. There is a time and place for all these things, however, they must not be imposed upon the Mass or any other Roman Catholic liturgy. God has primacy over all these very human creations.
Last, but not least, the Mass and other Roman Catholic liturgies points us to a reality to which God is leading us. When God created the universe, God created all things to be in and live in harmony. Sin, as St. Paul states, drove disharmony into God’s creation. The great sin of humanity was to sow disruption and pain into the harmony God created. From the disharmony that humanity sowed rose greed, violence, war, and destitution. From the disharmony that humanity sowed rose human factions in opposition to one another. From the disharmony that humanity sowed rose persecution, religious intolerance, and genocide.
Jesus came to restore the harmony that humanity destroyed by Sin. In the celebration of the Mass, all of humanity is welcomed around the table of the Lord to join in a common meal. The great eschatological meal envisioned by Isaiah, Chapter 2, of all nations ascending the mountain of God, to feast and drink at the great meal provided to humanity by God, and to feast on the words, the wisdom, and the love of God is present at the celebration of the Mass. This is not the time for symbols and songs of division and disharmony, but, instead, symbols and songs of harmony and unity. The Mass is the Thanksgiving meal for all of humanity. It is a restoration of that primordial harmony which God intended for creation as the Divine breath of God stirred life within the waters of the Abyss.
Our churches, daresay, our homes must reflect this restoration of the beginning. It is said that Church begins at home. How well do we embrace the harmony God intended for all of creation? While there is no sin in displaying one’s patriotism outside his/her home, I prefer to display in symbol the harmony God intended. Outside our home, we fly the “Earth” flag, in the hope that one day those differences between nations and governments will be destroyed forever, along with all weapons humanity has created to sow disruption and pain into our world. Foregoing all national symbols that illustrate the disconnection of humanity, I encourage all people to focus on symbols that will unite us as a common people of God, whom God loved so much that God sent, Jesus, the Son, the Logos of God, to redeem us.
