Modernist attacks Corpus Christi processions as symbols of pomp, power, and hierarchy, at odds with the message of Jesus
Staging is not enough - Why we need to rethink Corpus Christi
Munich theater, opera, and film director Philipp Stölzl recently wrote that theater and Catholicism have a great overlap: "This joy in images and magic – it's very mystical." Without a doubt, it's precisely this joy and gift for staging that fascinates many people about being Catholic.
This becomes clear again on Corpus Christi. Every person raised in the Catholic faith will associate their own images with it: images of brass bands, saints being carried, heaven with elegantly dressed bearers wearing gloves, and, of course, the priest in a sweeping golden cope and carrying the monstrance. Is this still the way to spread the faith to the world and show what Christians stand for? Aren't these processions, in which in some places more people stand on the sidelines than participate, more like folklore reflecting a church of the last century – with baroque pomp and splendor?
Corpus Christi is the "Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ," which became an official feast under Pope Urban IV in 1264. According to Vatican II, the Eucharist is the "source and summit" of church activity. But where fewer and fewer people no longer seek this source, no amount of perfect staging will remedy this lack of interest.
In light of a church that has lost credibility and relevance, the question arises: Shouldn't we abandon such traditions or radically redesign them? Even if the procession can be an exclamation point, doesn't it, at first glance, demonstrate precisely what the message of Jesus is not intended to be—namely, pomp, power, and hierarchy? If the content is meaningless to so many, wouldn't it be necessary to reconsider how the church can demonstrate that we are on the journey with God?
This requires far more than liturgy and staging. It requires people and a church that credibly follows in the footsteps of Jesus in word and deed. Today, that means being absolutely committed to human dignity, even if, as those involved often experience, it means hatred and incitement. Thus, they themselves become, and not just once a year, a monstrance—a vessel that demonstrates what we Christians are all about.
No Presence, without Sacrifice
No Sacrifice, without Priesthood
No Priesthood, without Christ
In Basel, they have decided Corpus Christi is old fashioned and they have a "pilgrimage stroll"
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