Procession

Procession

There was never a time when Christians were united despite Jesus’ fervent prayer that they be one. Like political parties the early Christians formed factions; the churches that came under the patronage of John forged different emphases from the ones that were founded by Paul. But there was a time, at least in the west, when there was a sense of oneness and they even had a name for it: Christendom. One way this unity showed itself was in processions.

Around the end of the thirteenth century the custom arose of people leaving the church building and walking in an orderly way through the streets and fields, singing and praising God and carrying the implements of their trade; mapadza, sickles, saws and so forth. They also solemnly carried the consecrated bread of the Eucharist. It was a potent symbol of God walking among his people, rejoicing with them in the new life their faith brought them, blessing their fields and their daily lives. The wind and the birds joined in the song of the people.

Processions also carried the idea of pilgrimage; an ancient custom of journeying to a sacred site or shrine, common in India and taken up by Islam. A journey by its nature is a temporary exercise and the pilgrims set out conscious that they were doing something that represented life’s journey, which is also temporary and whose purpose is to get us from one place to another. In times gone by people rarely moved from their homes to go long distances. To go on pilgrimage was a dramatic break in their normal routine. And processions which were short pilgrimages, also pointed to this drama.

Today, few go on pilgrimages or in processions. If they do (and the Catholic Church continues these traditions), many bystanders look on in bemusement. They would not understand what was happening as their ancestors did and the police might even intervene and suspect some sort of political rally. The symbolism and power of such experiences has greatly diminished and it seems we cannot hope to recreate them.

Yet people today are very “movious” as the Zambians say. They travel all the time but their travel has a very down to earth purpose whereas the ancient pilgrimages and processions were signs of the journey to the New Jerusalem not made of hands. Still, new forms of “procession” are emerging. The Lord still walks through our fields but he also walks through our books, our internet and all the trades that we have today. We can still go in procession with him and be conscious of his presence, a presence only visible to those with “rinsed eyes” like those of Balaam ” the man with far-seeing eyes” (Num 24:3).

Corpus Christi C         2 June 2013

Gen 14:18-20              I Cor 11:23-26                        Lk 9:11-17