I recently heard a playwright comment that a stage play with a strong, clear structure gives the actors a greater scope for creativity and spontaneity. As a long time student of the Eucharist I made an immediate connection. The structure of the Catholic Mass is well established and easily identifiable. The ritual structure requires creativity to invite the worshipping community to encounter the holy and live the truth of the gospel.
We thought long and hard about this when we prepared the papal Mass for the beatification of Mary MacKillop in January 1995. We hoped the ritual would call people to live the way of Mary, but first we had to name the values that Mary embodied.
We were careful to ensure that the liturgy reflected inclusivity and favoured the poor and oppressed. The first and last words of the mass were spoken by Aboriginal Australians. Those who received communion from the Pope were the little ones of our society, rather than corporate sponsors. Ministers of the word reflected the multicultural richness of our nation with a diversity of language, gesture and costume.
This week's World Youth Day ceremony began with a visual spectacle of colourful national flags, Aboriginal music, song and dance and the grand entrance of the cross and icon, culminating with words of welcome from the Prime Minister. The Mass began with a similar spectacle — a procession of cardinals and bishops, and words of welcome from Cardinal Pell.
These two welcomes paralleled each other — one seen to be 'secular' and the other formally part of the mass. With some careful choreography the two could perhaps have been integrated into one gathering rite, reflecting the many cultures celebrating a Roman rite within a distinctly Australian context.
The setting for the liturgy was stunning. The simply crafted liturgical furnishings containing different wood from each Australian state complemented the beauty of the surroundings. While the strong red walls evoked our spiritual centre Uluru, they also seemed to be a visual barrier distancing clerics from the assembly. This was heightened as darkness fell and the light on the 'sanctuary' more strikingly delineated the two groups.
The Liturgy of the Word was rich with the diversity of languages spoken. Cardinal Pell delivered a carefully prepared homily. Connecting the image from Ezekiel of the valley of dry bones with the ongoing drought was an immediately identifiable image for his Australian hearers.