If people were asked what a symbol of our nation would be, some would say the American bald eagle, some the Statue of Liberty, but the majority would probably say the American flag.
Symbols are not signs that spell out a particular word or phrase. Symbols invoke powerful emotions or feelings. Symbols speak to us regardless of our age or education. Symbols transcend race, culture, or language. This is why we use so many symbols in our worship. We need to pass through the barriers of age, race, gender, or station in order to understand how we each fit into God’s glorious plan of salvation.
Some have been asking why we don’t have an American flag displayed in our worship space. David Philippart, former editor of Environment and Art Letter wrote in a publication of that magazine, “Flags by their nature divide people into citizens and aliens, those who belong and those who do not, friends or enemies.”
As American citizens, we are proud to fly a flag at home and are offended when someone does not display a flag properly, but we shouldn’t want the symbol of our particular country to get in the way of our faith. How can we sing, “One Bread, One Body” and at the same time display the flag in a worship space that separates us from the rest of the Catholics on the earth. The Catholic Church is a universal church. We read the same readings and pray the same prayers in many languages all over the world.
There is a time and place for hanging a nation’s flag. However, let our worship space symbolize Christianity in the symbols that all Christians hold dear, the cross, the altar, the book of sacred scriptures, and the gathered faithful from every nation. Let these symbols speak volumes for the unity that knows no boundaries. For God loves each and every one of us, regardless of the country in which we live.
Beth Berger– Liturgy Coordinator