Olympic ceremony was great work of art

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regionals newspapers’ column

Michael Commane

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was sensational. It was magnificent art. Surprise, suspense, even provocation are the ingredients of art. 

There have been objections to Saturday’s banquet scene where drag artists have been criticised for mocking Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper. Some have said the ceremony derided and mocked Christianity.

The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly said there was no intention to ‘mock or denigrate anyone’ and explained the scene in question was designed to reference pagan gods.

While Olympic organisers have apologised, they added that Jolly intended to celebrate community tolerance.

US Bishop Robert Barron in objecting to the ceremony said that Muslims and people of other faiths would not be mocked in such a manner.

 

The following day’s Gospel reading was the story of the loaves and fishes. There was not enough food to feed 5,000 people. Jesus convinced the crowd to divide what they had in such a way that there was food for everyone present. 

An essential element to our Eucharistic celebration is the concept that we are a people of faith, worshipping as a community. Don’t we call it Holy Communion? We share the Bread of Christ with one another. The Eucharist is both a sign and a cause of our unity with one another and Christ. Have we lost the meaning of the Last Supper and the mission statement of Jesus Christ?

When I hear people criticise individuals or organisations for mocking aspects of the Christian faith I immediately ask myself are we not ‘mocking and denigrating’ the Eucharist when we sit back and allow one billion people live without food. 

Does Robert Barron, who is a bishop in Minnesota, not see the contradiction, on the one hand, celebrating the Eucharist, while at the same time staying mum on the extraordinary gulf there is in his country between the richest and the poorest? How can we say a word about the Eucharist if we don’t speak day and night about the injustices around the world? Eucharist is about communion.

There are those who argue that Christians are easy targets to mock and deride. They argue that if Muslims or people of other faiths were treated in a similar manner there would be outrage, in other words people are afraid to mock and deride Muslims and other religious groupings. But should we Christians not consider it a badge of honour when we are mocked and derided? 

We say nothing, we turn the other cheek. Let the mockers and deriders say what they want. Our faith transcends their words of ridicule.

Jesus was always on the side of the lowly, weak and marginalised. The poor and the forgotten never have the status, the power or the control to stand up and object to the powerful and mighty. 

We can speak our minds, tell the truth. Standing on high horses is the style of the pompous. Let them at it. It’s by our kind deeds and gentle words we will help make the world see the mystery and love of God.