Many will remember the controversy in Lents past regarding the Passion Mime performed at St. Ambrose. Many will also recall the vehemence with which it was defended by certain individuals. While I don’t want to open old wounds, we simply can’t ignore this development, as announced in the Peace of Christ bulletin (see Romish Graffiti’s post here).
As Scott points out, the most interesting part of the announcement (lament?) in the bulletin is that “enough students didn’t sign up.” Now, doesn’t it seem strange to you that an event that some heralded as a great way to catechize our youth, a popular alternative to traditional methods, should wither away this year because, in an entire school, there were not enough kids willing to participate? Could it be, just maybe, that the kids realize how inappropriate it is to parade into a sanctuary to the rockin’ tunes of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” while wearing face-paint and performing Our Lord’s Passion via pantomime? To mime the Passion of Christ is like sculpting the Pieta out of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!,” or performing Mozart’s Requiem with a kazoo ensemble. It’s tasteless and nauseating.
Children know when they’re being pandered to, when their superiors appeal to them through condescension rather than through rationality. Kids, as much as some may deny it, yearn to be treated like adults. Insinuating that they can only really grasp the significance of the Passion by putting on a performance which seems to reflect more of Red Skelton than St. John would fall into the “condescending” category. How can we expect our youth to embrace the Faith when they’re presented with triviality? Short answer: we can’t. It won’t happen, so long as they think that it’s okay to play around (maybe with good intentions) in the sanctuary. Granted, I’m sure the Passion Mime is more reverent than many Masses offered in our Diocese. It’s not done maliciously, either. That doesn’t mean it’s okay, though.
So, kudos to the kids of Siena, who have spoken with their feet . . . presumably because mimes don’t use words . . .
