“This requires ceremony…”

The other night I went to see the movie Courageous with a bunch of other guys on a “man trip” ;-). I’ve written about this movie before, but over the next few weeks I’d like to mention a few other thoughts which came to mind while watching the film…

The Resolution

In the story, a group of four men decide to sign a Resolution, a statement of conduct (derived from Scripture) which they promise to follow as both men and as fathers.

In a certain scene, one of the men shows a copy of the Resolution to his wife. She gets really excited and then starts asking him lots of questions. What will the final Resolution look like? What is he going to wear when he signs it? etc. The man gives his wife a look of complete incomprehension and confusion. It’s clear that he hadn’t even considered these things. To this she responds:

“If you’re gonna do this, then do it right. Something like this requires…ceremony!” 

I had to smile at this, since, to my Catholic ears, I heard:

“If you’re gonna do this, then do it right. Something like this requires…liturgy“ 🙂

The Liturgy Ceremony

Later in the film we see what this ceremony looks like…

All the men are wearing suits and their family members are present, also in formal attire. They meet in a beautiful park underneath some trees. A long-time friend and minister to one of the men officiates, calling each of the men forward one-by-one.  Each man then repeats the Resolution out loud in the presence of his family and pastor, after which he signs a framed copy of the Resolution written in beautiful calligraphy, which he later hangs in a prominent place in his home.

Liturgy and the Human Heart

I think this scene speaks beautifully about our need for liturgy. I have often heard those from a “low church” background speak rather dismissively about the entire concept of liturgy, describing it as “ritualism” or simply as “going through the motions”.

However, I think the scene from this film reveals something about human nature. There is something in the human heart that desires liturgy and even a certain level of formality, especially when it concerns a significant event. Ceremony is an outward sign which attempts to show the inward reality of our hearts. We bring the best we have to offer. It is the means through which we affirm that what we are doing is something important and something to which we are knowingly and deliberately dedicating our lives.

“Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground” – Pope Paul VI