A Retired Rector's Reflections

Drama, colour, pantomime and subversion could be found in several of the ceremonies and liturgies of the medieval church. Processions, in particular, attracted these elements. Good examples are Corpus Christi processions or, in some places at the Feast of the Flight to Egypt, which became known as the Feast of Asses. (January 14th).

The Feast of Asses was especially popular in medieval north France. A document from 13th century Rouen decribes how figures of the Old Testament Balaam on his (in this case wooden) ass came into Church at the beginning of Mass and joined colourful ceremonies of the day. The ceremonies developed as time went on. At Beauvais on the feast a girl of the city with a child in her arms, was placed on a richly draped wooden ass, and processed to St. Stephen’s Church. The Ass was placed in the sanctuary at the right of the altar, and the Mass was begun with a special hymn in which the French chorus was “Up! Sir Ass, and sing. Open your pretty mouth. Hay will be yours in plenty, and oats in abundance.”

At the end of Mass the rubrics state (without any sense of impropriety)  “the priest, having turned to the people, in lieu of saying ‘Ite, Missa est’, will bray thrice; the people instead of replying ‘Deo Gratias’ say, ‘Hinham, hinham, hinham.’”

I read of this after celebrating Mass today on the Feast of the Flight to Egypt, so fortunately did not have to resist the temptation to bray to the congregation at the end.

Also today the Bishops of the Church of England issued a nine page pompous and verbose statement on gay marriage, and married gay clergy. It took nine pages for them to say very little – that they have decided, after years of church debates and enormous expense to the church, to do nothing about the issues except instigate further debate and discussion.

Apart from thinking of the bishops – “For goodness sake lighten up, show some love and care – and some leadership,” I also thought if only you looked back in history and were inspired to take took yourselves less seriously, and allow for drama and pantomime in your episcopal ministry – and also subversion too.

So today I long for the days when a jester is part of a Bishop’s procession and on this feast day I invite bishops celebrate Mass with a wooden ass standing next to them and at the end subsitute an ass’s head for the mitre and bray loudly three times to the congregation.

Hinham, hinham, hinham.