It seems there is still room for beauty in today’s world! Beauty is one of the ancient attributes that Christian theology has always attributed to almighty God and so it is but there is no doubt that with the creation of man, God has instilled some of this beauty in the human person which He created – as Holy Scripture states – on his own image. It was this specific thought that came to my mind as I watched with great attention the wedding ceremony for Prince William and his new wife the Duchess of Cambridge.
The British are known for their sense of precision and elegance when it comes to organising an event, especially within the public arena. When it comes to royalty this sense of precision undoubtedly reaches its highest peak. One could observe this even in the tiniest of details in the entire flowing of the celebration that took place on Friday. From the time the young couple left their respective places of departure to the moment they arrived at Buckingham Palace at the end of the wedding ceremony, all was smooth.
The choice of Westminster Abbey was, in my opinion, ideal since it was here that the Queen and before her the Queen Mother were both married in 1947 and 1923 respectively. It will also be here in Westminster that hopefully one day Prince William will be crowned as Britain’s king possibly adopting the name of William V.
The ceremony in the ninth-century abbey was captivating in the real sense of the word. It was not just the pomp and pageantry that kept one stuck to the sofa watching the celebration. The Dean of Westminster, John Hall accompanied later on by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams both rose to the occasion and gave the entire liturgy an air of unique solemnity that befits such a singular occasion; the Queen and her 90-year-old Duke of Edinburgh presided over the ceremony giving it the full status of a Royal Wedding; the huge crowds gathered not just outside Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey but lining the streets that lead from the former to the ancient Benedictine structure were a living witness as to the immense popularity the British monarchy continues to enjoy.
London was in entirely festive mood as was the whole country. The fact that two Maltese television stations broadcast a live transmission of the wedding is in itself proof that not only are our islands still very pro-British in their general attitude but also that the magic of monarchy still has the power to attract a country which lost its colony status more than 40 years ago.
The Anglican Church – as one of the Churches of the Reformation – does not hold marriage as one of its sacraments. However, in spite of this, the rich wording of the rite of marriage conducted by the highest-ranking ecclesiastic of the Church of England (excluding the monarch), is a living proof that the theological contents of marriage as understood and interpreted by the Anglican Communion is very much the same as in the Catholic Church. Having said this I did notice that when coming to outline the purposes of holy matrimony, the Archbishop stated that “it was ordained for the increase of mankind” and stated this as the first among the three reasons for God’s establishment of marriage.
This stands in contrast with the Catholic Church’s teaching especially since Pope Pius XII’s Magisterium that puts the love between husband and wife as the first aim of the sacrament of marriage. As to the other aspects, the two Christian Churches’ teaching on the subject seem to be quite similar. When it comes to the indissolubility and permanence of matrimony until natural death, the statement uttered by Dr Williams stands full-square with Rome’s teaching even though one could easily notice that while Prince William did give his ring to his newly wedded wife, she did not reciprocate this traditional and ancient custom.
The homily was delivered by the Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres; it was interesting to notice that although the marriage was taking place with the Easter octave, this did not deter Dr Chartres from quoting St Catherine of Siena whose liturgical commemoration fell on that very day. In his homily, the Bishop of London emphasised the theme of love quoting the Dominican saint’s dictum “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire” and mentioning the difficulties that the modern world has to face referring particularly to the “question of how to use wisely the power that has been given to us” without delineating the exact connection between marriage and the “discoveries of the last century”. He could have in mind the grave ethical challenges connected with marriage and reproduction without omitting the eco-theological debate.
A balanced reflection on Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding celebration would not be complete without a few words on the music accompanying the ceremony. The Westminster Abbey Choir is in need of no introduction; the hymns were sublime and Charles Wesley’s Love Divine All Loves Excelling is one of my favourites. William Blake’s Jerusalem gave the necessary English touch to the ceremony though I wonder if it would have been ideal for the late Queen Mother’s wedding back in 1923, herself being Scottish.
All in all, Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding was another exhibition of beauty, a beauty experienced through the exquisite pomp and pageantry that was displayed throughout the exterior and interior celebrations in London’s streets and within the abbey, a beauty that was once again made possible through the heavenly music presented by the Westminster Abbey choristers who presented a sumptuous liturgy inferior only to that which is found among the angelic hosts.
Yes, beauty triumphed once again!