Burnouts in the Kingdom?
During the Season of the Glorious Cross, the Epistle and Gospel passages that are read and reflected upon are eschatological in nature; that is they examine the final days and judgement. They focus greatly on the coming of Jesus and the Kingdom of God and give us a glimpse of what it would be like. Every time we come to celebrate the Eucharist (Mass) or one of the other Sacraments (Weddings, Baptisms etc) we also get a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is like, in fact we are actually partaking in it. This leads us to ask ourselves one big question: How should we behave and/or act as we approach this presence of God and His Kingdom?
For this reason I have been most saddened and disappointed to see what takes place in front of and within the Cathedral grounds as a bride and a groom are escorted to celebrate the Sacrament of their Marriage. Unfortunately, many people find great amusement and immature pleasure in doing these reckless burnouts and or loud “revving” of motors as they approach and enter the Cathedral grounds. Not only does this take away from the sanctity and reverence of the sacrament, but it is a bad reflection on us who live within a wider community. At a time when the bride and groom are preparing themselves for a new journey with each other and with God, this type of behaviour distracts them from the sacredness of the step that they about to take.
Further, this behaviour is illegal and dangerous behaviour that could lead to a major accident and injury or loss of life. It destroys the environment and our relationship with our neighbours. It is also most seriously a bad example for our children and youth attending Fersan and Teens or who are guests with their family attending the Wedding. Have a look at Alice St and see the ugly damage to the road. For all of the above reasons, this behaviour must stop.
The Wedding preparation sheet that is given to all couples strictly states: “ ABSOLUTELY NO “REVVING” AND “BURNOUTS” BY MOTOR BIKES OR ESCORT VEHICLES IN RESPECT FOR CHURCH AND NEIGHBOURS.” However, especially over the last month this has been totally disregarded and we receive complaints from parishioners and neighbours. This not only gives the wedding party a bad reputation but also our Maronite Church and our Lebanese Culture.
Is this how we should be behaving in the presence of God? Should we be doing burnouts in the Kingdom? Would anyone dare do a burnout at Calvary in the Holy Land in front of the Cross of Jesus our Saviour? Well some show this same disrespect when they do burnouts and revving in front of the holy site of our Church where we celebrate the Death and Resurrection of JESUS.
Sadly due to the above and flagrant disregard and because of safety issues, the parish has had no choice but to consult with the Police regarding measures to be taken including the installation of Video CAMERAS that will be accessible to the Police who will prosecute offenders.
I pray and request on behalf of the Bishop, Priests and all the Parish Community that those involved and with connections to drivers and owners will pass on the word to stop this behaviour. In this way we can focus on the true meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage rather than on all the disrespectful behaviour in cars or bikes that cloud the most wonderful and grace-filled celebrations of the presence of God and His Kingdom in the Birth of a new Christian Family.
