Events surrounding the confederate flag and confederate monuments continue to spur emotional debates. It has been over one hundred fifty years since the end of the Civil War, and decades since Confederate monuments and statues were erected across the country. However, as we have witnessed in the past weeks and months, the controversy over them is still strong and passionate.

The meanings that symbols convey depend on how they have been experienced. For some people whose ancestors fought in the Civil War, Confederate symbols represent heritage, pride, and an emblem of the South. But for most African-Americans, these symbols represent slavery and oppression. They are seen as signs of racism.

Symbols point to meanings beyond their appearance. In its natural state, the Confederate flag is simply a piece of material that has been stitched with different color threads into a specific design. Confederate statues are nothing more than cement or another material that has been cast in a particular mold. However, when the Confederate flag is flown atop a government building or a Confederate monument is mounted in a city park, these symbols take on meanings beyond an ordinary piece of cloth or ordinary stone. They become something extraordinary.
Our liturgical symbols, too, are powerful. Emotions are stirred by the healing touch of hands during the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Tears of joy flow when water is poured over an infant during Baptism. Faces become awe-struck as the Easter fire pierces the darkness of night.

Liturgical symbols, likewise, have multiple meanings, Like the Confederate images, the meaning of our liturgical symbols depends on our experience with that symbol. The cross, for example, is seen by some people as a symbol of suffering and pain. But others view the cross as a sign of resurrection and hope.

Liturgical symbols also point to meanings beyond their appearance. They are signs of the sacred. The Book of the Gospels is simply a book made from paper that contains ink print. However, in the liturgy we process with this book and hold it high. The reverence and the ritual action connected with this book gives it meaning beyond ordinary paper and ink.
Liturgical symbols point beyond their ordinary nature to the divine. They help us to see, to hear, and to touch, even if only momentarily, the mystery of God.