“making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered.”
(General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 30, 34; Sacred Congregation of Rites)
As children of God, His adopted sons and daughters, we have been created to “bend the knee” at the name of Jesus. We have been beautifully and wonderfully made by our Creator to bow down and worship Him in humble adoration with praise and exaltation. (CCC, 2097)
Recently, I found myself pondering the thought, “How many Catholics in the past almost year have not “bent a knee” at the name of Jesus because of the coronavirus pandemic?” When I refer to worshiping on “bended knee”, the reference is for those who are in good health and are not unable due to age or infirmity. When we participate in the Liturgy we come together in one place for the Eucharistic Assembly, where we all have our own active parts to play in the celebration. (CCC,134)
There is much sensitivity around the issue of whether it is safe to return to Mass, but we cannot remain live-stream Mass-goers forever. We are called to communion, and now more than ever in this time of turmoil and uncertainty we need to be united together at the Table of our Lord. St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the early Church Fathers, speaks eloquently of how our unity leads to concord and the harmonious love of Jesus Christ:
“And do ye, man by man, become a choir, that being harmonious in love, and taking up the song of God in unison, ye may with one voice sing to the Father through Jesus Christ, so that He may both hear you, and perceive by your works that ye are indeed the members of His Son. It is profitable, therefore, that you should live in an unblameable unity, that thus ye may always enjoy communion with God.”
(Phillip Schaff, The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1867, p. 74.)
Now, I want to make known that although we are called to come together as one, I am not speaking of those who are considered a part of the high-risk category for COVID-19, and have not ventured out of their homes since the first outbreak of the virus in our country. There are those who sincerely have the desire to attend Mass and receive the Most Holy Eucharist, but are truly unable to do so at this time.
I ask all of us to take a look at ourselves and think about where we are now with regards to living in a world with our new “normal;” a life that consists of the daily wearing of masks and the frequent use of hand sanitizer. Are we having our children attend in-person classes at school, and happy that they can have such an opportunity? Do we find delight in finally being able to participate in recreational activities such as going to the mall, eating or hanging out at a bar or restaurant, or visiting family and friends? If we answer “yes,” to any of those questions, or we have thought about other examples of how we are currently living our lives in the midst of this pandemic, then why not ask ourselves, what about that which brings joy to our soul?
There are some who may argue that they simply do not feel comfortable enough yet to return to the Church, but if we are at ease with participating in other activities that expose us in the same way to COVID-19, then why not return to Mass? We are living a contradiction if we say that it is OK to participate in a leisurely activity, but not OK to come together and worship the Lord at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
We cannot willingly remain away from Jesus in the Eucharist, and live in a perpetual state of fear, which seems to be heightened by the all-day media coverage of the virus. There are no scientific statistics showing us that our Catholic churches are super-spreaders of the virus. It is time that we continue to take the proper precautions against COVID-19, but also be able to return to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We were made by God to come together; as where two or more are gathered Christ is in our midst. (Mt 18:20)
Our priests, especially our pastors, are working hard to ensure that we have a safe environment where we can come together for worship, and be present at the Table to receive our Eucharistic Lord. They have installed hand sanitizer machines, marked off proper social distancing, are ensuring that everyone wears a mask, etc. We are Catholics, and as Catholics we know that it is the Eucharist; the Real Presence, that gives us eternal life.
He is the Bread come down from Heaven, Jesus Christ, Who lives in us as we remain in Him (Jn 6:51-58). The Catechism teaches us that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC, 1324; Lumen Gentium 11). The purpose of live-streamed Mass was to nourish our spiritual hunger at a time when it was not possible to actively participate in the Eucharistic celebration, but it was never meant to be a permanent substitution for active participation in the live Mass.
We are blessed as Catholics that we are able to offer a prayer of spiritual communion that unites us with Christ when we are unable to actively participate in the Mass, but it is only by receiving Holy Communion that we receive Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, as He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. If we know and truly believe that the Eucharist is our Hidden Lord, then through hell or high water we should find a way to get to Christ in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, and receive Him in the Eucharist.
The Catechism reminds us that we physically and spiritually unite ourselves to Christ when we receive Holy Communion: as partakers in His Body and Blood we form one body. (CCC, 1331) We know that Christ is present everywhere, but not in the same way as He is present in the sacred species, when the bread and wine truly and really become the Precious Body and Blood of Christ.
The truth is that by live-streaming the Mass, we are not physically in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. We can make all of the responses and gestures as a sign of reverence while we are live-streaming the Mass, when necessity calls for such, but it is simply not the same, and there is a HUGE difference. We are called as members of the “Mystical Body of Christ” to come together in the same way the Apostles came together at the Last Supper to receive the gift that Jesus gave to us; His very Flesh and Blood. We need to actually and physically take part in the Eucharistic celebration together in the assembly of the faithful to receive the many fruits for which Christ the Lord instituted the eucharistic sacrifice. (CIC, 899, §3)
Many dioceses still have a dispensation for the obligation to attend daily Mass, but it appears that too many Catholics are becoming comfortable with remaining at home and live-streaming the Mass. The dispensation was not put in place to offer us an excuse and encourage laxity with regards to attendance at Sunday Mass or Holy Days, but to ease the conscience of those who long to go to Mass, but are unable to attend the Liturgy because of their health or age.
I was saddened to learn from a priest on #CatholicTwitter that one of his parishioners, after staying home during the pandemic, now feels that he no longer needs to go to Mass anymore, and never needed to go in the first place. Are we becoming complicit to this kind of attitude among our fellow Catholics? By our silence, are we encouraging others to accept the live-streamed Mass as our new “norm,” and creating a whole new generation of Christmas and Easter-time Catholics?
How can we help our Catholic brethren to realize that we need the Eucharist as we need the air we breathe, especially now? It is by consuming His Flesh and drinking His Cup that we gain eternal life. We need to work together with our pastors and help our spiritual brothers and sisters to understand that Christ is waiting for them in His Sacrament of love. Let us strive to make it a priority in our lives to invite them back to Church where they can return Home to our Eucharistic Lord.
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