Worship without Mass

What a difference a week can make.

This time last week, not even one bishop in the United States had suspended the public celebration of Sunday Mass for the sake of limiting the spread of contagion. As of this writing (9:51 AM EST, March 18), 147 have (with three or four dioceses varying on details concerning weekday Masses or the effective dates). The most suspension of all public celebrations of Mass came from Brooklyn, where the bishop issued a statement yesterday, the same day it was revealed that 6 new cases of COVID19 came from one Brooklyn parish. Another ten dioceses are maintaining the public celebration of Mass, but with the faithful dispensed by the bishop from their Sunday Mass obligation at least through March 31. (Check here for further updates as well as for the bishops' statements on this issue.) And yes, as successors of the Apostles, bishops can do that.

When Lent started, I felt drawn to Philippians 3:8-14 as a kind of Lenten guide. I read it again today, and found Paul saying something unexpected. Clearly, nothing mattered more to Paul than "Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians, but vintage Paul). Here he says that what he valued before he knew Christ was "righteousness based on the law." The greatest loss Paul faced in terms of this life was precisely that sense of security in knowing his standing according to an objective, one-size-fits-all law. He loved that law, and professed that it was "holy and just and good" (Romans, again undeniably Paul). But in Philippians he is relinquishing that "righteousness based on the law" in favor of "that which comes through faith in Christ...to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, that I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

The suspension of public Masses across the country (and the world) has caused tremendous upheaval and confusion among many Catholics, especially in the US. In some cases, the bishop suspended the public celebration of Mass in his diocese, but failed to explicitly exempt the faithful from the obligation of Sunday Mass, or did not suspend the Mass, but dispensed from the Sunday obligation "those who because of age or infirmity are at greater risk of contracting disease." This left healthy Catholics over age 60 (the age generally used as a signal for heightened risk) wondering if they were committing a serious sin by staying home, or if they were just using good judgment. Others complained against their bishops over social media, claiming that they were being needlessly deprived of the necessary aid of the sacraments, or that the bishops were foolishly choosing to value the life of the body over the life of the soul.

Paul tells me that for now, we are asked to focus entirely on Christ himself. His Eucharistic sacrifice is still being offered, but in sanctuaries we where we cannot gather without potentially putting our neighbors at risk. Doctors are now saying that the coronavirus seems to have been quietly spreading for quite some time now among populations that have been able to shake it off more easily, so that it is impossible to know who or or how many are carrying it unawares.

Now is the time for all of us to learn that Holy Communion never was about "me and Jesus": it has always been about the Body of Christ: Head and members, all of them. This is what Paul had taught the Philippians earlier in the same letter: "if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.…Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which is also yours in Christ Jesus..." (Phil 2: 1-5).

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Trust me: I know something about living in a closed environment! During these weeks (or longer?) of social distancing, personal structures are going to be very important. We are not talking Lenten penance here, but a healthy daily rhythm of life that includes a set pattern of prayer. You might consider praying the Angelus every morning, noon and evening as a way to create the walls of this new structure. (More solid advice is in Fr Roger Landry's book, Plan of Life.)

Here in Boston (and not only), the Cardinal has asked priests to keep churches open for adoration, with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament whenever possible so that the faithful can continue to pray (without gathering in crowds), above all as a way of keeping the Lord's Day holy. My community will be offering some live online prayers, and also some recorded material that you can download or stream, such as the Hour of Adoration (below) on the theme, "Lord the one you love is sick." (More Hours of Adoration will be made available at pauline.org/adoration.)

Keeping the Lord's Day holy is not only about prayer, but about looking out for your vulnerable neighbor. Many communities are self-organizing to keep an eye open for the needs of those who are unable (or afraid) to provide for themselves right now. Nursing homes and other group facilities are limiting guests, increasing the potential for loneliness. May the Lord inspire creative responses and raise up new apostles for our age!