A s we approach the celebration of Jesus’s ascension to the Father 40 days after His resurrection, and then celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, we draw near to the conclusion of the Easter Season. 

 

We have gone through 40 days of fasting and repentance. That has been followed by weeks of joy and constant reminders that Jesus rose from the dead and offers us a share in the resurrection if we live as He has taught us.

 

Throughout most of that time we’ve been separated from physical participation in the Mass. The news came last week that we are now beginning a gradual move toward restoring that possibility. It is possible that because of the continued threat of the virus, especially for those most vulnerable, the virtual Mass will continue to be offered for some time.

 

It is important for us to take time to think about what all this means for our faith in the essence of the Mass and the Church herself.

 

As Catholics, we are not simply individuals who happen to gather to pray together at our own choice or option. We are a Eucharistic Church. That means, however, that even if there is a circumstance like a deadly virus that keeps us from being physically present, the celebration of the Mass, the Sacrifice of the Last Supper, of Calvary, of Christ for the whole world, is still being offered.

 

The virtual Masses we have been sharing remind us that we can join ourselves to that sacrifice, even at a distance. We can sense that our belief and our duty of faith can still have its Eucharistic fulfilment. We can still join ourselves to the priest offering the Mass in praying for the world, for an end to the virus, in adoration of God and for our family members.

 

Still, this separation cannot become the norm. When conditions and health concerns allow, we need to fulfill the earthly and bodily reality of being present at Mass. We are made of both body and soul. In the body we need to be present for the reception of all of the sacraments. 

 

Our experience of the last several months has to serve to stir up our longing for the Mass. It is to be hoped that many who have fallen away from attending Mass or who have done so out of mere habit might be moved to greater Eucharistic love and devotion because of the “fasting” from the Eucharist that we have undergone.

 

This time of separation from the Mass should also be a cause for reflection about religious freedom. The bishops of the United States and many other faithful people have warned about the diminishing of that freedom in our society. Little by little, decisions of courts and government have eroded the protections of that most intimate element of every human being, our relation to God who made us.

 

It is important that in thinking about the current challenges, we should understand that the Church is established by Christ. The government cannot make laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

 

At the same time, as a full and contributing member of society, the Church contributes to the common good. That means that as members of the Church we are concerned about the health and well-being of all the members of society.

 

Understood rightly, we should not confuse the Church’s contribution to the common good, even those like temporary limitation of Mass attendance, as an acceptance of the right of government to prohibit the free exercise of our faith.

 

Please keep all of our parishes and our priests in your prayers for the coming weeks. Pray for the control of the coronavirus and for the success of our efforts and preparations for the gradual reopening of our parish churches. How good it will be to be back in His presence once more.