Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 19, 2020 - 2nd Sunday of Easter - A
[Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pet 1:3-9; John 20:19-31]They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. [Acts]
The words from the Acts of the Apostles describe a post-Pentecostal community of believers in the first century A.D., but it could describe many of us in the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Many of us will participate in Sunday Mass by way of livestream on the internet. Others will simply gather and read the service from a misalet or other publication. Physical reception of the Eucharist will not be possible, but an act of "spiritual communion" (communion of desire) enables us to experience the benefit of the sacrament. Individual or communal prayer life can continue, even if church buildings are closed. The church is the Body of Christ and not the sum of its buildings! The circumstances forced on us by a deadly virus are helping us to understand that truth! The temple would eventually be destroyed, but the community of faith would continue!
The rich devotional tradition of the church can be a great help in this time. We are challenged to remember the rosary, that iconic Catholic devotion, which unites prayer and scripture (in both of which Christ can be truly present). The more recent "Divine Mercy chaplet" has become popular to the point that the Second Sunday of Easter has been officially declared "Divine Mercy Sunday." In this time of pandemic, God's mercy is truly our desire. Individual spiritual devotions to the Blessed Virgin or particular saints can be of great comfort. Sacramental life is much reduced right now, but we can be confident that it will return and that we will, with God's help, "catch up" on the postponed First Communions, Confirmations. Weddings, Memorial Masses for those who die during this time. It is a global experience of church. We are all impacted on one level or another by the illness, some more than others. The loss of financial resources being experienced by so many is also being experienced by parish communities and religious orders like my own, the Dominicans.
No matter how we gather, even if the doors are locked, Christ is among us to comfort us in this difficult time. What is important is that we "gather," whether in person or online. "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst." [Matt. 18:20] AMEN