March 2020 – This will be a Lent we all remember. In the midst of the growing spread of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization has described as a global pandemic, all Sunday and weekday Masses have been suspended in Archdiocese of Detroit and in many other local churches, including the churches of our Chaldean brothers and sisters in Metro Detroit.
For many of us, Sunday Mass is a staple of our week and our spiritual life. We look forward to Sunday as a day of rest and a day to worship God in the way most pleasing to him, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Less than one year ago, our local shepherd released a pastoral note titled The Day of the Lord. This was an encouragement and a challenge to us to live Sunday as a something different, as something holy. When it is not possible for us to participate at Mass, how can we still keep holy the Lord’s Day?
1. Watch a livestream of the Mass
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will be livestreaming Mass without a congregation from the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 12 p.m. every Sunday. Gather as a family or by yourself, and watch the Mass.
While digital participation can never replace actual presence at Mass, livestream Mass is a great way of keeping our connection with the Mass when it is not possible to be there in person. We can make an offering in our heart to be united spiritually to this offering, which is more spiritually efficacious than any other prayer. We should silence our phones, eliminate (as best we can!) distractions in our home, and try to give all of our attention to what is happening at the Mass so we can fully participate in this remote way.
There are several ways to watch Mass on TV or through the internet such as EWTN and Catholic TV Network. Numerous places, such as Mary’s Shrine in Washington, D.C., local churches (St. Vincent Pallotti Parish) and the Solanus Casey Center are offering livestream Masses as well.
2. Make a spiritual communion
An ancient practice of the Church for those who cannot be present at Mass is to make a spiritual communion. We have a simple prayer you can pray with longing in your heart to be united to Jesus. I know many who are too ill to attend Mass regularly, imprisoned, or in places where they are prevented from participating at Mass because of persecution or a shortage of priests have the regular practice of making a weekly — or daily — spiritual communion.
A Prayer for Spiritual Communion
“My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, Come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.”
3. Read the Sunday readings as a family
These can easily be found at usccb.org/bible by clicking on “Today’s Readings.” Magnificat (a daily prayer book) is also offering free digital resources during this time, including the Sunday readings and a reflection.
Reading Scripture individually or together with others — especially in our families — is an excellent spiritual practice. In fact, Archbishop Vigneron’s pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, calls for Catholics to “commit to forming your family in the love and power of sacred Scripture by placing it at the center of your family life. Study and reflect on Scripture, especially on the Sunday readings.”
One easy way to do this is through a new resource called “52 Sundays.” You can find discussion questions (and a whole lot more) to spark a conversation in your family or with others about the Gospel reading. By thinking about the readings, asking questions, and listening to how God might respond in your heart, the Sunday readings can provide spiritual nourishment to you and your loved ones. During this time of “social distancing,” you could also reach out to a friend from church to have this conversation together.
4. Check in on those around you
Because those who are older are most susceptible to complications from COVID-19, health official are encouraging them to minimize their time away from home. It is a great act of charity to reach out to these brothers and sisters in our faith communities to check in on them with a simple phone call. Do they need groceries or help with something in their homes? Caring for each other — especially those who are most vulnerable during this time — is a demand of the Gospel. It is the enactment of our life as joyful missionary disciples.
5. Pray a family Rosary
Unleash the Gospel also calls for families to reclaim the Rosary as a way to be united to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church. She is the perfect model of a disciple and our great intercessor.
Fr. Stephen Pullis is director of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship.
Monsignor John Hall, passed from this life on October 20, 2020 at the age of 92.
