The Church is the People
In today's Gospel Reading, Jesus visited the disciples, who were locked in a room, not once, but twice. In light of the current lock-down due to the pandemic and not being able to attend Mass in person, I had some realizations on this that I wanted to write down.
First, Jesus comes to His people wherever they are. We might not be able to attend Mass in person, but it doesn't mean that Jesus cannot be with us. The Church is the house of God yes, but that's not the only place that you can find Jesus at. If you call out to Him, He will find you, wherever you are. You don't have to be at Church, or in the case of the disciples, at the temple, to find Him. The Church is the people and so Jesus will find His people wherever they are.
Second, because Jesus will find His people wherever they are, this means that in our current situation, where we cannot go to Church to attend Mass, it is okay to attend Mass from home via television or via the internet. He is there, with you, when you attend Mass in your bedroom or living room.
Now this is not to say that we don't need to attend Mass at a real Church. There are benefits to being at Church for Mass, like being able to physically receive the Eucharist, being able to pray with other people in the community and having less distractions so you can focus on the Mass. It feels kinda weird to be staring at the TV, then bowing down to find my eyes landing on my Xbox One.
All this to say that we shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves for not being able to attend Mass in person right now. In fact, we should even be grateful for having the options of watching Mass on TV or via the internet. True, we are not able to receive the Eucharist physically, only spiritually through prayer, but that is temporary. Wherever people gather to attend Mass, even if it is in their own homes, because the Church is the people, that's where Jesus will be.
Tags: #Reflection #Spirituality