I read this afternoon that the three bishops in my state have announced that the dispensation from the Sunday or weekend Mass obligation which has been in place is ending May 1. There is still a lot of wiggle room; people are not obligated if they have fears for their health, or they are taking care of someone in a vulnerable category. It won't affect us personally, we have been going in person since the beginning of last June. But I feel the bishops are jumping the gun. The state has just now opened up vaccination to all adults. They can sign up for appointments regardless of age. But by no means everyone will be covered by May 1, especially if they are getting the Pfizer or Moderna shots, which are two appointments 3 and 4 weeks apart respectively. I feel that they should wait until everyone who wants to be vaccinated has had the chance, and enough time (2 to 3 weeks?) has gone by for full immunity to take place.
How about your area, is the dispensation from the Mass obligation ending soon also?
A more pastoral approach from the new bishop of Cleveland:
ReplyDelete"Even though we are beginning to get this pandemic under control, the virus still remains, and we all need to remain vigilant until that time when masks are no longer necessary and appropriate social distancing is no longer expected. The health and safety of everyone, especially those whose health is compromised in any way, is of extreme importance and these ordinary means of protecting life are have proven to be helpful. Remember that patience is like all the virtues. It comes with practice. And, if these limitations and temporary requirements were a great burden to us, they were also the sufferings that we able to endure and offer up for the salvation of souls, our own included.
Although the dispensation from the Sunday Mass remains in effect at the present time, we are never exempted from keeping the Lord’s Day holy. Continue to make Sunday a day of prayer, rest, and family. We will continue to offer live streaming at the diocesan website www.dioceseofcleveland.org and, if available, on your local parish website. However, as we begin to get outside of our homes, visit restaurants and attend sporting events, it will also become the time for us to return to the altar at our parish churches where we can receive the Body and Blood of Christ for ourselves as the true food of eternal life. For Jesus has said to us, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54)."
For complete letter:
https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2021/03/29/a-letter-to-the-faithful-on-the-pandemic-from-bishop-malesic
I thought the analogy of eating in restaurants and going to sporting events was appropriate. Our pastor has unfortunately used the analogy of welcoming people "home" which suggests that it might be as safe as our own homes and families which is not true. In a large parish such as our own it is still likely that one of our fellow mass goers could have the virus.
I like the letter from the bishop of Cleveland. And our bishops may issue something similar. I read about it in the secular newspaper this evening and it was just a short announcement.
DeleteYes, the analogy of restaurants and sporting events is appropriate.
I would like to see more emphasis on being able to go to Mass, as opposed to "having" to.
I also like the letter from the Cleveland bishop. Here in Chicago, we are doing the same. But I am told that at least one of the downstate dioceses (Springfield, IL, I think) has reinstated the obligation. On the one hand, if that means packing people into pews like the olden days, that's insane, for all the reasons given in the original post. The virus is still among us, and case counts apparently are rising, not falling. In Illinois, we are a very long way from achieving a critical mass of vaccinations. As of earlier today, the state announced that about 2.5 million vaccines have been administered in this state of 12 million. But we must assume that the vast majority of those doses are from the two-dose manufacturers, so presumably less than 15% of the state is fully vaccinated. In fact, most people under 65 still aren't eligible for vaccines around here.
DeleteSorry, in my previous comment, I said, "on the one hand" and then forgot about the other hand. so to continue:
Delete... on the other hand, the obligation already was being widely (and increasingly) flouted for decades before the pandemic, so the obligation would seem to be a dead letter, at least in terms of its acceptance by the faithful. I actually think this is a very serious pastoral problem, if we accept that the church has the power to bind and loose.
About "the power to bind and loose", I think they need to revisit what that really means. Or maybe what they need to revisit is what a mortal sin is. I think the catechism still says that the Mass obligation is "under pain of mortal sin". I don't believe that the church has the power to "make" an act a mortal sin. It either is or it isn't by virtue (or should I say vice) of its gravity. They can say that Mass is an obligation, because the commandments say that we're to put God first, and keep the Lord's day holy, and our communal worship of Mass is how we as Catholics do that. However it's something else entirely to say we're going to hell if we miss Mass. I remember the old days when they said eating meat on Friday was a mortal sin. People joked after Vatican II when the obligation was lifted, that now the people who were in hell for eating meat on Friday were parolled. As a kid I was scared to death because I ate lunch at a Protestant relative's house and they served meat. And then the priest chewed me out in confession when I confessed it. Let's not bring that stuff back. They can't manufacture a state of separation and rejection of God. People should go to Mass because they need to worship God and have the grace of the sacraments.
DeleteKatherine, Unfortunately, the RCC too often pretends to be God. They have taught that disobeying the institution’s man made rules carry the same weight as disobedience to God. One of these is the “obligation “ to go to mass on Sunday and whatever other days the men at the top decide should be mandatory mass days. To call disregarding this man-made rule a mortal sin, which carries a penalty of an eternity in “hell” ( you are correct about that, Katherine. It’s still in the catechism ) is one of the more egregious examples of the church claiming authority that belongs only to God ( claiming the power of indulgences might be an even worse example of the church - giving a human being a “ power” that which belongs to God alone). The RCC too often turns itself, the institution, into one of the false gods that one must not worship. Idolatry. The evangelicals do the same with the Bible - they replace God with a book written by human beings.
DeleteHow should we understand the obligation to go to Sunday Mass?
ReplyDeleteObviously we should not think of it as some obligation to follow the dictates of popes and bishops who have arbitrary power to bind and loose, even though some bishops and clergy would like us to think of them that way. Nor should we think of it as a personal obligation the object of much fear and scrupulosity, even though that was common in the 1950s at the high point of Mass attendance in the USA.
From New Testament times it was the custom of Christians to celebrate the Lord’s Day including the Lord’s Supper. The unwritten assumption was that everyone who could would attend. However, the obligation was primarily a community obligation to celebrate not a personal one. As Christianity expanded to include many lukewarm people, the question of canon law or norms arose. Canons are Roman law ideals not some Anglo-Saxon law that each and every person must observe perfectly or go to jail. The Sunday norm simply says that every person is important to the Sunday celebration, and that people should not decide that its OK to show up sometimes, or monthly, or every other Sunday as a norm. Obviously many people have serious reasons for not showing up even often or always (being ill or infirm, needing to work or care for others).
The formal norm of Sunday Eucharist is also in tension with the customs of the people. Its observation during the fifties in the USA was abnormal. In fact in all liturgical calendar Churches a rhythm has developed that people attend more during Advent and Christmas and also during Lent and Easter, and less during what we now call “ordinary time.” The Evangelical churches in the USA who do not observe much of a liturgical year, nor regular celebration of the Eucharist, actually observe the Lord’s day much better than Catholics.
In the history of Catholicism the celebration of the Eucharist developed far beyond the Lord’s Day to include many other feasts, especially of the martyrs and the saints. Did Canon Law decide that it was important for the whole community to be at these devotional feasts. The answer was only for a relatively few major ones. That has not kept many cultures from observing many feasts as much or even more than Sundays. Today in the USA Ash Wednesday and All Souls day often get more people than the average Sunday.
We should respect both the wisdom of the long term vision of canon law (every body there but mainly on the Lord’s Day) and the wisdom of cultures in which the liturgical year and saints feast days may obscure this.
What is the nature of the bishop’s dispensation from the canon law of Sunday obligation? It really is a signal that everyone has a good reason for not attending Mass in person. It does not signal that we should not observe the Lord’s day in some fashion at home. The bishop of Cleveland articulated these points well.
The lifting of the dispensation does not mean that everyone should be back in Church but rather says that there is not an automatic excuse for not going to Mass.
How do we get people to go to Mass most Sundays? Follow the practices of the Evangelicals who attempt to create interesting services for each and every Sunday ( no ordinary Sundays) and who have strong communities who check in on people when they do not show up (i.e. they view each and every person as essential to their celebration).
Right now the most important thing that all parishes should be doing is making livestream services(not recordings) available to all parish members all the time not just doing pandemics. That would be the most authentic observance of the traditional norm of having the whole community participate as much as possible in the liturgy. It is an obligation first of the community and only secondarily of persons within that community. If the parish is not observing its obligation to do all in its power to bring the liturgy to its members at home, then its members are dispensed from trying to make up this lack by coming to the parish worship services in person.
Thanks, Jack, that is a good explanation. Especially this part, "The lifting of the dispensation does not mean that everyone should be back in Church but rather says that there is not an automatic excuse for not going to Mass."
DeleteIn the “good old days” of the fifties there were still many people who did not get to Mass because of their work. My father was a steelworker. The mills worked 24-7 and Masses were offered only on Sunday morning. Catholics were not given the option of not working Sunday shift. My grandmother worked the family dairy farm. She was lucky to get to Church on Christmas and Easter. However once they sold the cows and moved to the city she walked to church each morning for daily Mass. At her funeral the priest began his homily with “surely Anna today walks the streets of heaven with her beloved Mary.” Instant canonization, not even JPII got that. The idealized norms of canon law are often far from the realities of human life.
DeleteThe pandemic has made some major changes in my worship that are likely to endure.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first met Betty she was a cantor in a nearby parish with a large Hispanic population. Despite a strong music background she had only limited opportunities since she was only allowed to cantor at the bilingual Mass. Initially I was eager to become involved with that parish, however I found it difficult to follow the bilingual Mass, and even more difficult to sing with their poor acoustics.
Besides being involved in my own parish as a member of the choir, I had always worshiped at a parish about 20 miles away which had a sung Eucharistic prayer and an extremely fine choir and talented choir director. I also went often to the local Orthodox Church for first Vespers of Sundays and feast days.
When the Commonweal Local Community needed a place to meet, the parish 20 miles away was happy to accommodate us because they knew me. The fact that each Sunday our advertisement with my name as the contact person appeared in the bulletin encouraged me to worship there more often. The choir director quickly recognized Betty’s talent and recruited her as a cantor; soon Betty began singing in their choir. She also began the go to the Orthodox parish for Vespers with me.
So in the year before the pandemic we both had a very full and happy liturgical life, using going to some church on both Saturday evenings and well as Sunday mornings.
Since the pandemic our liturgical life together has centered on the daily celebration of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Almost always we “go to Canterbury” for Anglican Morning Prayer with Dean Robert (about 30 minutes), and “go to Meinrad” for Vespers with the monks (about 25 minutes). Sometimes we also tune into other Lauds and Vesper services (mostly recently ones that last about fifteen minutes.
Dean Roberts has been very helpful in giving us a vision of the Divine Office integrated with daily life, and his bible study with the reading of the Gospels has led us to dissatisfaction with the shortness of readings and the absence of the Gospels in our Roman Rite LOH.
We have grown to love chanting the psalms with the monks at Meinrad. One of us takes the part of the cantor, the other the part of the choir as they alternate the verses of the psalms. This has given Betty an appreciation of the psalms far beyond the responsorial psalms and verses that she knew as a cantor.
What I like the most is that I can now apply the Meinrad psalm tones to any of the psalms; well at least mentally for now. I hope to get good enough that with a starting note from my iphone that I will be able to chant any psalm anywhere any time I want. One of the things I really liked was to mentally sing the Eucharistic prayer at the very liturgical parish. That had already disappeared right before the pandemic when the pastor retired. Psychologically the ability to mentally chant the psalms has more than made up for the absence of a sung Eucharistic Prayer.
What we both realize is that all this development could only have taken place in the Virtual world. Even if we lived across the street from these locations, only the virtual world allows us adapt them to our time schedule. So the ability to celebrate the Divine Office virtually is very important for individuals and households.
I had always worshiped at a parish about 20 miles away which had a sung Eucharistic prayer and an extremely fine choir and talented choir director
ReplyDeleteJack, you would probably very much like the Rite 1 Episcopal liturgy, at least, as it was done in our EC parish. Everything has changed there. Still closed. New priests, new music director. So we have no idea what to expect when in- person starts up again.
Article at the America website related to this discussion.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/04/01/easter-mass-attendance-pandemic-covid-19-240281
We had a pretty good turnout for Holy Thursday last night, almost like "BC" (before Covid). Nearly everyone was wearing masks, only saw one person who wasn't. Much better compliance than last year, maybe people don't want to blow things in the home stretch. The service was pared down; no washing of feet, no Communion from the cup. We had some music, but not as much as would have been the case previously. Actually it was nice, sometimes simplicity is good. Our seminarian was home on Easter break. He was in charge of the incense. Swung the thurible vigorously, the air was pretty thick. Hopefully maybe the smoke killed any germs that were floating around.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of being "obliged" to attend Sunday Mass (it used to be under pain of moral sin) has never appealed to me. If I don't want to go, why should I nonetheless be "obliged" to do that? In the bad old days I used to see people sitting in the pews, particularly at sermon time, reading the Sunday paper or snoozing. That's what the sense of obligation led to. Thanks, but no thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid some people used to duck outside for a smoke during the homily. That's what I call a serious nicotine addiction. Of course the priest probably had a cigarette in the sacristy between Masses. He was a pretty heavy smoker.
DeleteThere are many ways to “ keep holy” the Lord’s day. Going to church services, including mass, is only one of them. It is very meaningful for many, but only a ( meaningless) obligation for others. Many feel closer to God outside church buildings than inside. Others feel closer to God by gathering with a few people than they do in a large building with dozens, or hundreds, of people who are mostly strangers. One size does not fit all.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing holy about trying to scare people into the pews by threats of hell and damnation for missing mass. (the alleged penalty for mortal sin. The RCC catechism classifies missing mass as a mortal sin:- still)