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Wait what now? We have to go back to church?
Hello and welcome to another edition of All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. If you have a question that you’d like me to address, send it to me. You may use the comment form on the website, or by email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org. I invite you to share the Good News we discuss on this podcast with everyone you know!
On today’s episode, we’re going to talk about going to church which of course isn’t specifically Catholic. During this pandemic, many of us had had the opportunity to participate in live streamed mass or church services. As regulations are slowly lifted, social distancing standards still in place mean that many churches are still live streaming. But something interesting has been going on, I think. Live streaming platforms often tell you how many people are viewing at any particular moment.
I’ve got to tell you, the numbers have not been terribly large. When our parish back home was allowed to admit some people in for mass, those numbers were fairly meager too. When added to the online viewers, it’s nowhere near the number of people who used to come to church every weekend.
Now, I know there are all sorts of reasons for this. Some people have enjoyed participating in services or masses from other churches. For Catholics, perhaps that might mean participating online in masses with the Pope livestreamed from the Vatican. Or maybe watching a livestreamed mass from New York. I’ve even heard some people say they’ve enjoyed finding very short masses – like 20-30 minutes and done.
There are people who for spiritual reasons or perhaps reasons they don’t understand, they are not drawn watch a livestreamed church service. They’ve remained devout in their own ways.
Of course, there are people who have developed a fear of all gatherings. For example, some of these people who might not be in a high risk category are so afraid of getting sick that, at least in the U.S., they’re pushing for mail-in ballots rather than showing up to the polls in November.
And there are those who only go through the motions, but their hearts were never really into church.
Whatever the reasons, this pandemic has cut us off from our communities. When social distancing is lifted, there are some who may choose never to return.
So, why go to church? For example, is God in church? I would say yes, but does that mean that God is not with me here right now or when I go to market or when I’m in my car or on a bus, a tram or a train?
As one of my favorite theologians, Michael Himes puts it, “The answer is not that God is present there and absent elsewhere, but that, since God is present everywhere, you and I need to notice, accept and celebrate that presence somewhere,” (Himes, Loc 212). He goes on to say that we notice, accept and celebrate God’s presence on Sunday – the Lord’s day, but that doesn’t mean that God takes Mondays off or plays golf on Thursdays. It means that if all time is God’s time, then we better take some time to notice it, (Himes, Loc 212).
So, if God is everywhere all the time, then why does God need us to gather and worship on Sundays? Are you ready for this? He doesn’t. We need a time and a place to pause and acknowledge God’s incredible grace at work in this world. Another way of looking at this idea is the adage, what gets scheduled gets noticed and gets done. Now I can almost hear some of you saying, “Whoa there, deacon, slow your roll! The commandments say keep holy the Sabbath.” And you would be correct. But the commandment isn’t about what God needs, as much as it is about what we need.
In the Catholic understanding, this idea is called the sacramental principle. Himes gives us a good definition in his writing: If something is always and everywhere the case, it must be noticed, accepted, and celebrated somewhere sometime. What is always true must be noticed as true at a particular time and in a particular place, (Himes, Loc 219).
Going to church teaches us how to pause from all the distractions and the busyness of our lives to notice God’s grace all around us. What is God’s grace? Grace is God’s love outside the Trinity, (Himes, Loc 196). What is the consequence of pausing, noticing, accepting, and celebrating at a particular time and at a particular place?
Hopefully, it’s that we begin to realize that we should not divide our lives between “sacred” and “ordinary”. We cannot separate what happens on Sunday from what happens on Monday, (Himes, Loc 270). And church is not an island of grace isolated from an unholy world, (Himes, 278). Church then is a sign – a sacrament if you will – that the whole world is touched by God’s grace. I realize the world doesn’t really look like that right now, but that’s why spreading the Good News is so important. When we are sent out into the world to share the Good News, the message isn’t, “come to church and be holy.” No, the message is, “you are already filled with God’s grace in a world filled with God’s grace. Isn’t it wonderful? Come with me and let’s celebrate God’s grace together in church,” (Himes, Loc 284).
Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! I can’t wait for us all to be able to go back to church. Now, go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!
You’re listening to All Things Catholic. Please send me your questions! You can use the comment form on the website, or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.
This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. All Things Catholic will be back next month, and as always, the weekend edition will be back this Sunday. Peace!
References:
- Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004.