By John Vrdolyak
Jesus promised there would be trouble, not safety for His followers; safety was never a mandate or mission of the Church, as evidenced by the millions of martyrs who risked their lives to celebrate the Mass, refusing to cower and capitulate to the State. Sadly, the zeitgeist of safety as the highest of all secular “virtues” seems to have found a willing and sympathetic ear within the Body of Christ. Yet, if safety was the primary concern and motivator, over the salvation of the eternal souls for which Jesus thirsts, the Early Church would have never spread outside of Judea, or lasted into the 2nd Century.
Reopen Our Churches
I encourage all bishops to reopen our locked churches, which haven’t been locked in such a widespread manner since before Constantine and resume celebration of Holy Mass and the sacraments. In fact, my governor has finally deemed places of worship to be “essential”. This same governor deemed that the Holy Sacrifice is not essential until pressured by one courageous protestant pastor. It has now been one week since the governor lifted the effective ban on the practice of our faith, in a very limited capacity, and yet our Catholic churches remain locked, Masses remain celebrated in private, sins remain unconfessed, and no one receives the Body and Blood of Christ. These actions, or inactions, seem to say, “No governor, you were right the first time; the Catholic Church really is non-essential”.
Cardinal Gerhard L. Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explains my position succinctly:
The Church is not dependent on the state, it must defend its freedom and independence.
Suspending Masses is an abdication of the task it has, which includes reading the sufferings of this period in the light of the faith, the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus became flesh, we believe in the resurrection of the flesh: therefore bodily presence is indispensable.
The Eucharist is the only true form of adoration of God, it is the reason for the existence of any other liturgical form. It is scandalous that there are bishops who say the Eucharist is overrated.
My diocese has only just begun discussing the issue of reopening churches after consultations with the other bishops in our State, as well as presbyteral councils, and other “experts”. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide His Church, not leaving it up to the judgment of governors, “experts” neighboring bishops, and those priests who so happen to be on a bureaucratic council. Further, it seems that trying to come up with creative plans to do what bishops have been entrusted to do, and to distribute Whom priests have been commanded to distribute (Luke 22:19) during the shutdown should have taken place as early as six weeks ago; plans for a safe and limited reopen, once authorized by the State, should have been finalized shortly thereafter, not after the fact.
Be Not Afraid
My family and I went down to Florida and were able to receive the Eucharist safely at Ave Maria University several times, complying with similar state restrictions and without sacrificing safety. As a result, many are left to wonder whether this situation in our diocese is the result of a lack of courage, lack of creativity, or a lack of faith in the power of the sacraments and in the words and sacrifice of Jesus. Fear, as you know is not of God, and is the opposite of faith. The most repeated phrase in the Bible is to be not afraid and take courage (365 times). Relatedly, Jesus said the first among those destined for eternal fire and sulfur are cowards (Revelation 21:7,8). God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but of power (2 Timothy 1:7). Courage today is in short supply, while cowards, those easily offended, and those living in fear, who clamor for safety over freedom and faith are many, within and without the Church.
Rather than spending all our time, effort, and resources to quickly and creatively reopen our churches and restore the Mass and the sacraments on May 1, 2020, as the government has allowed, the Church is working to improve its online presence and create a more “virtual Church”. But just as Jesus came in the Flesh, and did not come “virtually” as some early heresies contended, the Body of Christ is an organic, divine/human entity, and the sacraments she safeguards and dispenses require matter and in-person acceptance. It would have been much safer for Jesus to suffer “virtually”, but a body was prepared for Him (Hebrews 10:5; Psalm 40:6) so that He could suffer and die for our salvation. Granted, the Church is not at the forefront of technology, but a virtual church with online Masses and spiritual communions as the new normal would be as ridiculous as a virtual restaurant where you can’t actually partake of the food.
Clearly, this virus is virulent and can be severe and even cause death among senior citizens and other vulnerable populations with underlying health issues. However, for others, it is surprisingly mild, with many not even aware they have it. Thus, there are many ways to encourage those most vulnerable to remain home (including priests and apostolic administrators), while enabling the rest of the flock who are not afraid to return to the pasture and be fed. For if we truly believe that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith (CCC 1324) and that the Mass is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and the font from which her power flows (CCC 1074), then we should move heaven and earth to make sure that the merits of the Cross are applied to Catholics, especially in this time.
The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church ( CCC 1407 ).
Perhaps the reason the Church appears so sick, scared, and powerless, is because the summit of her faith and source of her power is so severely regulated. If we truly believe, as Jesus said, that unless we eat Jesus’ Flesh and drink His Blood we have no divine life in us (John 6:53), then the spiritual state of those souls for which you are and will be responsible are deprived and devoid of such life, and their eternal safety is in jeopardy, far more so, and far more important than mere temporal safety.
There are myriads of ways to safely, easily, and lawfully open our parishes and celebrate Mass and the sacraments, especially given that our churches hold several hundreds of people, while the current restrictions allow for only ten, thus sanitizing and social distancing and all other imposed restrictions could easily be complied with immediately. If dog groomers and florists can be immediately up and running, why can’t we – it’s not that complicated, and far more important.
I understand this is a difficult position for all bishops; they have been thrust into, plucked out of retirement, with many new and unknown voices and many different interests to consider. Please do not let the interest of the faithful, of the many priests who desperately want to do what they were ordained to do, and the interests of Jesus, lose out to the interests of the fearful, those who require safe spaces, and those who do not believe in the supernatural power of the Mass and the sacraments. These times more than ever call for faith and courage, not cowardice, compromise, and capitulation with the world and its prince.
23 thoughts on “Reopen Our Churches”
Public Masses should never have been canceled. And when Masses resumed no restrictions should have been placed on the priests and laity. And vaccines are a scam.
Since when are the sacraments a right or left issue? The original article is riddles with much to do about noting and is based on personal feelings. Others are buying into whatever suits them at the moment. Some of the comments I have been reading remind me of a sign I recently say protestors carrying who want everything opened immediately. It read “MY RIGHTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR LIFE.” Another read “ME FIRST” and still another “ITS MY RIGHT.” Is this what Jesus would have wanted from us? Yes, Jesus left us the sacraments, however it was left up to man how they would be implemented. How many of you remember the time when no one went to communion unless they first went confession and when very few people received the Eucharist, at Mass? Even so, during that time, our churches were full of the faithful, worshiping God.
This has nothing to do with the left or the right. A wise priest once said the greatest division in the Church (and the priesthood) is not between liberal and conservative, it’s between those who believe in miracles, the supernatural, divine revelation, and her immutable teachings and those who don’t. If we really believe that the Mass is the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary where the merits of the Cross are applied in every nation and generation to those who worthily participate then this sacred salvific sacrifice would not be shrugged off and treated as a non-essential activity with no date to resume (perhaps sometime in June following additional permission from the governor) as it is in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Joliet. If we truly believe as the Church teaches that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life (CCC 1324), and the Mass is the summit toward which all the activity is directed and the font from which her power flows (CCC 1074) we’d move heaven and earth to make sure we could participate and receive, safely and soon.
Kim,
That’s an unfair attack on people who don’t share your politics. I’m a right winger, and am as much concerned about the corona virus as a leftie. I also look to science for the answers and many epidemiologists, not mainstream media, are saying the severe lockdowns are overkill. Other countries have less severe lockdowns and equal or less death rates. We could open up churches and the economy in a cautious way so that new infections don’t spike. Will there be more deaths if we open up..? Probably, but it is a question of how many more. We make these kind of judgement calls on life and death in almost everything we do. For example, many states have raised the speed limit from 55 to 65, knowing full well that there would be more collision fatalities. And that’s just a decision based on convenience. Opening places of worship has a far higher value than the convenience of driving fast, in fact freedom to worship is enshrined in our bill of rights. And people need to work, need space to exercise, should be able to go to the beach and feel the sunshine and breath that healthy salty air. We can do this while practicing social distancing and wearing masks.
You see, righties have as much of a heart and brain as lefties. We just disagree on the methods and goals. I for one, would not place safety above freedom, ever.
Annette, the pandemic is a hoax.
If we don’t come out of hiding and start spreading the Gospel again, Jesus will come looking for us until we do, the same way He found the Eleven hiding in the Upper Room and chastised them for their lack of faith. Jesus won’t tolerate cowardice and neither should we.
Infecting each other is not a Christian vocation. Particularly not if the victims are our elderly parents, our children, and the priest who is 70 years old and frantically covering three parishes.
Sarah,
I don’t think I’d want any part of a supposed ‘vaccine’ given all that I have come to learn about those who are pushing for this and the fact that, as a family of virus’, there are no vaccines that work.
Aside from that as it regards priestly shortage. If priests were to go out now, and be at risk, I’d imagine we’d just have to trust in Divine Providence that He would see to our needs in the future but the truth of the matter is that we really don’t have the ‘future’, do we? We have only the here and now and there is where we are living, in the present and so those priests are needed, now.
I apologize if some of my points fell off on the editing room floor, but I intended that any priest or bishop of a certain age or with any underlying conditions need not participate. Likewise all those parishioners in the most vulnerable populations (and any who have symptoms or are just plain fearful) should be encouraged not to attend, and continue to be dispensed. In my state (Illinois) places of worship have just recently been declared “essential” and any service is limited to no more than 10 people, whom would be wearing masks and maintaining social distance which should be incredibly easy in a church that holds 800 people. This while the satanic sacrament of abortion has been declared essential and freely practiced for 7 weeks. I know many young priests and parishioners who desire to celebrate Mass and safely administer the sacraments, and are equally frustrated that the unum necessarium (one thing necessary remains locked within our churches due to lack of creativity, cowardice and bureaucratic dithering.
Looking at this from a perspective of resource scarcity, making our churches reopen would endanger our priests. By having interaction with parishioners, how likely are the priests to be infected?
We’re all aware there is a major shortage of priests in this country. Do we risk the health of our most valuable asset that makes communion with Christ possible? If we lose priests now, the ability to receive communion isn’t just compromised for a few months; the repercussions will continue to be felt when we hopefully go back to normal and have a vaccine for this disease. Priests aren’t just churned out of the seminary (it takes 7-8 years of study) and young men certainly aren’t lining up to make the sacrifices to become priests. A shortage of priests is not like a shortage of toilet paper; you can’t just get caught up in a few months time.
Don’t forget, many of our priests are older as well.
Soldiers and Marines sign up for combat. They do their job in peace and war…especially in war. Our priests are supposed to carry out Holy Orders, not hide in isolation.
Why do you compare priests to toilet paper? Absurd. Offering Holy Mass is not the same as working an E/R. No comparison. The priests have a job to do, risk or no risk.
Where is the Supernatural in your argument? Will Christ not protect His priests so they may serve His flock? The bishops do agree with you, however. The bishops are scared to death.
I would forget the vaccine, for as I mentioned they are chock full of things which are harmful to one’s body and as I also mentioned, I saw an interview with a doctor who said there are NO successful vaccines for virus’ of this sort. (Much like a cold virus) Better to use currently existing medications and let one’s body build an immunity.
Regarding priest, the let the Churches remain closed, as in 1918 (or St. Charles Borromeo in Milan with the plague) and have outdoor Masses. Also remember that ages ago there were Catholics who only received the Eucharist as few as three times in a year. Better to be well disposed to do so than to receive frequently.
Sarah,
Perhaps you might find this an interpreting read.
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/in-search-of-father-damien
Sarah, Do you know why their is a priest shortage? It’s because our lack of faith.
Masses can be held in 7 “yellow” counties of the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA. Go here to see the conditions under which Mass, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Adoration, etc. can be carried out. The “yellow” counties are those in which stay-at-home order has been lifted, but other restrictions apply. See here for those.
I fear not so much for myself as I do for others who I might unwittingly infect. At the moment, staying home is a Christian vocation.
The main policy should have been, if you are afraid to get sick or get others sick quit your job and your volunteer work and stay home.
Respect for all life, from conception to natural death. Except, apparently, when right-wing politics and big business are involved.
Then, let’s reopen immediately, and damn all those niggling little worries based upon… science. It’s not as if The Lord gave us the gifts to understand communicable disease, or anything.
Capitulation to the world, and its prince, would be to allow the premature slaughter of even more innocents on the altar of unregulated capitalism, and greed.
But you also have the left wing who want us to live in fear, much as what we are currently witnessing so that they can push their agenda in which we become dependent upon THEM to fill all of our needs, which isn’t what America was about, at least not in the past.
Only on the Right are they true Catholics. Those who are progressive are not Catholic.
To follow up on Ms. Harkay’s comment; Mass in my Archdiocese of Cincinnati will resume at the end of this month, with stipulations for the number of people in attendance, wearing of Masks, etc. A lot to navigate; possibly even RSVP’ ing to indicate you will be in attendance. Dispensations will still be in place. My thinking is then just tell me when I can come back without all of the restrictions, as I won’t drive to a Church to have someone tell me there are too many people and I cannot come in; but I agree with her about Confession. It should always be available in some form
The Mass can be viewed via streaming. I believe the most important thing is that people should be able to go to confession to be in a state of grace. Speaking from experience, during normal times there were never more than 8-10 people at a time in my church for a Saturday confession, keeping safety regulations would present no problem. The confessor could also give Holy Communion to the penitent after absolution.
After you confess your sins than you must receive Our Lord at Mass.