CHRISTMAS IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC

Thanks be to God that we will be able to celebrate Christmas Masses in person. Christmas is one of the two highest ranked solemnities of the liturgical year, with only Easter preceding it in rank and in history. I look forward to it with great anticipation. At the same time, I know that it is important for everyone to consider carefully how they will celebrate this great feast.

For most of you, Christmas Mass is an essential component of your festivities. This is as it should be, for Christmas is the celebration of the Word made flesh, the birth of the Son of God to a human mother for humanity’s salvation. There is something essential missing in any celebration of Christmas which omits Christ and his blessed Mother. Christmas exists so that we might be saved from our sins. The Son of God became the Son of a woman so that he could offer himself in sacrifice on the Cross, and through his Church give us his Body to eat and Blood to drink in a mystical feast. He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:53-54). In Holy Communion we receive the pledge of eternal life.

The Eucharist is essential to our salvation. It is not essential, however, to receive Holy Communion every week. In fact, as a minimum, the Church only requires that the faithful confess all mortal sins and receive Holy Communion once a year, during Eastertide (defined in Canon Law as Ash Wednesday to Pentecost Sunday). Of course, because of its spiritual benefits, the Church encourages the faithful to receive Holy Communion more often, even daily, as long as they are unaware of having sinned grievously and are in a disposition to receive Our Lord reverently. But there are Catholics who could and would like to worship together at Mass and receive Communion but are regrettably prevented by physical disability, lack of opportunity, or another mitigating circumstance, like the current pandemic. Some of you find yourselves in this situation today.

Our church is always crowded on Christmas, especially at the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. We have no way to know if the numbers will be significantly down from last year due to the pandemic; for this reason, prudence requires that we prepare for a large crowd. We will do everything possible to enable social distancing in the church, including offering two services at 4 p.m., one in the church and one in the parish center (gym). Nevertheless, my advice to someone who might be particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of Covid-19, which can be lethal, is to avoid coming to Mass on Christmas. Also, anyone who is planning on attending but is concerned about crowds should pick a later Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Mass, or perhaps consider attending a Mass during the Christmas Octave, which begins on December 25 and ends on January 1. Each day of the Octave is a celebration of the Nativity. You may come and receive your Christmas Communion without worrying about the crowds.

All Catholics should celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, but this year the obligation to attend Mass is lifted, as it is for Sundays. If you have to stay home there are many appropriate ways to observe the holy day, such as prayerfully following the Mass on television or on line, by praying in the family, and reading the Nativity Gospels (Matthew 1-2 & Luke 1 -2). We can also spiritually join ourselves to the Holy Family by accepting the inconveniences and disappointments we experience this year, as Mary and Joseph accepted the difficulty of finding a place for Mary to give birth, eventually having to choose a cave at the edge of town which was a shelter for domestic animals.

FATHER SCOTT