Virtual Church and Spiritual Frugality.
One of the intriguing elements I found fascinating in the Ignatian Spirituality is the “Finding God in all things”, in other words, to find God in every situation.
It has been widely reported that the self-confinement imposed by COVID-19 has taught us a frugal way of living many aspects of our lives. Right. And the frugality that touched me particularly in these times is what I would call a “spiritual frugality”.
No in-person church, no Easter retreat, no in-person Easter Vigil, and so on. Never before, have I imagined that I would enjoy a virtual mass that much, or even take it seriously. TV masses have rather seemed to me like a second-class mass.
However, with the self-confinement, I found in the virtual mass a way to relate to the most vulnerable, the sick and the old who don’t have the privilege of attending an in-person mass, and for whom a mass online or on TV has always been the only option to attend mass.
On Friday, March 27, I was attending the Toronto-based Daily TV Mass on YouTube, and the celebrant, Fr. Michael Coutts S.J. spoke beautifully about virtual churches and virtual parishes. I found a richness in the virtual church, a surprising richness in the “spiritual frugality’’ of this time. That richness also resides in the possibility of listening again to a homily we enjoyed, which is not really possible with an in-person mass.
The richness also holds true for the many choices we have now, when searching for an online mass: the Pope’s daily mass in his Santa Marta’s chapel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDeifPRaF7Q) or the daily mass of the Word on Fire from the chapel of bishop Robert Barron (https://www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/), and the many other parishes that shifted their masses online.
Certainly, it is also a privilege to have the device and the Internet connection to attend a virtual mass. For those who do not have the means to attend virtual masses, may they find God in the frugality of their current daily lives.
Peter Bisson SJ
Posted at 06:31h, 29 MayThank you Dodzi!
Philip Shano
Posted at 16:09h, 29 MayThanks so much Dodzi. Your post and an article I just saw give me an idea of a post about the future of the church
MICHAEL
Posted at 16:19h, 29 MayMost of the ideas for the Virtual Masses and Virtual Parishes were thanks to Colleen Dulle who wrote for America Mag.