Thursday of the first week of Advent: Today's Readings
Access to Mass and the Sacraments is a privilege. While I knew this in my head, it wasn't until I went a few months without going to Mass that I was able to know the loss in my soul. In Ohio, our churches were closed for almost all of Lent and Easter. We are able to celebrate Mass now, with precautions of course. However, I know many that do not have that privilege.
One of the foundations of my faith was shaken. Not only did I miss the Eucharist and other Sacraments, but I missed the community. We found interesting ways to connect with one another (think Zoom), but nothing substituted the feel of being in the presence of Jesus in a Church and receiving the Eucharist.
During this time, I thought of the people in the Amazon and in other remote areas of the world who do not have access to a Church or a priest for the sacraments. How can their faith remain strong? Prayer, a personal relationship with God. No quarantine or shut-down can separate us from God in prayer.
I certainly do not want to discourage anyone from building their faith around the Eucharist. However, I suggest that our prayer be the foremost foundation of our faith. I think our prayer life, our relationship with God drives our desire for the Eucharist. Our prayer can sustain us until we are able to be with the Body of Christ again.
As we near closer to the Christmas season, we are likely reminded of all the ways this year is not normal, or not like the holidays in years past. In some ways, we are more likely to notice what our foundation is only when it disappears. What is your foundation? How has it changed during this pandemic?