The first Christians were Jewish. They were considered a new Jewish sect that believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They worshipped in the temple in the way they were accustomed. Their insistence in preaching the risen Christ got them into trouble with the ruling class and they were eventually kicked out of the temple. Out of necessity they setup home churches so they could continue their worship of God.
After Constantine made Christianity legal in 312AD Christians no longer had to hide in the shadows. Private home churches and hidden worship in the catacombs could now be done in the public square. Church became the place you went for Sunday worship. As this became the norm home churches fell out of fashion and pretty much ceased to exist in the way they used to.
Fast forward two-thousand years. In the name of public safety, in order to combat the spread of the Corona virus, we have closed our churches to public worship. On one hand I fully understand and support this action. No one wants to see anyone get sick and no one wants anyone to die when they don’t have to. At the same time the theological side of my nature is going nuts. Before all of this began there were Catholics still holding their Masses in the “catacombs” because being Catholic in some parts of this world still will earn you a martyr’s crown. People face very real and possible torture and death when they gather to worship. Others are killed over nothing more than the suspicion they are Christian.
In other parts of the world, places that offer a Catholic Mass are few and far between. It is not unheard of for people to have to walk eight or ten miles, through all types of weather, facing dismemberment and death from both nature and man, just to give praise and worship to God. They do this even though the Eucharist many times cannot be present. You would think these people would be depressed or angry at having to endure this, yet, they are among the most joyful and joyous people in our faith.
Meanwhile, here in America we are hunkered down in our bunkers, sheltering in place, trying not to catch a virus that, at the moment, appears to be more hype than reality. Yes, it is a serious thing we need to take seriously but when I look to my fellow Catholics who are literally risking their lives just by being Catholic I feel more than just a little guilty. I know too many people who rejoice in having their Sunday obligation lifted for the time being. Prayer and worship have become an afterthought. It is like we have taken a vacation from Jesus during our most holy season. I know the devil is just laughing up a storm right now. Wow, is that all it takes to get people to walk away from Jesus and each other; the fear that they may get sick and possibly die however unlikely? So much for the oath we take to live our lives for Jesus and die for him if necessary every time we receive him in the Eucharist.
The Lord’s Prayer has a bit of a sting for me at the moment when I say the words, “And lead us not into temptation.” This passage means, “Do not lead me to the test.” What test? Do I deny Christ three times and run from him in the garden when danger presents itself or do I stand with him and face whatever trial comes my way? How many of us will listen to the Passion narratives this week and think to ourselves, “I would never abandon Jesus the way his apostles did,” while we are sheltering in the safety of our own homes?
The Church provides.
Many of our priests have used the current times to embrace technology as to bring Jesus to us in the only way they are permitted to do right now. Many parishes are live streaming their Masses. Eucharistic Adoration, Rosaries, and other devotions are available 24-7 from anywhere in the world with internet access. We now have drive-thru confessions that can be done from the safety of our cars. The Most Reverend David Malloy, Bishop of the Rockford Diocese, will be televising Easter Mass from the Cathedral this Easter Sunday. He will be doing so alone with only a cameraman present. My pastor, the Reverend Ervin Caliente, spent Palm Sunday going from house to house with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima giving house blessings from a distance. Thanks be to God!
The first Christians started home churches out of necessity. Out of necessity we have returned to the home church. This time we can do so while staying connected to our parishes, Cathedrals, and Holy Church in Rome. We are deprived from receiving the body, blood, humanity and divinity of our Lord in the form of the Eucharist but that should fuel a growing hunger for him that is the Bread of Life. Oh what a joyous celebration that first Mass will be when we are allowed to gather as a people of God again.
