CATHOLIC PARISHES IN the Diocese of Hong Kong have indefinitely suspended public Mass for the second time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus early this year. But this time around, there is a greater sense of acceptance of alternative ways of participating in the liturgy. Fear and panic have given way to acceptance of change in lifestyle.
The pandemic that has swept across the face of the planet initially instilled uncertainty but gradually, we are learning to adapt to the challenge and live with it. Change is happening not just in the life of the Church. It is true that people in general around the world were exhausted with the frenzied work culture, cutthroat business practices, intimidating governmental policies and pretentious lifestyles and we desired a change. We wished we had a cleaner environment and less work-stress but believed that they would remain in our near-impossible wish-list.
But the pandemic has turned lifestyles upside down. With nearly 700,000 lives lost and 18 million people infected, the world stands confounded as to how to tackle the exponential spread of the virus wreaking deadly havoc across the planet. We are aware that, like everyone else, we will die one day, but normally this doesn’t weigh very heavily on our consciousness. We live instead with the sense that we’re not going to die just yet. Our own deaths aren’t really real to us. However, with reports of hundreds of deaths every day around us, we are no more in this comfort zone.
In spite of the gravity of the situation, the initial chaos is no longer visible. Call it human resilience or resignation, we are adapting to live with the danger lurking beside us. The pandemic helped us to dispel the illusion that we are in control of our lives and that by our own efforts, we can make ourselves invulnerable.
This change has come upon us uninvited. The changes we have aspired for, but were regarded as impossible, have been brought about by this unwelcome virus. This unforeseen circumstance brings us a huge lesson: irrespective of our financial stability, social background, political affiliations, educational qualifications or ethnicity, we’re all vulnerable, we’re all at the mercy of a thousand contingencies over which we have little control.
But there are number of challenges that confront the parishes in this era of livestreamed liturgy. Many priests have shared their concern in celebrating the Mass facing empty pews. But, the option of livestreamed liturgy has opened up the possibility for the faithful to choose their preferred channel or priests.
Adequate guidelines must be well communicated to the parishes and priests to avoid a dynamic of competition in their efforts to provide the most ‘creative’ online liturgical celebrations. The faithful are no more content with the boundaries of their territorial parish structures and they have become part of a larger ‘virtual community.’ The recent Instructions issued by the Congregation for Clergy in Rome on parish reform needs urgent deliberation at the diocesan and parish levels.
Past months have seen many priests and religious sisters leading the community from the front, by giving up their monthly remunerations to care for the people in need in these harsh times. Many parish communities and religious associations have opened up social action groups, providing provisions for the lower-income groups and migrants in the city. The pandemic has helped to refresh in us the sense of social responsibility and concern for the neighbour. Indeed, the pandemic is leading us to live the Eucharist. Jose
