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Cling to sacraments in precarious times
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November 1, 2020Among Catholics, A phenomenon has taken place across the United States in recent months as COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted to varying degrees in different dioceses and geographical locations. What is this phenomenon? Low Mass attendance.
During the COVID-19 crisis, even after local governments have permitted church services to take place at limited capacity, attendance has remained low. Catholics are no exception to this. How much of this “non-attendance” is tied to such things as fear, bitterness, or despair?
While some non-attendance may be caused by a real concern over contracting the virus (especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions), my hope is that Catholics do not lose sight of the enormous benefits of frequent reception of the Eucharist and Confession.
One bishop recently brought all this to light in a decree extending the dispensation from the Sunday and holy day Mass obligation due to the pandemic. He wrote: “Recognizing that restrictions on public activities across different sectors of society have gradually been lifted over the past several months, as well as the need for us to recover a more normal rhythm of life even while taking precautions, I warmly challenge those who have not yet returned to the practice of the sacraments yet have assumed similar risks (such as eating out in restaurants, doing nonessential shopping, going to the beach or on other travel/vacations, visiting more with family and friends, etc.) to begin finding their way back to church also. We need the unique graces that the sacraments offer – now, more than ever” (emphasis added).
In other words, we’re venturing out to eat, go on vacation, and do nonessential shopping, but we’re not making it to Mass to partake in divine and sacred worship of Almighty God. This is a type of “liturgical sloth.”
In his treatment of the seven capital sins, St. Thomas Aquinas identifies other dispositions that each one may engender. For the capital sin of sloth, Aquinas states that it may allow such things as hopelessness, despair, bitterness, and timidity to set in. Growing slothful toward the sacred liturgy is possible, thus letting these other problems take root.
So, let’s look at the seven sacraments and their normative frequency — that is, how often we should receive them. What does the Church teach in this regard?
Three of the sacraments can only be received once. This is because of the spiritual character or indelible mark they leave on the Christian soul, never to be erased. These three sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Two of the sacraments, Confession and Eucharist, can be received repetitiously (“again”) and frequently (even daily), provided it’s not scrupulosity that leads one to daily Confession.
The last two of the sacraments, Matrimony and the Anointing of the Sick, can be received repetitiously but not frequently. In other words, they can indeed be received “again” (if your spouse dies, you can remarry), but they’re not received daily or with much frequency. The Anointing of the Sick can be received whenever one begins to be in danger of death because of sickness or old age, even monthly or more frequently with chronic illness.
Let us remember that each sacrament is an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. This is the reality each sacrament affords us when it is received worthily. Let’s not let the COVID-19 crisis cause us to absent ourselves from such wonderful gifts, especially the regular participation in the Eucharist and Confession.
FATHER WADE L. J. MENEZES, C.P.M., is the assistant general of the Fathers of Mercy, an itinerant missionary preaching order based in Auburn, KY. He is host of EWTN Global Catholic Radio’s Open Line Tuesday and the author of two books: The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell; and Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God’s Grace and Mercy (EWTN Publishing).
