A month ago, my wife, my 4-month-old son and I prepared to take our first holiday as a family to the north coast. As the departure day approached, we were like little children struggling to contain our excitement for a holiday at the sea. We would help feed the craving of our imaginations, by dreaming about how we would run and dive into the sea or sleep to the sound of the crushing waves in the distance. With a week to go our imaginations could no longer feed the craving. The eager anticipation of actually having our feet buried in the sand or having the fresh sea breeze running through our hair needed to become a reality.
A road trip with a little baby involves lots of planning and surprisingly a lot of packing from carry cots, to extra outfits, to a good supply of nappies…. And then comes trying to arrange the car boot to fit all the luggage, pram and all the odds and ends. Eagerly and early on a Monday morning in November, we were off before the sunrise for our first family adventure. Now our first born (Noah) clearly had no idea where he was going and to our surprise, he slept most of the way through. Perhaps, he was so tired of hearing Mom and Dad telling him “Who is going to the sea for the first time?”
Almost 660 kilometres later and after carrying all the bags up three flights of stairs, we had finally arrived safe and sound. In the typical fashion of someone who does not have the ocean in their backyard (and to a large extent my wife’s mermaid genes), we had to race down to the ocean. Noah is far too small to understand the concept of the ocean. Although, as soon as we let his little feet touch the sea sand and feel the refreshing ocean water, his tiny face lit up immediately to see the “biggest splash pool” he had ever seen in his life.
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| Noah's face after seeing the ocean for the first time, 16 November 2020. |
As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, some regulations may resume, and the abnormality of 2020 may continue into the early part of next year. Unfortunately, this holiday season could see many holiday makers forced to watch the ocean from a distance. If COVID-19 has visibly impacted our ability to move, work, socialise and interact freely with those around us, then surely it has had some implication on our spiritual life? Well, take a look at the numbers of people gathering for Sunday Mass, even with the restrictions in place to fill churches at half of its normal capacity, many churches do not even reach this number. I wonder if this has something to do with the possibility of watching Mass online?!
Think about it for a moment. If I were to forever dream about the ocean, but never awaken my physical senses by visiting the sea every now and then. Surely, my imagination would grow tired and I would soon forget what it is like to actually walk along the beach or swim in the sea? Now, the global lockdown made streaming Mass online possible for many Catholics confined to their homes across the world. The streaming allowed many of us not able to receive Our Lord physically in the Eucharist, to at least receive Him spiritually. As the lockdown restrictions on no Mass attendance in Pretoria, extended from late March through to end of September, I grew tired of making spiritual communions. Instead, I needed to lay down all the burdens I was carrying on the altar as an offering in the Mass. In exchange, I would receive the strength to continue on by receiving Our Lord, physically in the Eucharist.
I think what strikes me most about COVID-19 is how it continues to affect our day-to-day relationships with the community of people we meet each day. My brother-in-law often mentioned that meeting his colleagues virtually lacked the human aspect experienced in meeting in a physical setting. For those trying to deepen friendships find themselves trapped by the boundary of only talking via WhatsApp and feeling misunderstood. In my case, I found myself taking on challenging tasks, aggravated by the uncertainty evolving around the pandemic, while needing to push through all alone without the support of a team mate to see when I was struggling. If we think about it, COVID-19 has tried to steal our hope and in many cases has been quite successful in doing so.
Similar to the demand for social distancing, the pandemic has also at times created some distance between us and Our Lord in the Eucharist. This distance can help us grow deeper in love with Our Lord, it can even make us better appreciate the graces we receive during the Mass. Although, this distance can also be a danger, raising doubts in our hearts that the physical participation in the Mass is just some ritual, not too different to my weekly fix of my favourite Netflix series.
There is something profound that takes place in the Mass, we may not be able to explain it but at one point or another we may have felt it. What I mean by this is that similar to Noah having no clue what the ocean is, it made him smile to see the sea. It made him giggle to feel the sand between his toes. It made him sneeze to take a whiff of the fresh ocean air. It made him attentive to hear the sound of the roaring waves. Although, because he is so small and cannot swim, the one sense he could not use was the ability to taste the sea water on his lips after diving through a wave.
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| Noah discovering the sea sand between his toes, 16 November 2020. |
When we watch Mass online, it fulfils some but not all of the senses. We simply see and hear the Mass. But, the idea of receiving physical communion, straight after the Priest has consecrated the bread and wine, is no routine. In that moment, I recall the words of my grade nine catechism teacher, to invite Our Lord to enter into my mind, body, soul and fill me with his divinity. But, the beauty of the mystery is contained in the fact, that when we receive the Eucharist, we truly receive the Lamb of God. Now, when I watch Mass online, I can only see! Although, Psalm 34:8 encourages us, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!”
This year the pandemic has robbed us all of our freedom, our routines, our social life, our jobs and the list could go on… but ultimately COVID-19 has robbed us of our hope! However, what the pandemic can never take from us, is a strong desire to participate in the Mass and receive the life-giving hope from God who comes to us in the humble form of bread and wine. St. Paul’s letter to the Romans remains so relevant to us in this situation, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
I am encouraged by the hope that awaits me in the Eucharist. While, on the eve of Christmas, there is no greater way to satisfy the inner desire to receive the joy and hope of the infant Jesus in our hearts during this Advent season.
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