beast of the east
Active member
I just thought with all the isolation associated with the traditional family holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) to chat a little about how we are managing in this pandemic.
We all got through Easter, thinking this would be over by summer. The summer holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day) don't always include friends and family so were easier to tolerate. Now, though after over 10 months and a second Covid wave putting us in intensified lockdown, Christmas will exclude all but the closest family members, if even that.
My parish has just doubled the number of Christmas masses, with each priest saying 6 masses in less than 24 hours (3 is the doctrinal maximum which has been waived). Our Christmas Eve afternoon mass was always packed and for my family a peaceful way to kick off Christmas before rushing home or out to Christmas Eve and Day celebrations. This year, distancing rules (every other row, considerable distance between seats), will only allow maybe 200 attendees at mass or most (previous years those masses drew 1300).
Instead of gatherings with siblings, nieces, nephews and their children, we will likely be just our very immediate family both Christmas Eve and day.
Perhaps a radical thought would be to spend a little more time in prayer and reflection, and to be thankful for all we have, including a vaccine on its way. It may also be a good time to reflect on the birth of Christ in a region ruled by Rome, and everything that birth, death, and resurrection still means today.
Merry Christmas. Feel free to share your thoughts.
We all got through Easter, thinking this would be over by summer. The summer holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day) don't always include friends and family so were easier to tolerate. Now, though after over 10 months and a second Covid wave putting us in intensified lockdown, Christmas will exclude all but the closest family members, if even that.
My parish has just doubled the number of Christmas masses, with each priest saying 6 masses in less than 24 hours (3 is the doctrinal maximum which has been waived). Our Christmas Eve afternoon mass was always packed and for my family a peaceful way to kick off Christmas before rushing home or out to Christmas Eve and Day celebrations. This year, distancing rules (every other row, considerable distance between seats), will only allow maybe 200 attendees at mass or most (previous years those masses drew 1300).
Instead of gatherings with siblings, nieces, nephews and their children, we will likely be just our very immediate family both Christmas Eve and day.
Perhaps a radical thought would be to spend a little more time in prayer and reflection, and to be thankful for all we have, including a vaccine on its way. It may also be a good time to reflect on the birth of Christ in a region ruled by Rome, and everything that birth, death, and resurrection still means today.
Merry Christmas. Feel free to share your thoughts.
