Will you do what love does?

"He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them."

St. John's apocalyptic vision in the second reading, which comes from the very end of the Bible, should be one of profound consolation for the Church, and for those of us who make up the Body of Christ, which is the Church. If ever you are feeling down about the state of Christianity, I do recommend turning to the last page of the Bible, and there you will see that we do win in the end. As Catholics, this should be our confidence.

However, it is not just a reality for an eschatological future. The future reality when God will make His home with among His people, has already begun to take shape. Sure, we are not in the new heavens or the new earth yet - but whenever we make our spiritual home around the Tabernacle, where Jesus dwells, we should know that He has begun to fulfil this promise already. 

Citing this passage from the Apocalypse, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

[T]he church has an eschatological significance. To enter into the house of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. The visible church is a symbol of the Father's house toward which the People of God is journeying and where the Father "will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1186)

Our churches are holy places, because it is here, par excellence, where the Risen Christ dwells upon earth among His people. And it is here that the Sacred Liturgy, the worship willed by God takes place. When we celebrate Mass we are not going through a service which we have invented - we are participating in a Liturgy which we have received from God, a Liturgy which is celebrated in union with the eternal Liturgy of heaven. Sure, it feels very earthly, very man-made sometimes; Liturgy is human because of our participation. However, it is also Divine because of God's participation, and it is therefore truly the place where heaven touches earth. This is why it matters that we come to Church on Sundays.

It was above all on "the first day of the week," Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians met "to break bread." From that time on down to our own day the celebration of the Eucharist has been continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same fundamental structure. It remains the center of the Church's life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1343)

The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2177)

The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2181)

As many of you will have heard by now, the Bishops of England and Wales have decided that the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic has improved enough, now, that the ordinary obligation for Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays can safely be restored on Pentecost Sunday. I want to emphasise, that it remains the case that if anyone is avoiding crowds or meeting others because of serious concerns for their health, or for another serious reason, then the obligation to attend Mass is dispensed. They should, in this case find some other appropriate way to keep the Sabbath Holy. For those, however, who have returned to normal life, the Bishops are suggesting this is an important moment to resume normal Catholic practice, as well.

I want to point out something obvious, though. When we speak of the Bishop's restoring the Sunday obligation, what we are not talking about is them 'making people go to Mass.' The Bishops, in our free democracy, have absolutely no power whatsoever to force anyone to come to Mass. I, as one of your pastors, cannot make you come to Mass. In the end, we are as free after Pentecost Sunday as before. But how will we choose to use that freedom?

While the Church cannot force anyone to Church on Sunday, She does, nevertheless, have a duty to point out the reality of the spiritual situation. God, from the earliest days of the Church, asked His people to gather around Him on a Sunday. If I choose to put something else ahead of this, then logically, I am putting something else ahead of God's will. What is greater in my life than God? God is, by definition, the highest and greatest value that there is - if I am putting something else ahead of Him, then something has gone skew-whiff in my spiritual life.

Let me be clear, there are times when we are inhibited, against our wills, from attending Mass. We may be sick, or caring for someone who is sick; we may have tried to get to Mass, honestly, but failed due to circumstances beyond our control; or, we may have found ourselves bound by employment obligations which we cannot escape. In these situations, we are not making a free choice to disobey God. On the other hand, there may be times when, perhaps with some inconvenience, we could go to Mass, but choose not to.

Brothers and sisters, at times one gets the sense today that Christians expect following Christ to be easy and convenient. If this is you, please urgently read any one of the four Gospels. 

As Paul and Barnabus put it to the people of Antioch:

‘We all have to experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.’

Our forefathers, and indeed foremothers, in the faith willingly embraced Christianity, knowing that martyrdom was a really, quite likely consequence. If the worst we have to suffer is missing some Sunday hobbies or social activities, then we really should count ourselves fortunate, indeed. And, if we choose to put those things ahead of God, we need really to ask ourselves some searching questions about whether God is in the right place in our hearts and lives.

I honestly do not mean to sound flippant about this. I do appreciate and understand that there are very difficult family and personal circumstances for many Catholics today. However, if our Sunday practice is a little ropey, we do need to ask ourselves searching questions about whether my situation is one of genuine impossibility, or whether, with a little heroism, I might be able to love God that little bit more.

As a celibate priest I look on new mothers, rising several times a night to care for their babies, as a little bit heroic. However, whilst I'm sure many would appreciate the recognition, I'm equally sure that all would say that that is just what love does - it goes the extra mile. In a certain sense new mothers are obliged by law to care for their children - but that is not what gets them up at 3am; love does. 

As the Bishops restore the obligation to go to Mass in this country at Pentecost, perhaps we need to hear God saying the Church in England and Wales - will you commit afresh to doing what love does, for me?