Faith

Etiquette for the participation of online celebration of the Eucharist

The corona virus has confined us to our homes and for the first time in living memory most of the faithful in the Archdiocese of Bombay will be fulfilling their Sunday obligation via an online medium. In this context I would like to offer a few suggestions that could serve as etiquette for the participation of such services.

REMOTE PREPARATION

  1. DECIDE WHAT TIME YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH AN ONLINE MASS AS A FAMILY – This you need to do in advance. I suggest that you stick to the time you usually go to Mass as a family. If for any reason you have not been able to go to mass as a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin again; now that you are confined to four walls. You could also join together as a family to watch a previously recorded Eucharistic celebration.
  2. TIDY UP THE SPACE YOU PLAN TO USE. – This is not a football match, it’s a Eucharistic service and even for the world cup finals we create an ambiance in the house appropriate to such an event. Tidy the place and set up a small table upon which a white cloth could be draped. You could then place a crucifix, the family Bible and two candles on this table.
  3. PREPARE YOUR SELF SPIRITUALLY – Go through the readings of the day which you will find on any website or on the many Church calendars that are gifted by parishes to each family in the month of January.

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Art/ Heritage

THE SILENT KNIGHT: The Dream of Saint Joseph by Philippe de Champaigne (1642 -43)

 The story of Salvation is composed of characters, each sublime and distinct in their words spoken and their significant roles of action. One such fascinating figure is undoubtedly Joseph of Nazareth – a man of great silence who has intrigued and bewildered some of history’s greatest minds and sensitive souls. We know not of a single syllable he ever spoke and yet his actions, eloquent and enigmatic, speak volumes for a library to contain. History often rehearsed the words ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’(John 1:46), leave aside its crude carpenters! And yet, today we celebrate the role of a regular ordinary wood-worker, called by God, to partake in His most extraordinary mission of salvation as testified by the Wood of the Cross.

Philippe de Champaigne, a Flemish-born, prolific French Baroque painter, through his masterpiece, draws us into one of the most impeding narratives of today’s Gospel. St Joseph discovers, to his dismay, that the woman he loved and to whom he was betrothed to marry was pregnant. Encountering a crisis beyond comprehension, the just man was moved to despair. The Mosaic Law permitted him to hand Mary over to be stoned to death but his faithful and delicate feelings decided otherwise. Resolving to save life, Joseph with a broken heart, hoped to divorce Mary in silence.  

Gone is the Italian architecture and the Dutch landscape. The nature of the canvas takes us far from the outwardly or the human point of view, dwelling rather deep on the intimate, more inner nature of man. The canvas consist of a simple room with three pivotal figures – the Blessed Virgin, her husband and the angelic intervention.

As the sun goes down over the horizon, a night of obscurity, anguish and introspection invades Joseph. In order to escape reality, he seeks refuge among his familiar friends scattered around the floor. He earnestly hoped that the wooden mallet, chisel and axe would help him construct a substantial solution against the storm battling his soul. As the silence grew louder it lulled Joseph into a sagely slumber.

Champaigne creatively captures his eventual comfort through the deeply padded and tasselled cushion on which St. Joseph rests his head. The ornate chair stands in contrast to Joseph’s simplicity. He is cloaked in a yellow garment with large folds while his sandals lay untied before him marking his openness and resignation to higher will.

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Opinion

Fighting the Virus -Ten things you can do if you find yourself locked down at home

Even though Mumbai has not been locked down over the corona virus, I have chosen self-isolation making an exception for the public celebration of the Eucharist (which continues in Mumbai) and for all pastoral needs. We as pastors need to shepherd our flock and that includes the use of prudent measures.

But this is also a great time for the family to get together and for you to spend some ‘me’ time. Look at this time positively. Here are some things that I have been doing and so can you.

  1. Use this time to learn something new. I have always loved to make creative posters; I just did not know how to do that till I was introduced to Canva, a great ap. I have been using this time to work on a talent that I wanted to develop.

  2. Cook up a storm and if you don’t know how to then learn. When I was a seminarian I came across a priest who was terrified of turning on the gas. This led to a ‘hands on seminar’ for the priests and the seminarians. Since that course, culinary skills have gone on line and you can learn to make any thing by just goggling it. I have also been posting some recipes on my blog and Facebook. Recently I made a spicy vegetarian kheema vindaloo using granulated soya.

  3. Isolation means everyone is indoors and that’s a great time for the family to bond. If you have card games or board games pull them out. Find some activity that can get the whole family together.

  4. Clean up your personal spaces. In jest I often think I suffer from OCD; and I mean this as no offence to those who do because it is a huge psychological struggle. The point I am making is that most of us barely have the time to pay great attention to keeping personal spaces like drawers (a luxury for developing nations with limited spaces), cupboards and rooms clean.

  5. This is a great time to clear the dining table of decorative articles and use it for what it is meant to be. If you don’t have a dining table make the floor your picnic spot. Use this time to cook together and eat together. Turn off the TV and let the chatter begin

  6. Catch up on some rest. Your immunity is always built up with rest. Doctors recommend at least seven hours a day. However you will need to fight the temptation to slumber out the rest of the day.

  7. Create for yourself a daily flow chart. This will help you structure your day rather than flutter it away. It will also limit the number of hours you spend like a potato couch in front of the TV.

  8. Pick a book and read and if you don’t have a book then there is a lot of stuff online. The danger is that we often feed our minds with forwards on Facebook and Whatsap. There are many good audio books that you can listen to.

  9. Pick up your Bible and search online for a good commentary to do some personal Bible study. I have many articles on scripture on my blog pottypadre.com. There is no dearth of faith based knowledge on line. Keep a highlighter besides you and mark away your Bible each time you come across something that strikes you.

  10. Pray pray and pray as a family. This is a great way to fight the virus and connect us once again to a life of prayer as a family. This is one element that has been lost in many homes. It may be a bit challenging to get everyone together to pray but do remember, everything that is difficult is not impossible. Get the family together giving them fair warning as to what time the family rosary will be said. This helps you negotiate the ‘urgencies’ that always prop up at prayer time.

Finally, stay safe, stay close to Jesus and do not fear. God loves us and we will face this virus together in prayer and love.

Fr Warner D’Souza

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