By Most Rev Prakash Mallavarapu, Archbishop of Visakhapatnam
Christian Communities are known for Community celebration of faith with a lot of joy and enthusiasm. The covid-19 pandemic in these two years has taken away most of this joy. We all know virtual Masses and prayer meetings cannot be true substitutes for the actual celebrations at which there is the physical presence and personal participation along with the rest of the fellow believers.
Here, we are placing before you some points to reflect on how best we can reach out and involve our faithful in the celebrations of our Christian faith at the parish and village/locality level. This is important to consider because the big celebrations, macro, in the parish on Sundays and feast days or special days of celebration, not all are present and even if present, not all are always personally involved. We suppose, the benefit of active, personal, and devout participation is not the same when one is merely devoutly present!
At smaller gatherings and celebrations, there will be greater chance for more people to actively participate and involve themselves. But, without cancelling or avoiding bigger celebrations how to have celebrations with smaller number of faithful gathering together? At such celebrations there are more chances that everyone is with everyone else!
A glance at the “Celebration of Christian faith” and ongoing formation in the discipleship: Our Catholic Church is blessed with Churches and chapels with frequent opportunities to celebrate our faith as a community of believers. Depending on the numerical strength of the given parish or village community, the gatherings are sources of collective joy. In these celebrations, especially the celebration of the Eucharist, it is rather well organized and orderly; faith is not only celebrated but is also renewed and strengthened.
This experience prompts the faithful to frequently come to participate and celebrate along with others and with the presiding celebrant, the ordained priest. Mostly, these common gatherings are the only occasions for the breaking of the Word of God and this is the only input offered for the ongoing formation and catechesis for the growth and maturity in the Christian faith. But, if these occasions are not provided frequently or one does not avail the opportunities offered, there are hardly any chances to learn and be more enlightened about one’s faith and about one’s call to be the disciple of Jesus Christ.
This is the situation of most of the Catholics in the parishes, if they are large with many villages and localities, the opportunities for the celebration of the Holy Mass or prayer meetings is not even a weekly possibility. Even where the daily and frequent celebration of the Holy Mass is possible, we know what percentage of families or individual members come to celebrate faith with the rest of the community.
Common celebrations, big or small, do not easily address this deficient situation of the much-needed ongoing formation in Christian faith and practice. Well prepared “Liturgy of the Holy Mass,” enabling greater and active participation of the faithful, can take care of the above need.
Tomorrow: Pastoral Care: The SCC Way