If all the people watching the livestream of the 11 a.m. Mass March 15 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland had been in the cathedral itself, it would have been filled to capacity.
Instead, as Archbishop William E. Lori canceled all public Masses around the archdiocese as of 6 p.m. March 14, the archbishop celebrated a private Mass in the Lady Chapel that was broadcast live on the cathedral’s YouTube channel, with 1,780 people watching at one point, and consistently more than 1,600.
With the coronavirus pandemic limiting large gatherings, the Mass was attended only by the archbishop, four priests, a deacon, an altar server, a lector, two musicians, an archdiocesan staff member and one cathedral staff member who handled the live feed.
Masses throughout the archdiocese are being offered without the physical presence of the faithful.
“We gather this Sunday at a time unprecedented in living memory,” the archbishop said in his homily. “As the coronavirus continues to spread, we are facing a global pandemic, a pandemic that has hit home, here in Maryland.”
Citing the number of those afflicted in Maryland at 24, he noted that the number of people who are actually infected may be higher. “To date, there is neither a vaccine nor a cure, and, as a result, many – especially the elderly and those with weakened immune systems – are at risk.”
A recording of the archbishop’s Mass follows; story continues below.
He referred to recommended measures to keep people safe and to prevent the spread of the virus and noted that all should take those to heart “for your own sake and also for the sake of others. I’m neither a prophet nor a medical expert, but I think we should be prepared to see this crisis become much worse before it becomes better and, God-willing, passes into the history books,” he said.
“In the meantime, what should we do as followers of Christ and members of his Church, to maintain our spiritual health in the midst of this crisis?” he asked.
Even as Catholics are unable to attend Sunday Mass in person or to take part in the Lenten Stations of the Cross or other devotions, the archbishop urged people to continue to pursue their life of prayer vigorously and stay close to the Lord Jesus and to the Church.
Daily prayer is the primary way to do this and “does not have to be elaborate and lengthy but these days we should make a point of setting aside additional time for prayer,” he said. “We should surely ask the Lord to grant eternal life and peace to those who have already succumbed to the virus. We should pray for those who are currently struggling with it, and for those who have it, but have not yet been diagnosed.
“Naturally, we will want to pray for our families and loved ones. And let us pray earnestly for researchers and healthcare providers and for those who must make difficult public decisions in this time of crisis. While we’re at it, let’s not forget to pray for the poor, the needy, and the vulnerable, especially those who do not have access to adequate healthcare,” Archbishop Lori said.
“What is the point of praying to the Lord in this way? Surely the Lord knows that tens of millions of people earnestly want nothing more than that this pandemic would come to a swift conclusion. Yet, it is important for you and for me to pour out our hearts in prayer,” he said.
Often, children go to their parents with some deep need, likely something that the parents are already aware of, but the fact the child makes known that need shows intimacy and trust. In a similar way, the Lord already knows our needs, even though his ways are not the ways of humans.
“Yet when we ask him for what we need and for the needs of others, we draw near to him and his wisdom and love are poured into our hearts,” the archbishop said. “Prayer lifts us up and helps us see our problems, including a crisis such as this, not merely from our own limited perspective and interests, but indeed through the lens of God’s kindness and generosity and mercy.
“When we confide our needs to the Lord in heartfelt and sincere prayer, we grow in our trust in the provident love of God,” he said. “I think we’d all admit that trust is something that is hard to come by in time of crisis. It may be easy to say we put our trust in God when things are going well but the real test of our trust in God comes when things seem to be falling apart.”
He invited those listening to see the days and weeks ahead as an opportunity to grow in trust of God, and encouraged people to remember that “Jesus has experienced the full measure of human suffering, that the Lord suffered and died for us and for our salvation, and that, no matter what befalls us, our hope in his love will not disappoint us,” Archbishop Lori said. “In this way we will find the grace to join our sufferings to his, and as we do so, we will come to realize something of the depth and beauty of God’s love for us.”
The archbishop tied his message to the Gospel reading for the day from John in which Jesus visits Jacob’s Well and tells the Samaritan woman there that he is the living water.
“One piece of medical advice we’re receiving these days is to stay hydrated. If our physical health requires that we drink plenty of water, so too our spiritual health requires that the living water of the Holy Spirit flow freely through our mind, our heart and our soul,” he said.
“Growth in holiness doesn’t happen only when times are relatively calm and peaceful; often, we grow in God’s likeness when we are called to love in extraordinary ways, as surely we are being challenged to do in these days,” he said.
The archbishop concluded his homily with a novena prayer that he wrote for the faithful of the archdiocese, adapted from a prayer by Pope Francis. He invited those in the archdiocese to ask for Mary’s intercession during the crisis.
Notably, the kiss of peace, during which congregants usually shake hands after the consecration and Our Father, was skipped for the Mass.
At the end of Mass, Archbishop Lori referenced the National Day of Prayer for the coronavirus called for by President Donald Trump and noted that the Archdiocese of Baltimore was joining its prayers to those of all faiths in the country.
The cancellation of all Masses in the archdiocese came after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan mandated that all gatherings of more than 250 people be canceled. The archdiocese followed that guidance and planned to allow Mass only in places where all weekend Masses have fewer than 250 people at normal times.
However, after consulting with state officials, medical experts and the governor March 14 and receiving additional information about the impact of COVID-19, the archbishop made the decision to cancel all Masses, which was announced late that day.
The archdiocese is allowing churches to remain open for private prayer and adoration. People should contact check their local parish website or contact the parish for local information.
At the end of the broadcast Mass, Archbishop Lori encouraged Catholics in the archdiocese to remain connected to their church by downloading the myParish App, which is provided by the archdiocese and Catholic Review Media to all the parishes. “If it’s not on your iPhone, it should be,” he said. “We can use technology to keep us connected to our faith in these extraordinary times.”
To download the myParish App, text “app” to 88202 on any smartphone, then select your parish for local information and updates.
Links to online or other broadcast Masses can be found on the archdiocesan website at https://catholicreview.org/online-mass/. Other information and resources can be found at https://catholicreview.org/coronavirus/.
