Convince me to watch online Masses

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Well, all masses are valid at the time they are celebrated. As I understand it - and I am frequently wrong - is that we have been dispensed from the mass, so watching an online mass is above what is required of us. What if one has no internet, for example? Watching and participating, i.e. prayers, is spiritually rewarding, God knows your heart and your intent, right?

Check your archdiocese’ website to see if they offer any guidance regarding online masses.
 
It is not the same as going to mass but it is a deliberate prayerful activity and involves setting aside time for God, so definitely a beneficial thing once can do on a Sunday assuming you don’t have anything else God-centric planned.
 
DrawNearToGod said:
I understand it going to a real Mass imparts graces but I’m not sure that applies to online Mass.
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We are sooo spoiled.

Think of all of God’s children that because of political upheaval and religious suppression, or even the shortage of priests have kept and is keeping others not to have the opportunity to participate in a mass.

Grace is imparted in many ways, other than mass…if we are so convinced that only our view of a “proper” mass is how we can obtain grace, our hearts are probably not properly disposed for watching or actually attending mass.

Peace!
 
I miss going to Mass. I REALLY miss it. Thank God for Bishop Barron streaming the Mass from his home chapel on YouTube. I watch it every day and do the act of spiritual communion. No, it’s not the same and as soon as I can go to Mass again, I will be there with bells on. But it’s better than no Mass at all.
 
For the last week, we are in a “stay at home” mode in my state. I looked for on-line masses and had some difficulty finding some that were NOT shut down along with everything else.

Of the 4 Masses I watched, I have these quick observations:
  1. Mass from a church in Chicago. In English, Polish, Spanish, with some Latin thrown in. The church was empty except for the priest. This brought tears to my eyes, but reminded me that the Church is universal.
  2. Mass from a cathedral in Scotland. Again, an empty church except for the priest. More tears to my eyes. I was a bit surprised that the Eucharistic prayers, etc. were exactly the same as in the US.
  3. Mass on EWTN. Awesome. With a small choir, multiple celebrants, 1 parishioner. Good sermon, reverential throughout.
  4. Today (Sunday March 22) - Mass from Bishop Barron’s chapel (via Word on Fire). Tremendous sermon, but the Mass was rushed, maybe due to time limits on the video or something like that. Note: I’m NOT a Bishop Barron fan, but this was worth watching.
All 4 priests mentioned spiritual communion, and the EWTN and Barron Masses provided the text on the screen at the appropriate time.

I’m THANKFUL in the extreme to be able to watch these Masses under the circumstances. Thanks be to God!!
 
It’s probably very lonely to celebrate Sunday Mass alone in an empty church. I can imagine the thought of faithful uniting with them through prayer helps the priests.
 
7_Sorrows said:
I wasn’t sure if the Mass was still valid if I watched it when it was not LIVE although
I am watching a video of a LIVE mass - does that make sense?
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I don’t think validity is a quality that pertains to watching online Masses. The Mass is valid but you are not meeting some obligation by watching it since it is impossible to fulfill an obligation unless you have one.

Where I am we (the laity) have all been dispensed from our obligation to attend Mass so even if we were so fortunate as to be able to attend an actual Sunday Mass, we would not be meeting any obligation.

Vico did post information about watching live (or as live as online can be with buffering and all that) so there is benefit to watching in real time.
 
Participated in out parish’s first live stream Sunday Mass this morning. The prayer: “Lord,
I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof”, took on a much deeper significance.
 
Same My husband and I just watched our parish Mass.It was both comforting and bittersweet .😞
 
Same experience here. Seeing the number of people watching led to an unexpected sense of communion and connection.
 
DrawNearToGod said:
Obviously it’s not got the majesty of a real Mass but I’d like to know the reasons why you all think it’s a good thing to do
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Well, first of all, it’s prayer. You’re actually praying when you stream a Mass, right? Not just sitting there, as if it were another form of entertainment?

Secondly, you’re joining in prayer with others – “where two or more are gathered in my name”, right?

Third, it’s liturgy: there’s comfort in engaging in familiar routines.

So: prayer, connection with others, comfort. Do we need more reasons than that?
 
Me and the wife had a little chuckle when we noticed the participation numbers increase a little after the first reading.
 
humbleseeker said:
Me and the wife had a little chuckle when we noticed the participation numbers increase a little after the first reading.
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Apparently, the parking lot was kinda full and it took some time to find a spot and sit down… 🤣
 
Why not say the same about praying a rosary or other devotion? Although the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian lives, attending mass is not the only type of prayer that us beneficial to us.
 
Online mass makes me sad. There is no other word for what I feel when I can’t attend mass.
But this morning I watched the mass and rosary , participating as i could this morning and was very uplifted.
 
I did not expect to start sobbing when the transmission ended, but it hit me like a wave.
 
i don’t think it a great coincidence that mass is unavailable to us during lent. Jesus was in the desert. give Glory to God and carry our crosses
 
SMHW said:
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7_Sorrows:
I wasn’t sure if the Mass was still valid if I watched it when it was not LIVE although
I am watching a video of a LIVE mass - does that make sense?
Click to expand...
I don’t think validity is a quality that pertains to watching online Masses. The Mass is valid but you are not meeting some obligation by watching it since it is impossible to fulfill an obligation unless you have one.

Where I am we (the laity) have all been dispensed from our obligation to attend Mass so even if we were so fortunate as to be able to attend an actual Sunday Mass, we would not be meeting any obligation.

Vico did post information about watching live (or as live as online can be with buffering and all that) so there is benefit to watching in real time.
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I wasn’t questioning whether the Mass itself was valid. Obviously it was.
I was looking for another word beides valid to use, but could not think of
one.

My question pertained to watching the Mass as it LIVE streams as opposed to
watching it at a later time.
 
Well, I attend Church on Sunday but throughout the week I watch Daily Mass on Catholic TV. Here is a link:

http://www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass

I do believe in the Eucharist and the Communion of the Church, but I also believe in the sermon or the homily. So, again, part of being a Catholic is receiving education and theology from the Priest and the Church to better ourselves as people and Christians.

I’m not certain why you would be opposed to online Mass or tv Mass or why it would be an issue for you.

Remember, as a Catholic there is expectation that along with prayer work and mass you do some internal work as well. So, Catholic Mass online can provide you the teaching and perspective you need to be more introspective and reflective about how you are living your life.
 
Well, we know what the Pope said.

But as well as that, I think a big advantage of watching a Mass live (as opposed to watching one that was recorded earlier) is the aspect of solidarity created by watching with others.

There have been many events (war speeches, the moon landing, award ceremonies, sports events) that have drawn large audiences on radio, television, or live-streams over the years. We can hear/see them just as clearly (sometimes even more so) now than we could when they happened, but it’s just not the same as the experience of the original.

No, we are not at Mass in the same way as we would be if we were in the same building as the priest. We do not experience the full unity of the Eucharist. But just maybe we are experiencing the community of the faithful through space.
 
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