Mass During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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I’m sorry for calling anyone was selfish. It was a bad choice of words. Like I said, what I mean is that this is not just about our own personal health, but the health of everyone around us.

And of course you can continue to go to Mass if you want to! I’m not trying to force anyone. I’m just trying to supply facts to encourage a course of action. I believe that you are in New Zealand anyway, so you have a totally different situation right now. But the fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the U.S. right now and that extreme social distancing will prevent it from overwhelming our health care system and getting too out of control, like Italy.
 
Richard_White said:
Maybe if the patient wears a mask then you might be okay to visit him or her, but I think you still ought to quarantine.
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If he is visiting a patient in the hospital that has the virus, of course the patient will be wearing a mask.
Telling a priest to then quarantine? You are really letting your imagination run wild.
 
Amazon delivers.

God Bless you, you do what you feel is best. You can worship God at home with your family. You can watch the service on TV or the internet, or just pray. God loves you, no matter where you worship Him. I’m sure your priest will understand.
 
Unless ones’ Bishop has cancelled all Masses or dispensed people (or you’ve obtained your own dispensation privately) from their Sunday obligation - then no individual has the authority to not attend Mass on Sunday or its Vigil. No one.

It isn’t just a personal desire to attend Mass and give to God our creator the worship He is due - it is a Commandment.

I’m also sure that the Bishops would grant those under their authority and within their jurisdiction dispensation from their obligation or even cancel Masses, if secular health authorities recommended such action.

ETA - prudence not panic.
 
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Irishmom2 said:
I do not disagree with you. I think most of us here are just saying that there is not the level of panic we are seeing needed yet.
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Again, this is not the point. The point is that we are not at the “point of no return” just yet. The measures that I am suggesting and encouraging will, without a doubt, prevent us from getting there.

Yes, the absolute number of deaths are real. But maybe you should think about it this way - if all those hospitalizations, complications, and deaths occur with the flu and then you add on top of them all of the hospitalizations, complications, and deaths of COVID-19, what do you think will happen? To the health care system? To society? It will be catastrophic.
 
CRV said:
Unless ones’ Bishop has cancelled all Masses or dispensed people (or you’ve obtained your own dispensation privately) from their Sunday obligation - then no individual has the authority to not attend Mass on Sunday or its Vigil. No one .
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I would argue that in a time of a major public health crisis, people are well within their rights to refrain from going to Mass if they don’t feel it’s prudent to go. I think the fear of infection is sufficient as a mitigating factor.

The law is to be interpreted according to the principle of charity.
 
Why are you trying to tell me or anyone else reading this, whose Bishop has not ordered that mass be stopped, and who has zero cases in their area, to stay home and worship, “and learn something new about God?”
 
Irishmom2 said:
Telling a priest to then quarantine? You are really letting your imagination run wild.
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I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at - is he magically immune from catching the disease because he is a priest?

I’m not sure what the protocols are in the hospital right now. If the doctors think that he or anyone else in that situation is okay, then he’s okay. But would you want him to say Mass and distribute Communion to an entire congregation the next weekend if he had a potential exposure?
 
I am not one of the people calling for everyone to stay home. I will be attending mass until that time that our bishop says to stop.
 
edward_george1 said:
Why do you think it’s your duty? Are you in a position of authority in the Church, the government, or public health?
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I’m pretty sure if there was a major problem with attending Mass, my archbishop or governor or both would cancel public Mass like some other jurisdictions have done. They are the ones with the responsibility here.

I’m baffled as to why a random layperson on the Internet feels it’s his duty to tell others what to do and then gets bothered when others have made a different, reasonable choice.
 
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I think again, that you are letting yourself get carried away.

So Richard, by all means: Get Amazon to deliver your food and toilet paper to your home. Barricade yourself into your home like a prepper. Use up all of your hand sanitizer. Do whatever you feel you need to do to survive.

But stop telling everyone else they are irresponsible or selfish or ignorant for not joining you in your panic.
 
Anna4 said:
went to a prayer center of 5,000 people
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The typical Mass in USA does not have 5,000 people at it. On weekdays it has between 10 and 50 people, on Sundays it has a couple hundred max and I’m sure it will be less than that due to folks who have been dispensed and choose to stay home. Mass is not a megachurch or the Coachella rock festival. It has as many or fewer people than I might pass by at the grocery store.
 
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Living a normal life when one is not sick does not make one a “carrier”, nor does it mean a person is “marring” their body. As Irishmom said, if you prefer to self-isolate when you’re not having symptoms or a positive test, go for it, but don’t expect everyone else to do the same.
 
. . . . I have been a faithful member of the Church for my whole life and I have been a member of these forums for almost 7 years now. The concepts that I am speaking about are not just from my own mind. They are true, they are real, and they are being promoted by many. Nevertheless, I will no longer be responding to this thread, so please consider it closed.

Regardless, may God bless you with a transformative Lent and grant you all health, safety, and peace! 🙂
 
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It’s always great to learn something new about God 🙂 it’s a never ending course.
 
Richard_White said:
All that I was suggesting was for people to sacrifice going to Mass maybe 3 or 4 times
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You do know that a lot of us go daily or almost daily, right? So you’re asking me to skip like 30 Masses just on the off chance I might possibly carry a virus although I’m not old or sick, do not have anyone at risk in my social circle, my county has zero cases, and neither the civil authorities nor the Archbishop have cancelled Mass. This makes no sense to me.
 
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sorry for the misunderstanding…

Amazon delivers was the comment for you, the rest was for the OP.

Its sad this virus is putting such a fear in people they feel the need to quarantine themselves without even being exposed to the virus… but I can totally understand the fear.

I know people keep saying that other viruses have killed more people… but I can’t remember any viruses, that cause business conventions to cancel. Concerts to cancel. Comic-Con was cancelled and during Spring Break.

Countries isolated themselves, airline and ships have stopped transportation to many counties. All DISNEY PARKS and UNIVERSAL STUDIOS have shut their doors for the rest of the month.

DISNEY WORLD, can you believe it, there can be a category 4 hurricane coming through Orlando and Disney would stay open until they are forced to shut down, but with this virus on Saturday they are closing for the rest of the month. That is scary… so I can understand why the OP feels the need to stay home, to protect their family.

I know church is important. Remembering the Sabbath Day and keeping it Holy can be accomplished at home. Where 2 or more gather in my name I will be there… meaning God can be present at home. We shouldn’t make someone feel guilty about wanting to protect their family in a time where the rest of the world is slowly shutting down.

We should be praying for each other, asking the Holy Spirit to enter the hearts of those who are ill, scared or just want to feel safe.

I pray this passes quickly… and in 3 months we’re all making jokes about all the Lysol wipes, Purel hand sanitizer and toilet paper people have stocked in their closet… but until then… we all should do what we feel is right and pray it is God’s will.
 
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I went last Sunday the mid morning Mass and the Church had at least fifty percent less than usual with many elderly staying away. That was before all the developments of this week. I’m expecting now that my diocese has excused the obligation there will be far fewer attending than even last week. If I go to a big Church I probably won’t even be within ten feet of anyone. If I can’t go there I can’t go anywhere. I’m not letting fear scare me away from everything.
 
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I do not go to Masses for God to “keep track” of them or because they’re required by the Church (most of the ones I attend are not, and our diocese has given a dispensation for Sundays).

I go to them because I need to go to them and I want to go to them.

It has nothing to do with getting to know God in some different way outside Mass. Mass is not the only God-centered activity I do all week. I am also able to add new dimensions to my spiritual life when necessary. But I have concluded that Mass is a very important part of that, for me personally and for my own personal reasons that I don’t need to justify to others or share with them.

It’s patronizing, presumptuous, and rude for you to talk like people who truly get a lot out of Mass are going because it’s the “letter of the law not the spirit.”
 
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