One of the most dramatic changes during Mass was how communion was distributed. Instead of forming a line and approaching the altar, parishioners now remained seated while the priest and a few Eucharistic ministers delivered the host to everyone by walking across those empty pews. And here is where something of a controversy begins.
Some people feel that it's a lot safer in these times if parishioners wishing to receive communion simply hold out their hands so the priest can drop the host into waiting palms without having to touch anyone. A few archdioceses have even gone so far as to ban communion on the tongue and this ruling has been upheld by the Vatican.
In our church, I think the priests just assumed everyone would follow this guideline because when one parishioner wanted to have the host placed on his tongue during that first "post-Covid lockdown" Mass of 2020, my pastor looked very confused and wondered what to do next. He then told the parishioner that he would oblige but only after everyone else had received communion on the hand first. After giving this person communion, our pastor returned to the altar to liberally spray his hands down with sanitizer.
Over the next few weeks, anyone who wanted communion on the tongue had to wait until everyone else received it by hand. Then at some point, our pastor changed this practice. Now communion would be given to everyone right then and there and if someone wanted it placed on their tongue, the priest or Eucharistic minister would do so immediately. Then they would return to the altar, spray their hands with hand sanitizer, and continue to distribute the host as usual. Two problems quickly arose from this new procedure, however.
Some Masses were attended by several people who wanted to receive communion on the tongue so instead of delivering the hosts to everyone in a timely manner, the priest or Eucharistic minister had to stop, walk all the way back to the altar and spray their hands down before returning to the pews. Suddenly the well-oiled machine of socially distant worshiping ground to a halt. While I was glad to see people attend Mass, this start / stop way of of handing out communion got pretty annoying fast. There are times when I find myself yelling in my mind at these worshipers, “Just take it!”
The other problem occurred when more than one person in the same group wanted communion on the tongue. The priest or Eucharistic minister would grab a host, place it on the tongue of one parishioner then reach back into the chalice for another host without sanitizing his hand! Such a sight had me hoping and praying that these people didn't have Covid-19 because more often than not when the priest or Eucharistic minster placed a host on one person's tongue, he would reach in for another host but pick up two by mistake. The second host was then allowed to fall back into the chalice to be given to some unsuspecting worshiper six feet away.
In a May 7, 2020 article from Church Militant on the subject, Father Jeffrey Robideau defends communion on the tongue during the pandemic remarking, "Where I did give Communion in the hand, I touched each and every hand. With the tongue, I very rarely have any contact as described above. So you tell me which one is safer." To that I say maybe this priest has fat fingers because I've never felt anyone accidentally bump into my hand when delivering the Eucharist. It does seem pretty difficult to pluck out a single host from the chalice without touching other wafers, though.
The debate on the preferred way to receive communion is a pretty old one with some Catholics getting pretty riled up about it. Some say communion on the hand isn't as reverent and sometimes these arguments quickly devolve into claims that Vatican II is the cause for most of the Church's problems. I've had a few priests on either side of this debate lecture us from the pulpit but in reality most clergy tend not to care one way or another...just as long as you're going to Mass in the first place.
There are still many unknowns regarding Covid-19 so I think it's important that everyone errs on the side of caution. The fact that some Catholics stubbornly refuse to do so tells me the Church has bigger problems to deal with than the pandemic.
I noticed the sign outside a local restaurant many times: Trivia Night - Wednesday at 9 PM. As February waned, feelings of claustrophobia intensified and I really wanted to check it out but the thought of going by myself was too unappealing. (Been there, done that.) I decided to call one of the only friends I had left in the area but he just happened to be in a taxi heading to his parish's late evening Ash Wednesday celebration. I asked if he wanted to get together after Mass but he was too tired. My friend reassured me that next Wednesday looked open and he would call back then.
The following week, another trivia night passed by but the phone never rang. I wound up spending yet another night in my room watching TV. The next day my friend posted to Facebook a photo of himself enjoying karaoke at a bar in his neck of the woods. It's a sad thing to be so inconsequential that not even your friends remember you!
Putting something off for “another day” is not a good idea because you never know what the future might hold. The month of March began normally enough but looming concerns about the Covid-19 virus had some people worried. At the local grocery store, there was a run on powdered milk and Parmalat which no one ever bought. I noticed granola and breakfast bars were curiously missing from the shelves too. Was that a sign some shoppers were prepping for a pandemic? The week of March 8th started quietly but on Thursday the 12th, all hell broke loose. Grocery stores were swamped with panicked shoppers who were clamoring for everything from toilet paper to bottled water. Within a few hours, lines were out the door and shelves were empty. Soon governors were issuing stay-at-home orders. Non-essential businesses were shut down, unemployment exploded and our unprecedentedly great economy came to a screeching halt.
The words “social distancing” entered our lexicon and each day brought with it new restrictions. You had to stay 6 ft. apart from others. Grocery stores closed earlier then special hours for senior citizens were established. Aisles became one way and there were limits on how many items you could buy. Then only a certain number of shoppers could be inside the store at one time. More and more communities mandated the wearing of surgical masks or cloth face coverings as the number of people infected with Covid-19 continued to climb...along with the death toll. The rest of the school year was in doubt as proms were canceled and graduation ceremonies turned virtual. Masses were suspended. Restaurants could only serve take out or delivery. For some reason, liquor stores were deemed essential and remained open. Gas prices plummeted and our roads never appeared emptier.
Now that most of us are taking shelter in our homes, a group video chat service named Zoom seems to be all the rage. (I had never heard of it before the pandemic.) With few places to go and not much to do, the internet has become essential for maintaining connections with others but people are discovering it's a poor substitute for real world social interactions. We are less than two months into this new normal and already people are anxious and starting to complain about unprecedented levels of isolation.
If dealing with the loneliness from all those Covid-19 restrictions is weighing your soul down, imagine what lost sheep like me have endured for most of our lives. Long before this pandemic started, I've struggled with feelings of extreme isolation on a daily basis. I didn't go out all that much before the stay-at-home orders were issued and in the past I've suffered from chronic unemployment. Decade after decade have slipped by without many meaningful relationships and as you can see from this blog entry's introduction, friends continue to be a source of great disappointment. I hate to say this but dealing with the isolation brought on by Covid-19 is old-hat because I have been reluctantly practicing a form of social distancing for a very long time.
I still put in long hours at work since my job has been deemed essential. When my shift ends, I take care of my elderly mother and then help with dinner before retreating to my room. I may watch a couple of hours of TV just to decompress but then like the movie Groundhog Day, the process repeats itself all over again. Such a busy schedule leaves very little room for a social life but I am glad to get a paycheck every week especially when so many workers have lost their jobs.
My desire for attending trivia night may have disappeared for now, but with all the restaurant closures, I couldn't go anyway. If there's something to be learned from the social isolation brought on by the Covid-19 virus, I hope people will remember to treasure the relationships they have and not take anyone's feelings of loneliness for granted.
