In December of 2020, amid the announcement of a new executive order in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam publicly suggested that Christian worship of God is just as effective at home as it is in a church. His comments, which convey his own opinion on what is fitting and proper to worship of God, raise a question for Catholics that is being asked across the nation: is it really that important to be physically present at church when we have the technology to watch a Mass remotely?
Though we cannot and should not mentally limit the grace of God to a physical place, the sacramentality of our Faith reinforces the importance of place in our public worship of God. God will always seek out and find His children who are homebound or infirm. But at the same time, we should hold fast to the truth that Christ in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is physically and mysteriously present in the tabernacle of every Catholic church. There we can be near Him in an intimate and unique way.
As Catholics we are called to frequently approach Christ in His mysterious and wonderful sacramental presence, for He is the Bread of Life who is always waiting for us to come to Him and accept His love, mercy, and grace.
In this lesson your students will:
Explore what Scripture says about worshiping God and being in His presence.
Discuss the role of government in Christian public worship.
Consider how the Catholic Church is called to respond in times of crisis and anxiety.
Examine what the Catechism teaches about the nature and mission of the Church.
Brainstorm how we can live out Christ’s proclamation that we are to be the light of the world.
First, have your students read over the Gospel passages in the Public Worship and the Presence of God in Scripture activity.
Have students underline all the words and phrases that have to do with physical spaces in one color, and things that have to do with gathering publicly with others in another color. Then have students either silently or in small groups consider the reflection questions.
When they have finished, have students share their answers with the class as part of a group discussion on what worship is, and what it requires of us. Share with your students the Catechism’s definition of worship: “Adoration and honor given to God, which is the first act of the virtue of religion. Public worship is given to God in the Church by the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ in the liturgy” (CCC Glossary).
Part II: 30 mins.
Have your students re-read the Scripture passages from the Public Worship and the Presence of God in Scripture activity, and the Catechism definition of worship, and highlight key points from the class discussion that followed.
Next, give them Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1179, 1180, 1181 & 1186, and have them read it in pairs or small groups.
When they have finished, have the groups discuss what they read in the Catechism in light of the Scripture passages from Part I using the discussion questions.
Part III: 35–45 mins.
Have the class read the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, followed by Northam Tells Virginians They Don’t Need To Be In Church For God To Hear Their Prayers, which can be found at the following link: SophiaOnline.Org/WorshipOrBuilding
Arrange your students into groups of three or four. Have them discuss what they read in the article and the Constitution, and compare it with what they read in the Part I and II activities using the discussion questions.
When each group has finished discussing, call on groups to share with the class some key points from their conversations. Lead a discussion on how the sacramentality of our Faith necessarily requires us to be physically present at Mass in order to experience it fully; the fact that Christ gives Himself to us mysteriously and totally in the Blessed Sacrament is our greatest gift.
Answer Key
Discussion Questions Part II
Christ, by His Death and Resurrection, has established the New Covenant, in which men are to worship God “in Spirit and in truth.” In the New Covenant the faithful are the "’living stones,’ gathered to be ‘built into a spiritual house.’ For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, ‘we are the temple of the living God’” (CCC 1179). This does not mean that it is no longer necessary to gather, or publicly worship God. It means that worship of God is no longer confined to one single location (the Temple in Jerusalem), and that wherever Christians do gather in Christ’s name, He is in the midst of them. The Church teaches that Christ is most fully present in the Eucharist, and He awaits us in the tabernacle of every Catholic church. It is in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we can draw closest to Him, and He in turn gives Himself to us most intimately; Holy Mass is the highest form of earthly worship.
The Catechism states that visible churches are, physically speaking, gathering places, but most importantly that they “make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ” (CCC 1180). God the Son,fully present in the Blessed Sacrament, dwells in the tabernacle of every Catholic church.
The Catechism states that a church is "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful” (CCC 1181). Accept reasoned answers.
The Catechism says that “In this ‘house of God’ the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place.” In other words, a church by its architecture, sacred art, arrangement, reverence, and quiet, should reflect the fact that Christ is truly present within, should inspire a prayerful attitude in the faithful, and guide the hearts and minds of those inside to heavenly contemplation and the truths of our salvation in Christ.
The Catechism says that “to enter into the house of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. The visible church is a symbol of the Father's house toward which the People of God is journeying and where the Father ‘will wipe every tear from their eyes.’ Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all God's children, open and welcoming.” Accept reasoned answers.
Accept reasoned answers.
Part III
The 1st Amendment protects the right to be free of a state-established church, the free exercise of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Accept reasoned answers.
The article reports that governor Northam of Virginia “urged those who wish to continue worshipping in person to stay home and practice recommended safety measures due to a rise in coronavirus cases.”
He said “For me, God is wherever you are...You don’t need to sit in the church pew for God to hear you prayers.” Accept reasoned answers.
It is a fundamental aspect of the Catholic Faith to be present and participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass through our active prayer and attentiveness, and most importantly to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Paschal victim, in the Holy Eucharist, thereby becoming fully incorporated into His mystical Body and gaining the grace to reflect the light of His love into the world around us.
It is the bishops who have authority within the Church, and their authority is passed on through apostolic succession, tracing back to Christ Himself who bestowed it to His Apostles at the Last Supper. In the United States this authority is even constitutionally protected, as the 1st Amendment prevents the government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion, and the freedom of assembly. It is important to make this distinction because God commands us to obey earthly authority, but only if it is just—therefore we must be clear who holds authority and the extent to which they may justly wield it. Accept reasoned answers
Accept reasoned answers
Accept reasoned answers. As with friendships, we risk becoming detached in our relationship with Him. We also risk becoming complacent in our habits of piety, and of spiritually starving ourselves of the real grace that we receive from the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, in which Christ invited us to physically participate: “take, and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). While we can unite ourselves to Christ in a way by making a spiritual communion, especially when we are unable to attend Mass because of health or truly impossible circumstances, it cannot be a permanent substitute for the Bread of Life for which we spiritually hunger—it cannot be considered normal, or become a habit, at the expense of physical communion. Without sustenance our bodies will starve, and the same is true for our spiritual life. For this reason, the Church calls priests and ministers of Holy Communion to visit the sick and infirm, bringing them the Blessed Sacrament when they are unable to be present at at Mass.
