Parishes have had to make do with online Masses due to coronavirus restrictions. Watching Mass at home is a poor substitute for full participation in the liturgy, Bishop Donal McKeown has warned.
He also said that the Church is held together “not by human strength but by God’s providence and plan”.
In a homily at the weekend, the Bishop of Derry expressed the “hope that we will soon be able to gather again in good numbers”.
“Worshipping from home may be the best that many can do at present. But it is a poor substitute for the sacramental intimacy that Jesus wants us to share with him and with each other each Lord’s Day.”
He also said that parishes need to become more dynamic. “The Gospel challenge is not to get people accustomed to a parish that offers less because there are fewer clergy. The real call is to work with passion to train parishes for an energetic confident proclamation of Jesus in a new situation.
“We can proclaim Christ’s missionary grace, which is at work in every generation, only when we stop our timid joyless narrative getting in the way. This is Christ’s Church, not ours,” he said.