An empty Cathedral

I have celebrated private Masses in my life as priest.  After ordination as I completed my studies in Rome we often found ourselves as new priests celebrating private Masses in a small chapel at Saint Peter's Basilica or the private Masses chapels at the North American College or Casa Santa Maria.  But never have I celebrated a private Sunday Mass in an empty Cathedral.  It has been an unusual and surreal, yet powerful and moving experience this past week to celebrate Mass in a worship space that normally holds 1,000 congregants at Mass on Sunday and now was empty.  A lector and cantor and two television ministry volunteers joined me for Mass this past Sunday.  It doesn't seem real to be preaching to rows and rows of empty pews as your voice resonates in ways never before heard in the Cathedral during the celebration of Mass.  But here we are day after day celebrating Mass closed to the public - but completely conscious and aware of the deep bonds of communion that join us to all who are present - but in a different way.  Hundreds and hundreds of people tuning in on the television or the internet.  We have heard from so many of them - grateful, comforted, lifted up, humbled and conscious of the power of the Holy Sacrfice of the Mass touching their hearts and lives in a different way but still transforming and prayerful.  What a blessing it is to know that we can bring the Holy Mass into the hearts and homes of the faithful in this time of crisis and need.  As we invited those we could not see to join us in praying the Act for Spiritual Communion there was a tightness welling up in my throat and I could see the emotional response of both the cantor and the lector.  This is the true gift that faith can bring.  This is what the Eucharist is all about.  We may be in isolation from one another physically, keeping our social distancing, unable to embrace or shake hands, but here we were in complete solidarity and communion with Our Lord and Savior and  all our brothers and sisters who make up the Body of Christ, the Church. This is true and authentic communion.  It is the meaning of the Real Presence and it creates the bonds of unity and love that we so desperately need. Tune in!