There are a couple of more things posted to our website which you might find helpful as you try to stay prayerful and connected to our faith community during these days.
Liturgical Press has compiled resources to help us pray the Holy Week liturgies at home in our families. You may find some of these ideas useful and prayerful ways to celebrate at home what we cannot do together in church. Feel free to adapt them according to your needs and circumstances. And if you use any of them, please share your experiences. Maybe we can put something together after Easter to share with our church family the various ways we’ve observed Holy Week (click the link below).
The Stations of the Cross which we had been using in church on Friday evenings is posted; just click here Stations of Cross and begin to pray. There is also a link to a page on the bishops’ website that lists the mysteries of the rosary and gives instructions on praying the rosary (http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/rosaries/how-to-pray-the-rosary.cfm). The daily scripture readings are always posted in our bulletin; they are also available on the bishops’ website: www.usccb.org.
One of the very big drawbacks of watching a Mass on a computer or TV screen is that we cannot receive communion — a moment that the entire prayer of the Mass is reaching toward. In these days many have been talking about spiritual communion. This is what that means:
Spiritual communion is a Christian practice of desiring union with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is used as a preparation for Mass and by people who cannot receive the Eucharist.
The entire Mass is, in reality, an exercise of spiritual communion. Until we can be together again and consume the Eucharist together as Jesus intended, let your participation in our online Mass be an experience of spiritual communion with Jesus and all of our brothers and sisters.