Click here to read "A Faith Response to the Coronavirus"

Dispensation Lifted
Recently, the Catholic bishops of Indiana announced that the temporary dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is lifted as of June 11^th. The Diocese website provides the full communication from the diocese, including the description of those individuals who are exempted.

This reinstatement of the obligation provides the opportunity to renew our understanding of why the obligation exists, and what it implies. We often refer to the Church as “holy mother Church,” and this is a fitting description. A mother knows what’s best for the health of her children and seeks to nurture them. The Church (as mother) knows what keeps us spiritually healthy. We are reminded that we attend Mass not merely to “check the box” or to “get something out of it,” but rather because God has asked us to do so, and because God deserves it. Through the tablets on Mount Sinai, God has told us to “Keep holy the Sabbath.” But as we exclaim in the Preface dialogue at Mass, “It is right and just.” To worship God in the context of the Eucharistic sacrifice each Sunday is the fitting response to who God is. This sacrifice of praise at Mass outflows to us in Holy Communion. When we look at Sunday Mass through that lens, how could we ever ask if we "get something?” Instead, we get "Someone!" To miss Sunday Mass deliberately is a serious omission, and it is considered a mortal sin from which we must be absolved through the Sacrament of Confession.

Livestream and Online Resources
For those who are homebound or fit the description provided by the diocese, there are several options available to you to bring a livestream Mass to your home.

• EWTN

• The Basilica of the National Shrine

• Notre Dame

Arrangements can be made for an Extraordinary Minister to bring the Eucharist to the homebound as well. Information to request a visit can be found on our website at Holy Communion to the Sick.

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Free resources to support prayer and engagement during these difficult days:

• USCCB response to the Coronavirus and a list of websites for Mass, prayers, and daily reflections to help us all during this trying time. usccb.org/coronavirus

• Access to thousands of FREE movies, programs, audio, and books instantly! www.FORMED.org and enter the parish code QDFJ6B