TV Mass Is a Great Blessing

Last month I came down with a nasty cold, which, by the way, was my first cold since before COVID began. So, all that social distancing and washing my hands once a month really paid off! Thankfully, it wasn’t COVID, but I felt fairly lousy, so I decided not to go to Mass on Sunday morning. Instead, I watched Mass on TV, courtesy of the Hartford Archdiocese’s Office of Radio and Television.

It’s wonderful that the Archdiocese offers televised Mass every single day. For people who can’t get out of the house, such as the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, it’s a wonderful way to keep close to a crucial aspect of our faith. I have to admit, though, it felt a little weird being in my living room in my bathrobe and slippers, and trying to concentrate on the Mass. It was a sunny morning, so I had the blinds open, and when my neighbors went out for a walk, I noticed a puzzled look on their faces when they saw me standing in the middle of the room with my arms upraised, reciting the Our Father.

I was very grateful the Mass was available on TV, but the experience reminded me that there is nothing like being at church in person and worshipping as a group. (Keep this in mind, all you folks who never went back to church after the pandemic ended. If you’re in good health, the risks are virtually non-existent and the rewards are infinite.)

Anyway, as I was following along with the Mass on TV, I thought to myself, “I’m not in the same room where this Mass is being celebrated. It’s taking place about 20 or 30 miles away. But since it’s happening live and I’m praying along with the priest at the exact same moments he’s praying, it's like I’m actually there.”

Then, a few minutes later, I remembered how the ORTV operates. “Wait a minute,” I said to myself. “The daily Masses are televised live, but the Sunday Mass is recorded a few days in advance, because the priests need to be at their parishes rather than in the studio on Sunday mornings.”

So, I really was not praying along with the priest at the exact same moments he was praying. The Mass I was watching was just a recording. It was not actually occurring at the same time I was trying to participate in it. Hmm, does that make it invalid? Does that mean my thoughts and prayers and attention were not really a part of that Mass, since my involvement took place two or three days after the Mass was celebrated?

Well, the good news is, the answer to those questions is no. The Mass was not invalid, and my thoughts and prayers and attention were indeed a real part of that Mass. The reason this is true is very simple: The Almightly Creator of the Universe is completely outside of time. For God, every moment that’s ever occurred in history – past, present, and future – is as if it’s happening now. If a priest celebrates Mass on a Thursday, and if I follow along with a televised recording of that Mass on a Sunday morning, in God’s mind, I am praying along in complete unison with the priest. That’s how amazing our God truly is.

Now, if you think I’m going to explain how God can perceive every event of history as if it’s happening in the present moment, you are mistaken. Just thinking about God being outside of time gives me a headache.

The important thing to remember is that if you do follow along with a Mass on TV, regardless of when it was recorded, you are participating in that Mass. The other important thing to remember is that being at Mass in person in church is by far the best way. So, if you don’t have any health issues and now that I’m over my nasty cold, I’ll see you on Sunday!