The laity’s experience of livestreamed Masses

“The live streaming Mass held on Sunday is a great initiative by the Archdiocese of KL for all of us in this time of partial lockdown of the nation.

Mar 29, 2020

“The live streaming Mass held on Sunday is a great initiative by the Archdiocese of KL for all of us in this time of partial lockdown of the nation.

“I feel the Holy Spirit inside me while following the Mass online. The Act of Spiritual Communion touched me as I prayed it in place of physical Communion.” -- Olivia Corina, Church of St Joseph, KL

“Despite not being physically present and taking communion, the celebration of Mass via YouTube has also reached out to us spiritually, as I believe Christ is everywhere, at one with us as we receive Him into our hearts and minds.” -- Francis Wen, St Ignatius Church, PJ

“As a student from Sabah, the suspension of Masses makes it an extra challenge on top of being away from home for studies.

“Last Sunday, I followed the Mass from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Kota Kinabalu and it felt like home! As we sat in front of the screen, there were minimal distractions. I was impressed by how creative we can be with technology  and never imagined that we could have Masses online.

“This experience shows how often we take things for granted, now that we do not have the chance to go to Church. However, it reminds us that we are the Church, and God lives in each and everyone one of us.”-- Isavera Jacqueline Abah, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang

“I have been attending online Masses for the past few days, and what I felt was that it was completely different from attending Mass in church, you are merely watching everything on a screen in front of you. But spiritually, it helped me to deepen my faith.

I realised that even though I cannot receive Jesus sacramentally, God is always present spiritually in our hearts. We are spiritually united despite the pandemic stopping us from gathering together as a physical church. I believe this is where God is testing our faith and where He is going to work miracles. Let us be safe and overcome our fear of the virus, as Joshua 1:9 says: Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.-- Alvinus Bryan, Taiping Catholic Church, Perak

“One word that can I use to describe: Spirituallymotivating. We feel like there is no gap, the emptiness is filled and there is a spiritual connection which makes us feel together. It is certain that we miss worshipping God as a big family through the parish in our public Masses, nevertheless we must always remember that our own families are domestic churches too. “During this challenging time, let us console and pray for one another as we place our hope in God. As Catholics, we should continue to live in the spirit of loving God and loving our neighbour.” -- John Sandana Dass, City Parish, Penang

"We really miss our Sunday Masses at the church. But during this time of crisis, we adhere to the government’s call and the call of our bishops in Malaysia,” said Peter.

Anamary, his wife, says that their daughter Marlina Sara who is the Liturgy chairperson of St Anne’s Basilica, Bukit Mertajam, makes sure she arranges the online streaming and we all participate in the Mass together and stay in spirit with the whole Catholic community.

“We also say our daily prayer and Rosary for the healing of this pandemic.” -- Peter Sylvester and his wife Anamary, Church of St Anne, Bukit Mertajam

“This is a good initiative for us to participate in the Mass, even in difficult times when our country is facing the Movement Control Order due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We thank God that with the advancement of technology which has led to the positive benefits of social media and the Internet, we can now attend Mass online despite not being able to be present at church. It helps me to be close to God even  during this time when we are physically away from His sanctuary.

“I hope that our dioceses and parishes can consider continuing online Masses even after the suspension has been lifted, this can encourage those who do not have time or do not participate regularly in Mass to tune in and celebrate the goodness of our Lord.” -- Abel Goh, Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Balik Pulau

“With the live streaming of Masses, it is hassle-free for we get to listen more clearly to the homily of the priest. This gives us an opportunity to be at Mass together as a family, and to participate fully in the Mass. As a choir member, we have to do our duty diligently and at times cannot fully concentrate in Mass.

“Though we are not physically in church, I find joy in being able to sit down with my family and grow together with them in faith by listening to the Word of God online.” -- Theresa Wong, Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Balik Pulau

“Live streaming of Masses proved to be very effective and it also gave us the opportunity to attend more than one Mass as several links were available from Penang, KL, CDM Sungai Ara, Miri and etc. Although proven positive, the quality of some of our live streaming links and their presentation could be better. “In our BEC, most of the families are getting together to watch the Mass. Although we cannot gather as a BEC, we use our WhatsApp chat group so that all our members are kept well informed of the Mass times, links and special prayers. “This period of Restricted Movement has paved the way for increased spirituality: more individual prayer, reading and sharing of Catholic literature and discussions within families.” -- Iruthaya Das, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments