The letter of Peter today calls us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation and a people of God’s own ownership. It likewise calls us living stones that make up the building of the spiritual temple, which is the Church.
We are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The buildings we call churches are closed and we cannot get in them. It is good to know that these stones, this wood and these bricks are not the Church, but that we are the Church of God, the spiritual temple. This is the Church we make up, as with living stones.
I know that many have wanted to assist at Mass and have missed not receiving the Eucharist. They have missed participating in the Mass. All of us, however, are priests in the royal priesthood we have become in baptism. The priesthood of ordination is based on the priesthood of baptism and flows from this baptismal priesthood. This priesthood is not less than the priesthood of ordination but is the foundation of the priesthood of ordination.
In this time of virus, we had to celebrate Mass and receive the Eucharist through our place in the world, in our homes, in our work, in our conversations. True spiritual communion flows out of these instances, these works, these conversations, this life and this daily priesthood. Doing the work of our baptism is receiving spiritual communion.
In this time of pandemic, our communion with Jesus is through our communion with all the others. Our mass, our sacrifice, our reality is our communion with the Lord in his whole body on this earth. It is always this way. This communion is sacramental because it is a sign of the baptismal priesthood we have all received. Someday, again, we are going to celebrate in Mass the fullness of these spiritual communions.
Our actions lead us to the Mass and the Mass leads us to heaven. The Mass is very important, but at this time, our daily actions have to lead us to this eventual Mass.
This time of pandemic is the time for glorifying God for his outstanding work. For his glory God has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation and a people of God’s own ownership. We have to use this priesthood of ours for the glory of God and the well-being of the rest of creation.