I'm going to stick my neck out here a little bit on a controversial topic, because I think it's important to talk about this openly. I ask that people be courteous, calm, and loving in their responses. The topic is Church closures and restrictions during this pandemic.
There seem to be two positions people are taking on this on the edges, with a lot of people in the middle. On the one hand, there are people who see any changes in normal Church life, whether it be cancelling services, restricting the number of people who can come, or taking extra hygiene precautions as being tantamount to denying Christ and lacking faith. On the other hand, there are people who think that continuing to have *any* services at all is incredibly reckless and shows a complete lack of concern and love for our neighbors, especially those who are particularly at risk and vulnerable.
If You Think Nothing Should Change
I first want to speak to the first group, the group that wants Church life to continue exactly as normal. In my heart, I think I'm closest to this group. Not being able to have Church like normal, with everyone there and participating, is very painful. As a priest, it's hard serving in a mostly empty Church, not because of the emptiness per se, since small parishes are often quite beautiful, but because I feel the weight in my heart of every person that would normally be there but isn't. I think it's the same for most priests. On a normal Sunday, we notice when people are absent and miss them and worry about them. Liturgy isn't just something that the priest does while the people watch. It's something that we all participate in together, and it hurts when some (or in this case many) are missing.
If your heart is hurting because your normal Church life has been disrupted, that is a very good thing. It would be unhealthy if your heart didn't hurt when you can't be in Church. We *should* want to be at Church, participating in the services, as often as we can. I'm not glad that this is happening, but I am glad that it's hard (if you understand what I mean).
And it is true that as Christians, we don't need to be afraid, even of death. Christ has conquered death and so, whether we die young or live to an old age, in life and in death, we belong to Christ. It's also true that the Eucharist is not a source or vector for disease (and this isn't a point I want to debate and so comments questioning that will be deleted -- this isn't the place).
However, as Christians, we do still participate in the fallen and broken world around us. We can get sick and (more importantly) we can spread sickness to others by being in close proximity to each other. And even if we don't fear death (and we shouldn't) and even if we're not in an at-risk category for COVID-19, we could still spread the virus to other people. In my own parish, I have people that are vulnerable, whether because of age or disease. We have an obligation to care for our neighbors' health and wellbeing, both physical and spiritual, and cannot be as carefree with the lives of others as we are with our own lives.
As Orthodox Christians, though, we know that history is important. How as the Church responded in times of disease or plague before? Surely closing churches or restricting attendance is something new? No, actually. There are many examples from history of Churches being closed or restricted during a pandemic. Most recently, it happened in places during the Spanish Flu epidemic. To be clear, I don't believe the government has the right to order Churches to be closed under any circumstances and I favor keeping them open with at least a skeleton crew, but we need to make a distinction between persecution because of our faith and public health measures.
Many bishops have been called on to make difficult decisions for which many of them are being judged and condemned. But think about the love you had for your bishop before all this happened and about the care they've always provided in the past. In my own case, I know both Met. Joseph and Bp. Anthony to be men of great faith and integrity, who take their faith seriously and who really love and care about those entrusted to their care. I have always trusted them in the past, and I trust them now.
Priests as well are having to make difficult decisions and also figure things out on the fly. This wasn't something that was covered in seminary. By God's grace, we've all lived through several generations without a worldwide pandemic like this. Both bishops and priest are having to learn as we go and we have and will make mistakes. But we're trying to be faithful under difficult situations and we need your prayers and your patience, even if we make mistakes.
No bishop or priest that I know is looking at this time as a vacation, where they are freed from their normal workload. On the contrary, most are *more* busy than usual, as we try to figure out how to provide spiritual care during a difficult time and try to gather and make available as many resources as possible, holding events online, fielding calls from worried and scared parishioners, etc.
Some people have asked why priests aren't visiting and bringing Communion to all their parishioners individually. Believe me, we would love to! However, many of us have directions from our bishops not to, and not without reason. Our most important duty is to be able to visit the sick and dying, which we very well might have to do during this. If we need to do that, we will do that without fear. Already in Italy, over 60 Catholic priests have died from catching COVID-19 by visiting the sick. They did the right thing. Just over a hundred years ago, Fr. Nicola Yanney died after catching the Spanish flu from ministering to the dying.
But hospitals here have already started to forbid visitors, including clergy. Those hospitals that would still let us visit often check our health and ask questions about who we've had contact with. In order to be able to visit the sick and dying, we have to stay healthy and practice social distancing.
If You Think Everything Should Be Closed
If, on the other hand, you find yourself in the camp of thinking that it's crazy to have any services at all, even with a small group of faithful, I would ask you not to underestimate what a powerful and necessary thing prayer is, especially the prayer of the Church. Even when most people can’t attend the services temporarily, it is still a good thing for the entire Body of Christ that the Divine Liturgy be celebrated. When a priest serves Liturgy, he generally prays for each of the people in the parish by name during the Proskomedia. While it would be better if the whole Church could be together physically during the Divine Liturgy, it is better for everyone, even those at home, that the services continue in some form. Cancelling the services entirely is a very difficult and heavy decision for a bishop to make and it gives me hope and confidence to see how important it is to them that worship to God continue.
Don’t be surprised if you see other people upset and heartbroken about normal parish life changing for awhile or about not being able to go to Church. Christ is our life and Church and the Liturgy are far more than a social club. During a time like this of fear and uncertainty, our hearts should yearn for Christ. To many people, it feels as if Christ is being withdrawn, right at the holiest part of the year and people are right to feel upset and to mourn. However, we should encourage each other and remind each other that, just like Christ was with all of the many saints of the 20th century in the gulags and concentration camps, many of whom went without Liturgy for decades, so also He will be with us in the midst of this trial. God never abandons us.
To Both Groups
Whether you find yourself in the first or the second “camp,” it’s important to remember that times of crisis and stress are always a time of testing from God. They can bring out disagreements and rouse our passions (anger, pride, judgment, etc) by they are also a wonderful opportunity for us to learn to love each other in practice, not just in theory. St. Silouan the Athonite reminds us that “our brother is our life.” And the Apostle John reminds us, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20) This pandemic will pass and before we know it, life will return (more or less) to normal. However, if we’re not careful with our words and actions, the damage we might do to our relationships might endure past this crisis.
If, on the other hand, we are patient with each other, and charitable in our words, then our love will be an example to the world and our Church and our parishes can emerge from this stronger than before.
We can’t change the circumstances that the world finds itself in right now. However, we need to remember that Crosses that come to us unexpected and unsought are almost always gifts from God and opportunities for us to grow in Christ. When things happen against our will, we should remember that our will has to die if we mean it when we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” While we cannot change the circumstances, by God’s grace and help, we can be faithful in the midst of them. These are the circumstances in which God Himself is calling us to “work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).”
May God bless and keep each one of you and your families and loved ones safe and healthy and even more importantly, may He grant us all “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” which will “guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).”
Be patient, be faithful, say your prayers, read the Scriptures, keep the fast, be gentle and kind, and in all things, remember to be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the world.