The Eucharist is the highpoint of our faith because it is the moment that we fully enter into the new covenant established by Jesus in his death and resurrection. Jesus’s love for us on the Cross is made tangible – literally – as we receive him in Holy Communion. In brief, this is why Catholics place such an emphasis upon the Mass. It’s also why, in ‘normal’ (read non-COVID) times, we have traditionally understood our participation at Sunday Eucharist to be an ‘obligation’; something that we need to do each week in order  to be united to Christ as part of his Church. 

But these are not normal times. One of the hardest things right now is that we are still not all able to attend Mass each week. It means that the most important connection point we have as a parish – being together each Sunday for Eucharist – is not available to us as we are used to, or as we would like. I guess we could spend a long time lamenting this, but another option is for us to find the possibility that this presents. What does this moment offer us that we might not have otherwise found?

We cannot all meet for Mass, but we can meet together in smaller numbers. That’s why we are running our ‘Connect Series’ for five weeks starting Sunday 25 October. This is an opportunity for us to gather in groups to reflect upon ‘What Matters Most’ as we come to the end of 2020. We want it to be an opportunity for us to discover and reflect upon the places, moments, and experiences where God has been at work in this difficult year. We will reflect upon the Sunday readings and the homily in a small group setting.

Most importantly, we want to do this together. We want to make sure that people are still connected in our parish while we cannot all meet together at Mass. You can start a Connect Series small group with as little as two other friends, and you can meet in person or online. I want to strongly encourage you to attend the Connect Series – because we are not supposed to follow Jesus alone; it’s essential, and at this time more than ever, that we walk the journey of faith together. 

For more information and to register for our upcoming Connect Series please click here.

This article first appeared as Chris's Column in the October issue of Declan's Well. To read this issue please click here.