Where To Pray Now?

Our church is closed. Mass is being prayed but the public cannot attend. All the beautiful events that were planned for Advent and Christmas are now shuttered. No Adoration, no rosary, nothing on Sunday except watching Father on youtube. It is profoundly sad. I even thought of writing the bishop to beg him to open the church for limited numbers of individuals to pray in assigned and sanitized seats.

Then I read a letter from a woman to her local Catholic paper. She reminded readers that when a bishop was once asked, years ago, by parishioners, where to pray when the church was closed, he replied, in the street. That is where I am taking my prayers.

When I go on my daily mental health walks, I will try to go past the hospital and if I am not already praying the rosary then I will say an Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be. I will pray for the sick in ICU, their caregivers, and their families.

When I am in town at the grocery store, I will pray for all the people wandering the streets that are either drugged up, drunk, looking for a fight, or just plain lonely. There are so many now. I have lived here over 30 years and there have never been so many souls in need. When I smile at them that is also a prayer.

When I look across the street at dusk and see my neighbour’s colorful Christmas lights, I will say a prayer of thanksgiving for living in a safe neighbourhood, for the roof over my head, for the gift of sight, and for my neighbour who has given me some joy in this strange season.

When I am on a video chat with my neighbour down the street, whom I can no longer visit in person, I will be grateful that technology can be used for good. I will pray in thanksgiving that we are both getting the social interaction we need.  

And for those that cannot get out to the street, where will they pray? The Holy Father tells us that, “St. Joseph reminds us, that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.” He also says, “each of us can discover in St. Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”

Looks like we have our work cut out for us!