Why Does Streamed Mass Feel Weird?

This sounds like a silly question even as I bring it up. Of course, it’s weird because Mass is always together in person. We’re used to it. It’s what we expect. It’s just right for Mass to be how it normally is. 

But there might be more... 

Smell-o-vision has not yet been invented. But leaving the question of whether it is possible aside, a video just doesn’t convey as much information as in-person presence does. 

We, humans, have souls and bodies, and our bodies have five senses.
 

• We like to feel the pews, the hymnals, our neighbors at the sign of peace, and ultimately Jesus in the Eucharist.

• We hear a child ripping Velcro during the Eucharistic prayer, someone sniffling, the sound of footsteps, and more.

• We see the stained-glass windows, the devotional candles in the corner, the back of someone’s head in front of us blocking our view, a family coming in late, and the entrance and exit processions. 

• We smell candles, perhaps incense too. 

• We taste our Savior disguised with the same properties as bread and wine. 

All these are powerful because God speaks to us in the small details. He speaks to us in decorations, and even in distractions. It is a holy environment, not perfect, yet directed toward God. 

So much of this is missing when we are not physically present in person at Mass. 

Beyond what we miss out on in our experience, there is more to why watching Mass is not the same as being at Mass. 

When we watch a screen, we see light that is produced by that screen, not the light that is actually coming from what is depicted—like Fr. Carl’s bald head (just kidding). Same for the sound that comes out of our speakers at home. 

When we watch, using technology, we are not actually there. Ultimately, this is the reason why streamed Mass feels weird: It is only a re-presentation, not the real thing. 
 

So how can we deal with being away from Mass?

Well, watching does help us. It can’t give us the exact same grace as being at Mass in person and receiving the Eucharist, but it can still provide us with grace.

When we hear the Word of God and meditate on the divine mysteries, we are drawn closer to Him and we might even start to pray in our hearts.

Seeing Father consecrate the Eucharist is also powerful; it should fill us with a hope and peace that Jesus is still reaching into our world and giving Himself for our sakes. 

And finally, just seeing and hearing Mass can help us desire Christ all the more; this desire might become fruitful when we make a spiritual communion. 
 

Another part of the “feels weird” equation is Christmas. What does that mean? Jesus is God, but also human—He experienced His Incarnation or taking on flesh. By His life, he showed us that our bodies and all material things are good and that they can (and should!) be used for God. Because of this, we engage our senses and activities in our worship. 

So the more we use our bodies, the better we are participating in Mass...? Well not exactly. 

The ideal is when our bodily actions express hidden spiritual actions within us, actions hidden from other people, but not from God. 

So physical actions are lacking, in terms of worship, if done without a prayerful attitude.

Similarly, we can participate in Mass through an interior prayerful attitude alone, even without singing, responding, or moving; but taking this to an extreme could be distracting outside of a monastery and could lead us to reject the physical aspect of worship. 

Personal prayer can, and even should be connected to Mass, but it isn’t the fullness of what we are called to do at Mass.

By Christ’s incarnation, we know that we are supposed to use both our spirits and our bodies, to some degree, for holy acts, including worship. 
 

At this point, you might wonder, how can we make streamed Mass feel normal and best participate in it?

Ultimately, that’s the wrong question. We can follow along as if we were there, doing all the same kinds of things from a different environment, uniting ourselves to the Mass spiritually and topping it off with spiritual communion; but really what we do outside of watching Mass is almost more important.

We should work on the virtues of faith, hope, and charity in our daily lives, even if this is tough.

Faith can be hard to come by when we’re isolated from our normal faith community.

Hope is hard when we see negativity everywhere.

Charity becomes difficult when our patience wears thin from being cooped up with the same couple of people.

But we are always called to live out these virtues.

In fact, times, when challenges arise, are privileged times to work on the virtues. 

This period in our lives may also be an invitation to start a regular pattern of prayer if it isn’t already in our lives.

Give God some time. 

And if you are an Essential Worker, it is important to stay rooted in God! 

Many holy people have said to pray often, especially when you don’t have the time for it, and God will give you grace. I have personally found that often, the time I don’t want to pray is the time that provides the best prayer. 

So take this time as a great opportunity to grow in virtue and in relationship with the Lord. 

This is a very strange time. Yet please continue to stay plugged into streamed Mass for spiritual nourishment until we can come back together as a community worshiping our Eucharistic Lord.