Some Churches Are Still Packing in Crowds
A big part of this, I can speak for my church, is that we believe in a God, and thus God has control over plagues and disease. Therefore, it is logical to believe that we should offer more sacrifice and honor to God in these difficult times instead of less, in the hope that the long-term effects of the disease be reduced should it be God's will.We still take natural precautions, such as maintaining social distancing, as we believe that it is not ours to tempt God. As it says in the Bible story, Satan tempted the Lord to throw himself off of a building because scripture said the angels would catch him. Christ responded that it was also written in scripture that you should not tempt God. This week, to take natural precautions without denying the sacredness of the Mass, we actually filled the parking lot and celebrated Holy Mass with everyone watching from their vehicles. This way, viewers could participate in the Latin Mass with minimal risk of exposure.We obviously do not enjoy this method of worship. But, when it comes to ensuring the safety of the people while still trying to give honor and sacrifice, it's a compromise that's better than nothing.It's kind of like Lord of The Rings, a little bit. Frodo was called to do everything possible until the very end of the journey, whereupon Eru Illuvitar, the creator of Middle-Earth, intervened to cause Gollum to slip at the last moment. God expects us to give our all, and intervenes only when we've done everything we could have done. This is to allow those who fought against evil to attain glory, and those who fought for evil to attain humiliation.Which is more humiliating for evil? Being instantly defeated by an omnipresent, all-powerful God, or having been resisted and fought against by comparatively weak human beings who gave their all in resistance?