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By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture - nobody here is suggesting that it is a bad thing to watch a Mass on TV or the Internet when one is not able to attend Mass, and nobody is suggesting it is a bad thing for bishops and pastors to enable those who are shut in to recall the wonder of the Mass in this way. Rather, the concern is that neither our shepherds nor ourselves should blur the line between recalling or thinking about the Mass (or about any sacrament) and actually participating in or partaking in the sacrament itself.

By Laura DeMaria, Catholic Stand - With churches now closed for over a month, more and more Catholics are becoming accustomed to ‘attending Mass’ via live-stream. But as I watched my Mass of choice recently (Fr. Charles Trullols at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, DC), I began to find it hard to remember what it is like to receive the Eucharist in person... The first time I heard of the “act of spiritual communion,” was when the Archdiocese of Washington, DC closed in March. I started saying St. Alphonsus Liguori’s traditional spiritual communion prayer with a sense of, “I hope this works!”

By Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register - Many dioceses are “suspending” the sacrament of confession. As the permission of the bishop is required for the validity of absolution, it is necessary to clarify that even when “suspended” confessions remain valid… Yet priests are still in need of pastoral guidance. And the guidance that the sacrament is to be entirely suspended creates some confusion for them and the faithful.