December 10, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. (Psalm 26:8)

The enormity of the universe blows our minds. And yet it is contained in God. He's everywhere. And so we can encounter Him one-on-one anytime anywhere. On the one hand, that is true. On the other hand the omnipresent One tells His Church, the ekklesia, the assembly of His unipresent people, to worship Him corporately in a specific place at a specific time.

From what leaders have been saying, church attendance has been affected by the Covid pandemic even after it's long gone. Worldwide, it seems. A number of parishioners who used to be present every Sunday now don't come as regularly anymore. The online mass, while it serves a legitimate purpose for a few, is really an exception to the rule rather than a substitute for actually being there. I pray we all find the joy of the Psalmist when he realized that a day in God's courts is better than a thousand outside.