Q: With all this new technology the Church is using, why can’t I just receive my sacraments virtually?
A: These tough days of battling the worldwide epidemic COVID-19 are slowly revealing more challenges than just those who are struggling to fight the disease. I suspect these days will be the subject of thousands of studies over the next 100 years until this current generation outlives those who battled the pandemic. And, God forbid, if the world ever faces a pandemic like this again, these days will be remembered and decisions will be based upon the successes and failures of how we faced the pandemic of the 2020’s. We are all impacted by COVID-19 in one way or another. In the beginning days, we were homebound, unable to attend Mass, deprived of face-to face contact with family and friends, donning facemasks, working from home, ordering delivered groceries and so much more. I am sorry for those who mourn the death of a loved one, as well as brides and grooms, graduates and all those who have been unable to celebrate these important moments as they would normally.
At the same time, we have been inspired by tremendous creativity. If anyone mentioned the word “zoom” to me on New Year’s Day, I would have thought I needed to find a magnifying glass or play with the camera on my cell phone to get a closer look. Now technology, such as the video conference online program Zoom, provides us at least some form of communication with each other.
But, media such as Zoom, doesn’t work for everything, especially the sacraments.
Even before video conferencing ever existed, many people asked, “Why can’t I receive the sacraments virtually? Can’t I simply text my sins to the priest?” Or, more recently, “If I can see the priest on my computer (even when I keep my camera off for anonymity), why can’t I go to confession to him?”
It’s a good question, and the answer is not difficult to understand. All of the seven sacraments are a personal encounter with the Risen Lord and involve both word and action that require some physical action and element. For instance, you cannot be baptized without water touching your forehead. You cannot receive the Sacrament of Confirmation unless the sacred chrism oil is imposed on your forehead by the bishop or his delegate. You cannot be ordained a priest or deacon without the bishop’s imposition of his hands on your head The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick requires blessed oil to be placed on the sick person by a priest. When someone is married, the priest or deacon is physically present to witness the unity of a man and a woman, and symbolized by the exchange of rings. You cannot receive Communion without the consecrated bread and/or the consecrated wine.
Thus, why would the Sacrament of Reconciliation be any different? Making a sacramental confession requires the physical presence of the penitent, the words of absolution and the priest making the sign of the cross toward the penitent. Don’t forget, Jesus was physically present when he gave the apostles the power to forgive sins. And priests, by their ordination, are Pax Christi, standing in for the “person of Christ.”
Sadly, many people have been unable, or simply resisted, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But that doesn’t lessen the power of the sacrament or the infusion of its grace. So if you can, put your mask on and go to confession. Remember, you can’t eat food without the food being there. And sacramental forgiveness cannot be there without the penitent being there.