Friday Though with Fr Chris Ferguson: Welcome back

As you can imagine, the scenario wasn’t without complications. If it wasn’t for the generosity of our cleaners and stewards, quite simply, the churches wouldn’t be open. The government has laid down guidelines and without the support of our volunteers, as a Church, we wouldn’t be able to facilitate a return to the public celebration of Mass. What is required in the days and weeks ahead, will be much patience, tolerance, a spirit of understanding, and a willingness to work together. I soon discovered what one of the greatest barriers to a safe return to public Masses will be, namely, myself. There are days when I feel I’m the Mr Bean, or the Frank Spencer of priesthood. During the week it was decided Holy Communion would be distributed at the end of Mass. Two days later something unusual happened, Father McCaughey changed his mind.

Now, Holy Communion is being distributed during the Communion Rite. In the old days, this was straight forward and normally without problems. Now the Eucharistic minister or priest has to don a facemask and apply alcohol gel upon their hands. These procedures I fully understand and endorse; however, I soon discovered these measures are not foolproof. A number of years ago there was an Italian footballer, Mario Balotelli, who hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A video went viral of the footballer struggling with a training bib. For over five minutes the Italian tried to dress in a bib, but to no avail, and only got tangled in knots. This was me during the week with a face mask. Firstly, I couldn’t understand why there where three strings attached to the mask, only to discover there were three strings, because I had lifted three masks. When I finally separated the strings and masks, the string of the mask I tried to place around my head, nipped. This caused a certain amount of amusement upon the congregation.

If this wasn’t bad enough, afterward, I tried to sanitise my hands with the alcohol gel, only to miss my hands completely, and cover my vestments in gel. I was telling my brother in El Salvador about my woes this week. During the conversation, we compared Lockdown stories and local social distancing procedures. In the course of our phone call, my brother mentioned a story told by his local priest. The Belgian native described the scene as a grandfather and grandson took their donkey and cart to the market. Feeling the heat of the afternoon sun, the grandfather told his grandson to sit on the cart. Soon people began to grumble, complaining that the grandson had left an old man to walk during the warmest part of the day. In response, the grandson asked his grandfather to use the cart. Though and behold, others complained about the old man making his grandson walk in the fierce heat. Finally, the grandfather and grandson decided they would both walk.

So, the locals complained about the pair not using the good cart. In the weeks and months ahead, we will struggle to find ideal solutions, regarding a safe return to the public celebration of Mass. Yet, if we work together, hopefully, a road map can be created, allowing all of us to safely worship together. Whilst these procedures can seem like a burden, we are reminded by Jesus ‘come to me, all you who labour and overburdened, and I will give you rest… for my yoke is easy and my burden light.’ Our burdens will be light if we accept our responsibilities of being a child of God. Jesus came that we might have life and have life to the full. In the Kingdom, we have one Patron, who provides protection and a place of security and belonging, to all who call upon his name. By our lives, by our words and actions, we reveal who our true patron is. If our patron is our Heavenly Father, then we’ll be challenged to see beyond our own needs and wants. In supporting and caring for one another, we help each other carry our burdens. To be a child of God means welcoming and recognising others as a member of our family.