Many individuals or groups may not be ready to take the present note seriously. However, as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) hits harder elsewhere and becomes increasingly an epidemic crisis in the Far East, we may have to start doing something about it --- indeed just about anything, even without precedence --- as long as it gives us a chance, even a very small one, to effectively fight back and take control of the situation. Frankly, after the magnificent achievements of the World Youth Day 2002, etc., what can the Catholics do for the world about this emergency in which the whole crisis may soon lose complete control over in some countries?
If an invisible super-heavy-weight boxing is occurring between "humanity" and "the invisible SARS virus", the world, the Catholics and even the Mass in general have just lost Round One. For example, the entire Toronto 500-member Catholic B.L.D. Charismatic Convenant Community (which believes in healing) had to be quarantined after attending Holy Mass and a prayer meeting. Fearing the consequences, significantly less people are attending Mass these days in afflicted areas. As confessions are not being held in confessional boxes, confessions are going down while sacrileges against Holy Communion are increasing unaccountably. At the same time, while countless Bible studies and prayer meetings have to be canceled, weaker people begin to distrust the actual power of attending Mass. Many doubt if this so-called "Perfect Prayer filled with infinite power" can actually help the world much.
As SARS hits harder in afflicted areas, many Catholics and even non-Catholics there may further lose their love, hope and faith in prayer, especially towards the God of salvation. Unconsciously and subconsciously, many may already be questioning about God's existence. God, if He is really almighty and alive as the Church teaches, must be dead, hidden, or sleeping somewhere. If He is not dead, we must find Him. And if we cannot find Him, well, we may have to live without Him as if He is just an empty symbol. As Almighty God cannot be dead, but where exactly is He hidden and sleeping? In Round One, the world, the Catholics, and the Mass are down, but not out. Before we lose Round Two in which anything can happen, what can the Catholics do? If man's crisis can become God's opportunity (as a proverb says) , what exactly can God's opportunity be in this case for the Catholics as well as for the non-Catholics?
God, grant us the SERENITY to accept the things we cannot change, COURAGE to change the things we can, and the WISDOM to know the difference. A famous U.S. Secretary of Defense once made a comment with regards to the more advanced weaponry: "During a special time, we may have to examine what we possess and use it." Facing the increasing outbreak of SARS when countless Catholics and non-Catholics have become indescribably confused, vulnerable and helpless, we may have to start thinking likewise. While seeking to apply all the possible medical and social means for this emergency situation, we may have to ask with all seriousness as never before: "What else might the Catholic Church possess for our battle against SARS?" Without doubt, only after every possible means against SARS has been seriously tried can we begin to accept SARS as something absolutely unavoidable for our voluntary reparation of sins.
In this soul searching, we cannot but question: If the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the Perfect Prayer, the Re-enactment of the Holy Sacrifice of Christ Himself, possessing the same infinite power, why it is that after so many Masses are said against SARS and the disease is still not getting any better in areas aflicted? Is God along with the Mass defeated in this situation? Do we have to wait the crisis out? As we know, "The 1918 influenza epidemic swept over the Earth like a wave of death, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing as fast as it came. In one year of utter devastation and fear, 21 million people died, including 50,000 Canadians." (Toronto Star April 16, 2003, p. A6) If we are not to wait it out, what else can we do as Catholics? According to an Oriental proverb, after a long, frantic and fruitless search, the solution sometimes may just sit right in front of us.
If Christ is really God, the unsurpassed Saviour of the whole world as we believe, the most effective solution against SARS may have to do with the Holy Sacrifice of Christ or the Mass. Imagine the consequence which would happen to the world, for example, if the effects of this Holy Sacrifice had been fully activated or released. Indeed, it would be the New Heavens and the New Earth where God and humanity will live together in perfect peace forever and ever, without any more sickness, pain, stress, panic, death, and tears, etc. (cf. Rev 21:1-7). But before the New Earth would take place, could we have a little foretaste of it where SARS would be halted effectively? Certainly, if the Perfect Prayer (i.e., the Holy Sacrifice of Christ Himself or the Mass itself) is really the Perfect Prayer, we Christians -- especially the Catholics -- would become either the Problem or the Solution. Differently said, due to our lack of faith, we Catholics have not yet properly activated or released the effects of the Holy Sacrifice of Christ or Mass through its necessary preparation, celebration, and absorption.
As we know, there can be three essential parts regarding the activation of effects of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: (1) the necessary preparation; (2) the necessary celebration; and (3) the necessary worship, visitation, exposition, procession, and good acts, etc., as effective means of activation outside Mass. The latter, i.e., part 3, is in fact "strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 25). Pope John Paul II further states: "The Eucharist is a priceless treasure: by not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 25). We need, therefore, to do all the three parts properly, thanks to the Pope's timely encyclical, i.e., Ecclesia de Eucharistia, as issued most recently on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003.
Ideally, the whole situation of the world today, insofar as SARS and the activation of Christ or the Mass are concerned, may be Biblically pictured in terms of Christ's calming of the storm (cf. Mk 4:36-41). As the whole world is now in the same boat face to face with SARS, we may soon be approaching the breaking point en masse when we cannot but cry out in untold desperation: "Lord, do you not care that we are perishing?" (cf. Mk 4:38) Awakened or activated, Christ will then say: "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" (Mk 4:40) Having Christ the most powerful Drum Card hidden or sleeping just right in front of us, all is needed is to wake Him up humbly, in prayers and adoration. In other words, with the Holy Sacrifice of Christ freely at our disposal, what clearly lies ahead of us is therefore to do what is needed with regards to the full activation of its awesome effects. Accordingly, not only do we have to do the necessary preparation and the necessary celebration in great devotion, but we also have to learn to absorb or activate its full effects after Mass.
There seems to be three shining examples regarding the importance of the after-Mass activation. The first example took place with St. Clare when the Barbarians were at the gate of her convent in an attempt to demolish the whole community and everything in it. Out of utter desperation, the saint confidently brought out the Holy Eucharist in a monstrance and confronted the invading enemy in public exposition and procession. History tells us that, without any natural explanation, the invaders suddenly fled (cf. Joan Carroll Cruz, Eucharistic Miracles, Tan Books, 1987, p. 256) . The second example is something which many Catholics are familiar with. As we know, most miracles in Lourdes, France, tend to happen before the public exposition and procession of the Blessed Sacrament. Christ seems very pleased to pour forth His healing power there in superabundance.
The verity of the third example to be given here should be discerned in light of the first two time-tested ones as the evidence is only based on the observation of some Catholics in Hong Kong. Accordingly, what is happening in Macau today is against human logic. As far as the latest statistics show, there were no deaths except for one infections of SARS at location (as of May 2, for details see WHO), while Hong Kong and Guangdong (a southern province of China), two of its closest neighbours, have both come upon dozens of deaths and hundreds of infections. The main reason seems to be that there were quite a few Catholics in that area who were bold or foolish (for Christ) enough to do Eucharistic exposition and public procession earlier as a defensive measure against SARS. "Christ woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm" (Mk 4:40).*
Coming out of the 20th century characterized by its extreme scienticism, materialism, secularism, Pelagianism**, intellectualism, and demytholigization, it may be difficult for many Catholics to take the above examples seriously without some grave hesitations and doubts. However, as the crisis of SARS hits harder, we may have to think countless times before dismissing any of these supernatural interventions. If God, the greatest weapon and the most effective means against SARS, is hidden or sleeping just in front of us, what are we waiting for? Do we want to be defeated in Round Two?
Adoro te 
devote, latens Deitas …***
(Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 15).
As SARS hits harder, we Catholics
may become either the Problem or the Solution with regards to
the Holy Sacrifice of Christ or the Mass, i.e., the edge or the
most effective positive measure against SARS and any natural disaster.
****
* While some people may argue that this case with Macau is not yet properly documented and that such a miraculous figure may cease any time. But this is precisely the point: as SARS hits harder, even the unprecedented means with a slim chance of success may have to be seriously tried and deployed as a part of our defensive measures. According to Sing Tao Daily on April 24 there were 49 deaths and 1344 infections in Guangdong (p. B4), as well as 105 deaths and 1458 infections in Hong Kong (p. A20). In the latter figure provided by WHO, Macau had only one case of infection. However, in case the miraculous situation in Macau would change drastically, we will still have the two cases with St. Clare and Lourdes, France, to fall back to. Alleluia!
** A doctrine which teaches that we do not need God, i.e., we can do all things without God's help or participation.
*** This is part of a Eucharistic hymn composed by St. Thomas Aquinas. It simply means "I adore Thee devotedly, hidden God."
**** If the above makes some sense, feel free to make copies and pass them around. For a smaller file which takes only 3 pages of download printing, click here. Praise God!
***** As the crisis situation in Canada seems over, let us truly thank God and those who have prayed for this country, in particular in terms of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. However, since SARS continues to hit China harder, perhaps we have some Christian duty to pray for the people there too. (As there are various degrees of God's divine presence insofar as His omnipresence is concerned, one may ask then "Where is God most divinely or intensely present and active today?" Apparently, just as God was most divinely or intensely present and active in and through Jesus Christ two millennia ago, God is now most divinely or intensely present in and through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass not Christ and His salvation of the world being made present to us in a profound even incomprehensible mystery? According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the whole Christ is now both present in Heaven and in the Sacred Host.) Are we not in the same boat or global village? Besides, we certainly do not want the same cycle to recur again.