Most of the research on social interaction and influence says that in-person interactions are more influential, meaningful, and memorable than those online.
– DANIEL COX, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
The movement control order (MCO) has driven religious services online as all mass gatherings including those in houses of worship have been banned to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
For example, last Friday, I and thousands of other Catholics followed Good Friday Service 2020 live-streamed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore starting at 3pm.
Due to the need to follow the social distancing rule to contain the spread of Covid-19, only the priest and an altar boy appeared in the video. The altar boy did certain tasks like bringing candles to the altar, etc. Most of the time, the video focused on the priest.
There were singing and readings of the Gospel by other people but they were not shown in the video.
To me, following the online Good Friday service was unusual but quite interesting. I was glad I could still attend the service although it wasn’t the traditional one.
During the solemn intercession, there was a prayer for those affected by Covid-19. It went like this: Grant health to those who were sick because of Covid-19, strength to those who cared for them and salvation to all victims who died.
Like all Good Friday services in previous years, the online one also featured the veneration of the cross which was done by the priest only. During a normal Good Friday service, Catholics would line up to venerate the cross after which they put their offerings into baskets left at the side of the cross.
As I followed the online service, there were slight glitches along the way. Sometimes, there was no sound and I had to touch the screen of my handphone to re-hear what was read or said.
When it came to the reading of the passion of Christ, 30,244 people followed the service! That day, many churches all over the world streamed their own Good Friday services.
Following an online church service at home needs some discipline. While I was following the service, my mother, who is a dementia patient, sat beside me and asked me many irrelevant questions like “Whose clothes are those?”, “Are we going home tonight?” and “Where are all the children in the house?”
I just told her to keep quiet and showed her the video of the service. That, however, did not stop her from pacing up and down the room during the service which took more than one hour.
The sermon was good. Among the things the priest said were: “Jesus conquered death by his death. All of us fear death. The Covid-19 pandemic brought the whole world to its knees. For those who do not believe in God but in technology or money, none will be spared. The world can overcome anything but not death.”
Powerful word for thoughts, I thought.
By the time the online service ended, 32,059 people had followed it.
Last Friday was also a day to remember as it was the day when the federal government decided to extend the MCO by another fortnight from April 15 to 28.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the decision was taken to give space to healthcare personnel battling the pandemic to prevent it from spreading further.
He explained that it was also in line with the view of the World Health Organisation which suggested that countries should not end the MCO too early. WHO said that in several countries, the pandemic increased after the MCO was lifted.
The MCO was first enforced in Malaysia from March 18 to 30. Later, it was extended from April 1 to 14.
Muhyddin said that although the enforcement of the MCO had helped healthcare personnel to contain the spread of the disease to a level that was quite stable, the country could not afford to view the situation lightly, hence, the extension.
Will the MCO be extended again after April 28? We don’t know yet. But one thing’s for sure, even after that, large gatherings in churches and other religious places might still be forbidden for a few months more.
That means Catholics and other Christians in the country have no choice but to get used to online church services, which are definitely better than no service.
Indeed as pointed out by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing yesterday, Malaysians must learn new ways of doing business, new lifestyles and religious ethics as a result of the MCO.
Covid-19, he said, demanded greater resilience from all Malaysians and the world community to embrace the “not as usual” lifestyle.
He said large gatherings in churches, mosques, and other religious places would have to be done away with until the pandemic had been contained.
