Being a woman of a certain age–and asthmatic–in a location still fighting covid, I haven’t been to an in-person Mass since the first weekend in March. And while I’ve heard some wonderful homilies in Mass livestreamed from as far away as Malaysia, for Catholics, there’s nothing 
like the Eucharist.
So you can imagine my delight when I showed up for a weekend at a retreat center about 75 miles from home on Friday afternoon, and learned that a priest was on retreat as well, and would be offering Mass.
It was a small community–the Spanish priest, a brother from Italy, God, and me. I’d never been to a Mass quite so small. It was holy space, that’s for sure. I also found holy space earlier in the day in an eight-seat chapel off the sanctuary, where St. Clare of Assisi seemed to be personally and gently scrubbing my soul.
I hope it won’t be long before I attend another in-person Mass. I’m grateful for being fed today… 
and the reminder that one doesn’t need to be with hundreds of other people for God to come.
