Spiritual Communion at Online Masses Practiced of Catholics in Bangkok Archdiocese.

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed method research is 1) to study the value and meaning of receiving communion and receiving spiritual communion. 2) to recognize the value of
spiritual communion in the pastoral service of Christians.
The respondents are 400 Catholics who participated in the
online Masses of the Archdiocese of Bangkok during the
corona virus pandemic in 2019. The data were collected by
using an online questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, and content analysis. The results of this research reveal:
1. Receiving communion during Mass is an act of great
value for Christians. Bread and wine are consecrated into
the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which is spiritual food for Christians. When they receive it, Christians are one with Jesus Christ. Spiritual communion is a simulation of receiving communion in order to nourish the Christian
faith and spirit, and to have a close relationship with Jesus
Christ, although participation is not full. Therefore it is a
pastoral service corresponding to an exceptional situation
the practice of spiritual communion during online Mass
cannot be a substitute for receiving communion. Moreover,
The Mass presents a number of requirements: they have to be present, they receive something that really exists, participation and truths. The pandemic affected Christians both positively and negatively. It is also a challenging time. The Church and. more especially, the priests have to use online media as a proactive tool in the pastoral care of Christians. Christians noticed the pastoral innovation of priests in this situation, whether ordinary people, the elderly, the sick, the limited as those who feared to attend at the parish Mass. Brothers and sisters of other faiths were also able to participate to Mass more easily. The most important thing is to turn the house into a "parish".
2. The respondents can percept of value spiritual communion for the pastoral service of the Christians. At a
very high level. Considering each aspect, it was observed
that the perception of the positive effect of the online Mass among the sample was at a high level, the attending Sunday Mass had a moderate level, and the perception of
spiritual communion was at a high level.