I am a diocesan priest in the parish of Cyrill and Method in the Archdiocese of Vienna, and a teacher at the For many persons, who find spiritual nourishment in the liturgy of the Church, and especially the Eucharist, it is a great sacrifice and a hard burden to be unable to participate in the Holy Mass at this time. They can identify well with the words of today's reading: "We have… no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you."
This forced deprivation can, however, also be an opportunity to pursue more intensely spiritual practices, that can also unite us with the Lord, which is also the fruit of the liturgy. Public Mass may be cancelled, but we can still make a spiritual date with God. And know that he comes to us, accepts us and unites himself to us, also apart from liturgy. The biblical pray, "let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly;" we could render for this situation, "as though it were the celebration of the Mass, so let our faithfulness, our consideration for each other, our patience and our prayer be received by you."
The Consolata Shrine in Nairobi provides folding chairs in the open terrace outside for those parishioners who do not want the cheek by jowl atmosphere of the nave. This is where I went last Sunday. I have, reluctantly, decided to forego attendance at Mass until further notice and instead watch the papal Masses on television. It is the difference between risk reduction and risk elimination. This is partly because Kenya is now endemic for COVID 19, and partly in response to the promptings of my wife, who is risk-averse.