Of course, God is always and everywhere present, even in the depths of the TV chair and while watching Netflix - the question is whether one can pay attention to God everywhere.

The view is widespread, especially since Covid: it is completely unnecessary to go to church, since God is present everywhere, including in our own living room, and anyway, the church is full of hypocrites; it's bad to watch them worship there. I will take care of the matter between the four walls with my God.

It seems logical - it's a shame that there are three days here that quite spectacularly contradict the popular theory.

Because it all starts with Maundy Thursday, right? What do we see? On the last evening of Jesus Christ's earthly life, he gathers with the heterogeneous community of disciples, saying, "I longed to spend this Passover meal with you." With you! That is, with the one who you know will betray you soon, and the other who (with the keys to heaven in his hand) will deny you three times within hours. And with the others who have been listening to his parables for three years and watching his miracles up close, but even in these holy moments they are able to argue about which of them is greater. However, if the Son of God, the Savior, longs for this company, and seeing the foolish competition of his disciples, he does not leave them disappointed at the wooden image, but even washes their feet (emphasizing that we must do the same), then

it is a bit strong not to go to the church community, because there are many imperfect people there.

Especially since Jesus Christ also said something about that particular bread and wine - and not that you don't need it, you neglect it.

Next is Good Friday. On this evening, among us Catholics, after Palm Sunday, for the second time, the entire suffering story is read or recited, from the betrayal of Judas to the burial. Now raise your hand, the Christian who does not go to church with conviction, who sits at home between the four walls every Lent, excluding all sources of distraction, from the phone to the neighbor who vacuums or screams techno, to the dishes that can be seen from the corner of the eye, and ponders from beginning to end passion. Or at least he walks the Way of the Cross with the Holy Scriptures in his hand, so that he can feel more and more what actually happened here, what it is all about. The fact that "I do not need this" is no excuse, since Jesus Christ himself said to "stay here and watch with me", moreover, so that you "do not fall into temptation" - and he was quite disappointed when the Peters did not last a single hour. From which it follows that the vigil during Holy Week, prayer involving self-denial, meditation before the cross are correct and salutary actions, and neglecting them can make you more susceptible to destructive temptations.

Once again, we are making the point that going to church is not a big deal.

Then Holy Saturday comes. Given that there are no masses until the evening, but you can pray in front of the Holy Sepulchre, so that the priest confesses those who wake up at the last moment or writes his sermon for the next day, i.e. at most a few other believers are present, and they are also at a sufficient distance, so there is no danger there is the possibility that we will catch their potential sins badly - this is typically a situation where there is no need to be afraid. The church will not make noise, it only ensures silence and the possibility of an undisturbed inward turn. Any believer who doesn't live by this should at least take a few minutes to think of a new reason why he doesn't want to go to church at least once a year -

because it is certain based on these that it is not because of the priest or the other believers.

And finally comes Easter Vigil, the celebration of the Resurrection. I admit, I'm not a big party person either, but watching Netflix at home, like a random weekday evening, while outside after a month and a half of fasting and a good half dozen readings from the Old Testament, the bells finally ring, the organ shakes the walls and even hundreds, in spirit celebrating with a freshly washed or recently baptized neighbor in the sunshine - that can be terribly boring. Because even on New Year's Eve there is a lot of joy, but there is still some fear and uncertainty about the future - well, this is not the case at Easter. Moreover, there is most of all the certainty: "I have risen and am with you again"; "If we die with him, we shall live with him," is the message.

Eternal life and then everything is free.

It seems that the teaching of the church seems foreign and cold, if one sleeps through this post-Way of the Cross catharsis with his dusty, unpolished faith since his last childhood faith lesson, missing out on the liberating joy of the true Easter.

It is of course true that God is present everywhere - the question is whether man can pay attention to God equally everywhere. If in recent years you didn't get that serene "He is truly risen!" feeling that lasts for at least weeks during the wellness weekend or when you're on the phone at home, this year it might be worth trying the silence of the church and its well-proven, ancient liturgy.

Francesca Rivafinoli / Mandiner

Featured image: Mónika Jakab / Chronicle