Rather
than just approaching this question from the angle of "missing Mass is a
sin," we should first call to mind the importance of the Mass. Each
Sunday, we gather together as a Church with hearts filled with joy to worship
Almighty God. We remember and profess our faith once again in the mystery of
our salvation,that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, suffered, died, and rose for
our salvation. The saving actions of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter
Sunday coalesce in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy of the Vatican Council II asserted, "For it is the liturgy
through which, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, 'the work
of our redemption is accomplished,' and it is through the liturgy, especially
that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others
the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true church" (#2).
Moreover,
at Mass, each faithful Catholic is fed with abundant graces: First, we are
nourished by the Word of God — God's eternal truth that has been revealed to us
and recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We then respond by
professing our Holy Catholic Faith as presented in the Creed, saying not simply
“I believe" as a singular person, but “we believe" as part of the
Church.
Second,
if we are in a state of grace, then we have the opportunity to receive our Lord
in the Holy Eucharist. We firmly believe that our Lord is truly present in the
Holy Eucharist, and that we receive His body, blood, soul, and divinity in Holy
Communion. Not only does the Holy Eucharist unite us intimately with the Lord,
but also unites us in communion with our brothers and sisters throughout the
universal Church. The Holy Eucharist is such a precious gift!
With
this in mind, no one should simply think of attending Mass as fulfilling an
obligation. To attend Mass is a privilege, and any faithful Catholic should
want to attend Mass. Our perspective should not be, "I have got to do
this"; rather, we should think, "I get to do this."
Nevertheless,
because the Mass offers such precious gifts, provides the nourishment of great
graces, and unites us as a Church, we do indeed have a sacred obligation to
attend Mass. Remember that the Third Commandment stated, "Keep Holy the Sabbath."
For the Jewish people, the Old Testament Sabbath was on Saturday, marking the
"Day of rest" after creation. For Christians, we have always kept
holy Sunday, the day of the resurrection. Just as creation unfolded on the
first day of the week with God commanding, "Let there be light," our
Lord, the Light who came to shatter the darkness of sin and death, rose from
the dead on that first day marking the new creation.
Given
how precious the Mass is plus the Old Testament precedent which was rightly adapted
by the Church, the Code of Canon Law (#1246) proscribes, "Sunday is the
day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic
tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the
universal Church." Moreover, "On Sundays and other holy days of
obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass..." (#1247).
Therefore, the Catechism teaches, "Those who deliberately fail in this
obligation commit grave sin" (#2181), and grave sin is indeed mortal sin.
Recently, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, repeated this precept in his
apostolic letter Dies Domini (Observing and Celebrating the Day of the Lord,
#47, 1998).
Of
course, serious circumstances arise which excuse a person from attending Mass,
such as if a person is sick, has to deal with an emergency, or cannot find a
Mass to attend without real burden. A pastor may also dispense a person from
the obligation of attending Mass for serious reason. For instance, no one,
including our Lord, expects a person to attend Mass who is so sick he cannot
physically attend Mass; there is no virtue in further hurting one's own health
plus infecting everyone else in the Church. Or, in the case of a blizzard, a
person must prudently judge whether he can safely travel to attend Mass without
seriously risking his own life and the lives of the others. When such serious
circumstances arise which prevent a person from attending Mass, he should
definitely take time to pray, read the prayers and readings of the Mass in the Missal,
or watch the Mass on television and at least participate in spirit. Keep in
mind when such serious circumstances arise, a person does not commit mortal sin
for missing Mass.
In
examining this question, a person must really reflect on how valuable the Mass
and the Holy Eucharist is. Every day, faithful Catholics in the People's
Republic of China risk educational and economic opportunities and even their
very lives to attend Mass. In mission territories, people travel many miles to
attend Mass. They take the risk and they make the sacrifice because they truly
believe in the Mass and our Lord's presence in the Holy Eucharist.
When
a person negligently "bags Mass," to go shopping, catch-up on work,
sleep a few extra hours, attend a social event, or not interrupt vacation, the
person is allowing something to take the place of God. Something becomes more
valuable than the Holy Eucharist. Sadly, I have known families who could walk
to the Church but choose not to attend Mass; ironically though, they send their
children to the Catholic school. Yes, such behavior really is indicative of
turning one's back on the Lord and committing a mortal sin.
God
must come first in our lives. On Sunday, our primary duty is to worship God at
Mass as a Church and to be nourished with His grace. The Didascalia, a third
century writing, exhorted, "Leave everything on the Lord's Day and run
diligently to your assembly, because it is your praise of God. Otherwise, what
excuse will they make to God, those who do not come together on the Lord's Day
to hear the word of life and feed on the divine nourishment which lasts
forever?" Yes indeed, what excuse will they make?
God
Bless
Nathan
