A bit of a moral conundrum

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My parents have told me not to go to mass this Sunday. This is not the part to which I object. Their reason is that my grandfather is the only person with us who has a license and he is blind in one eye and getting worse in his other, so they don’t feel we would be safe en route, and thus forbid us to go. How should I go about telling my grandfather this? I don’t want to say “my parents are making me” or anything like that since that would make my father and grandfather fight, mother and gradfather fight or both. At the same time, I don’t want to tell him at all either, since I want to go to mass and I couldn’t “sleep in” on Sunday since that would require lying and would risk him not going, which would be sinful on my part for deception and for the potential end-result. Any advice you can give on how to approach this would be appreciated.
 
It is permissible to miss Mass in order to care for an infant or elderly person, or to keep the elderly person from putting anyone in mortal harm. So far, so good.

“Keeping the peace” does not rise to the level of hiding Jews in your basement from the Nazis. While your family is allowed to exercise discretion and not say anything, it is not permissible to directly lie to your grandparents about this.

Can you possibly go to Mass at a different time? If you can tell him you have already gone or have plans to go to a Mass after you leave his place on Sunday, that is a good reason to refrain from going on Sunday while you’re with him.

You can also talk to your parish priest about the situation, get a dispensation–which I would hope he will give, for the safety of the locals–and then be able to tell your grandparents very truthfully, “Fr. X gave me a dispensation for this weekend, because Mom and Dad are not going to be home to take me.” Your pastor might go for that, since this could be a grave safety situation. If your grandfather protests that he can drive you, you can say, “I have a dispensation, I’m not going.” It might not be pleasant, but you can conceal the full extent of your reasoning as long as you do not lie to him. You might suffer from some unjust rash judgment about the state of your soul from your grandparents, but it seems unlikely that they’ll take scandal from the dispensation.
 
It is permissible to miss Mass in order to care for an infant or elderly person, or to keep the elderly person from putting anyone in mortal harm. So far, so good.

“Keeping the peace” does not rise to the level of hiding Jews in your basement from the Nazis. While your family is allowed to exercise discretion and not say anything, it is not permissible to directly lie to your grandparents about this.

Can you possibly go to Mass at a different time? If you can tell him you have already gone or have plans to go to a Mass after you leave his place on Sunday, that is a good reason to refrain from going on Sunday while you’re with him.

You can also talk to your parish priest about the situation, get a dispensation–which I would hope he will give, for the safety of the locals–and then be able to tell your grandparents very truthfully, “Fr. X gave me a dispensation for this weekend, because Mom and Dad are not going to be home to take me.” Your pastor might go for that, since this could be a grave safety situation. If your grandfather protests that he can drive you, you can say, “I have a dispensation, I’m not going.” It might not be pleasant, but you can conceal the full extent of your reasoning as long as you do not lie to him. You might suffer from some unjust rash judgment about the state of your soul from your grandparents, but it seems unlikely that they’ll take scandal from the dispensation.
Getting a dispensation might not be a bad idea. Do I need to be with the priest to do so, or could I just call the priest at the parish I normally go to? Since it is probably going to be too late tonight to do so, would an e-mail do the trick? I am guessing that the answer is no, but I’m just checking.
 
Getting a dispensation might not be a bad idea. Do I need to be with the priest to do so, or could I just call the priest at the parish I normally go to? Since it is probably going to be too late tonight to do so, would an e-mail do the trick? I am guessing that the answer is no, but I’m just checking.
You can just call him on the phone. It’s not a ritual, it is just permission to miss your Sunday obligation for a good reason.

If you cannot reach your priest, you can still say “I have a dispensation”, since the situation itself is fairly clear-cut…that is, moral law dispenses you from your obligation to attend Mass when you’d put someone else in mortal danger if you try to fulfill it by any of the means you have available. That is kind of pushing it, but since you are stuck with your parents’ assessment and we are trying to keep someone from getting hit by a car here, I’d defend it. I think if you tell a priest what you’re doing, he wouldn’t think that was something to confess, particularly not since you tried to reach him and you asked him about the situation and how to handle it in the future at your first opportunity. Do try to call him, though, if you won’t be waking him at a bad hour, and be willing to do what HE tells you to do. My advice is only OK if you can’t get direction from the real person with authority to tell you what you need to do.
 
Why is it your responsibility to tell your grandfather anything? It was your parents’ decision; they should be the ones who have to handle it.
 
Why is it your responsibility to tell your grandfather anything? It was your parents’ decision; they should be the ones who have to handle it.
Primarily because when he asks why I am not going to mass with him, he will likely demand an explanation when I say no and I am morally bound to not lie to him about it.
 
Primarily because when he asks why I am not going to mass with him, he will likely demand an explanation when I say no and I am morally bound to not lie to him about it.
Tell him, “My parents have forbidden me to go to Mass.” When he asks why, tell him he’ll have to ask them.
 
Tell him, “My parents have forbidden me to go to Mass.” When he asks why, tell him he’ll have to ask them.
His parents have not forbidden him to go to Mass. His parents believe that the danger of having to accept a ride in a car with a one-eyed old man outweighs the obligation to go to Mass, particularly if there is any chance whatsoever that not taking the ride will keep the old fellow off the road. That means that the son’s parents have decided that he is dispensed from his obligation to go to Mass. Considering that there will be other innocent people who’ll have to share the road with him, otherwise, I’d say I could defend the parents’ decision until my pastor has a chance to correct me.

“I have a dispensation”…why? I just do.
 
His parents have not forbidden him to go to Mass. His parents believe that the danger of having to accept a ride in a car with a one-eyed old man outweighs the obligation to go to Mass, particularly if there is any chance whatsoever that not taking the ride will keep the old fellow off the road. That means that the son’s parents have decided that he is dispensed from his obligation to go to Mass. Considering that there will be other innocent people who’ll have to share the road with him, otherwise, I’d say I could defend the parents’ decision until my pastor has a chance to correct me.

“I have a dispensation”…why? I just do.
Actually they have, if only indirectly, since my grandfather is the only means of transport I have. It’s times like these that I really wish I had a drivers license or permit.
 
Is this just for one Sunday? Or this a permanent thing that your Grandfather always drives you to mass. To be honest, my first though is why aren’t your parents trying to get his licence taken away?
 
His parents have not forbidden him to go to Mass.
Under the current circumstances, yes, they did. I don’t know why everybody is trying to be shady and get around telling the old man like it is. The OP’s father should man up and tell the grandfather what he decided and why he decided it, and leave the kid out of it.
 
Under the current circumstances, yes, they did. I don’t know why everybody is trying to be shady and get around telling the old man like it is. The OP’s father should man up and tell the grandfather what he decided and why he decided it, and leave the kid out of it.
Yes, they should, but that was not the OPs decision. He was given a dispensation by his parents and told to keep their reasons from their grandfather…not to lie to him, but to keep their reasons in confidence. If he can honor their decision about how to handle this with no violation of moral law, he ought to do it.
 
Yes, they should, but that was not the OPs decision. He was given a dispensation by his parents and told to keep their reasons from their grandfather…not to lie to him, but to keep their reasons in confidence. If he can honor their decision about how to handle this with no violation of moral law, he ought to do it.
That’s why I told him to tell the grandfather to take it up with the parents and not to get himself involved in their issues with the grandfather. It’s not fair to the child, and the child should not accept having to be the middleman.

I am not aware that I as a parent am authorized to grant dispensations to my children releasing them from their Sunday obligation.
 
This is how I would look at it, and deal with it if I were in your place.

First, unless my parents were known to regularly have terrible judgment, I would trust their judgment about my grandfather’s driving ability, since they have a lot more experience than I do both with him and with driving.

Next, I would be ok with missing Mass, if he is my ride. The church does not require you to get to Mass if you can not do it safely. People who live in areas where there are bad snowstorms, are known to skip Mass if the driving may not be safe due to snowy roads. This would be the same type of situation. Given the fact that he is not likely to become a better driver, I would start looking into other ways to get to Mass, and if possible, other ways to help my grandfather get to Mass as well - whether that means calling the church and asking for someone who you could contact about driving you, looking into bus routes, or working towards learning how to drive. I’m not clear on what your exact situation is, since your parents can’t get you to Mass but your Grandfather can, so there may be other options as well, depending on your personal circumstances.

And last, I wouldn’t want that confrontation with Grandpa either. If it was possible to avoid it without lying I would. But I’m not sure if you’ll be able to avoid it for very long, especially if he is going to expect you to get a ride from him every week. Personally, I feel pretty strongly that if your parents believe that he is not a safe driver any more, that they have an obligation to do something about that in general. And since they seem (?) to be relying on him for some level of care of you (driving you places?), it would make sense that they should explain to him that they don’t think he should drive you places anymore. But they shouldn’t only be protecting you, they should also tell him that they are concerned about his safety on the road altogether, and try to get him to either do what it takes to drive safer, or to consider giving up driving.

If your parents won’t talk to him about it, then it is going to come up between you and him, and you shouldn’t lie. I would find a quiet time (not right before you have to go somewhere), and tell him that you have something you need to talk about with them. I would say explain that Mom and Dad are concerned about his vision, and that it might impact his ability to drive safely, and that they have told you that it would be better for him not to drive you to Mass. I would tell him that while it is hard for me to judge those things, I trust my parents because of their experience, and because I know that they love both me and Grandpa. I would say that I love him and don’t want him to get hurt in an accident, and that I have to obey my parents (or if you are too old to have to obey them, then say that you think it is right for you to take their advice) and I didn’t want to lie to him.

The thing is, it is a very difficult thing to give up driving when you’ve been doing it for a long time. For a person to do this, it really helps to have the support of someone who will help them find ways to stay independent, and to maintain an active lifestyle. Again, this is why it would be best for your parents to get involved here, and I would be inclined to tell them that if they are concerned for my safety, that I think they should talk to him about it for his and other peoples’ safety as well.
 
That’s why I told him to tell the grandfather to take it up with the parents and not to get himself involved in their issues with the grandfather. It’s not fair to the child, and the child should not accept having to be the middleman.

I am not aware that I as a parent am authorized to grant dispensations to my children releasing them from their Sunday obligation.
There’s no such thing as a “dispensation” in an official way. But a child is obligated to obey his parents, so if a parents says, “don’t go to Mass,” the child doesn’t go to Mass, and is not sinning. It’s not a dispensation, but the responsibility lies with the parent, not the child.
 
I think it’s a very good reason not to drive, but not to miss Mass.
Call a taxi, ride the bus, or scrounge up a carpool for other church members.
I bet your grandfather would be happier too.
 
There’s no such thing as a “dispensation” in an official way. But a child is obligated to obey his parents, so if a parents says, “don’t go to Mass,” the child doesn’t go to Mass, and is not sinning. It’s not a dispensation, but the responsibility lies with the parent, not the child.
I am aware of that; I stated as much earlier in the thread. But you can’t just throw the word “dispensation” around.
 
I think it’s a very good reason not to drive, but not to miss Mass.
Call a taxi, ride the bus, or scrounge up a carpool for other church members.
I bet your grandfather would be happier too.
For one Sunday they might have been stuck with no alternative. But there needs to be a permanent solution going forward, not just for Mass but for life in general.
 
There’s no such thing as a “dispensation” in an official way. But a child is obligated to obey his parents, so if a parents says, “don’t go to Mass,” the child doesn’t go to Mass, and is not sinning. It’s not a dispensation, but the responsibility lies with the parent, not the child.
This is true…that is, it is only a dispensation in a manner of speaking, if it is not given by one’s pastor or by a direct reading of canon law. In any event, whenever one misses Mass on one’s own judgment that it cannot be avoided, I think it is good to mention it to one’s pastor when the opportunity presents itself. Even if it is done in good faith, one’s thinking can be in need of correction, and that is why we have pastors with real authority over us.
 
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