Causing someone to commit a mortal sin?

[Sir_Knight]

1. I’m not sure what you are asking - sorry

See my clarafication here …

I’m moving my sister-in-law across country. Due to closing dates, warehouse schedules, etc.; we’re going to be on the road on Sunday. Only one mass is going to be available to us. However, we are going to have pets in the truck which can not be left alone for an hour with the AC off and/or the windows rolled up because they’ll roast in there. So one of us has to stay with the animals and keep the windows partially open and/or run the AC.

If I insist on going to mass, I force her to miss mass and vice versa. The fact that they are her pets, she’s agreed to skip mass so that I can go. But I don’t feel comfortable with that.

 

[DanteAlighieri]

Keep trying the masstimes.org website – it’s a little clunky, but it usually works. Search by zip code if possible; else, try city or state.

Peace,
Dante

 

[ChinaDad]

I found the following on the matterof missing mass, but I also had a thought, albeit simply a laymans’s thought. When I went to China, I had asked our priest “What am I to do while in China about mass?” He picked up a mistle and handed it to me, suggested that I ask others in my group if they were Catholic, and we should have our own mass. Explainging that, even though we wouldn’t have a priest or host or wine, “Where two or more gather in my name I AM here.”

Perhaps your sister-in-law and you could make it to the church a bit early and get a mistel (or take one with you), each do a reading, read the gospel, and perhaps you could each separately make it into the church for communion.

Just a thought, read on, good luck on your trip, and may the peace of God be with you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Saunders, Rev. William. “Is Missing Mass a Mortal Sin?” Arlington Catholic Herald.

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 can not 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.

 

[BobP123]

Would this would work for you?

Can. 1248 §1 The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated in a catholic rite either on a holyday itself or on the evening of the previous day.

§2 If it is impossible to assist at a eucharistic celebration, either because no sacred minister is available or for some other grave reason, the faithful are strongly recommended to take part in a liturgy of the Word, if there be such in the parish church or some other sacred place, which is celebrated in accordance with the provisions laid down by the diocesan Bishop; or to spend an appropriate time in prayer, whether personally or as a family or, as occasion presents, in a group of families.

I would consider unnecessary torture of any human or animal as grave reason to avoid.

 

[CarrieH]

If I cause someone to commit a mortal sin, do I share in that guilt?

IMHO, I don’t think you can force another to commit a mortal sin, because if you are forcing them, they are probably not freely consenting to whatever that sin might be. However, a person who deliberately leads another astray is certainly sharing in their guilt, and may indeed be the more guilty party.

What about if I don’t cause that person to commit a mortal sin, I end up committing one myself?

The ends don’t justify the means in most cases; both of you do have free will, after all. Having read further about your dilemma with your purebred dogs and having nobody to care for them, perhaps you could plan your trip so that one person could attend Mass while the other watches the dogs, and then if they don’t have another Mass within a short time, you could drive to another city further along your journey so that the other person could attend Mass while the one who went earlier dog-sits. If all else fails, contact your priest for a dispensation for that Sunday.

If masstimes.org isn’t working (it is sometimes quirky), try
catholicweb.com/directory.cfm

Good luck, and my God grant all of you a safe journey – and that includes the dogs!

CarrieH, cat-mother but dog-lover, too

 

[StCsDavid]

Park in the shade. Secure the dogs outside the vehicle, in the shade, with more than enough water to last. Sit in the back of the church so you can be one of the first ones out. And quietly leave after the final blessing…don’t wait for the closing hymn and procession. Your dogs will be exposed to the elements for about 45 minutes max. They should do fine.

 

[otjm]

Assuming that you have some reasonable way to cage the dogs in a dog “carrier” it would seem that you should be able to leave them inside - most parishes have some form of parish hall - caged during Mass; the alternative of either going into a crying room, or standing in the vestibule with them on a leash would seem to solve the problem otherwise. You will have to make some arrangements if you are going to stop to eat for any length of time, or to sleep (unless you are pushing and trading off driving).

 

[Ignatius]

I’m moving my sister-in-law across country. Due to closing dates, warehouse schedules, etc.; we’re going to be on the road on Sunday. Only one mass is going to be available to us. However, we are going to have pets in the truck which can not be left alone for an hour with the AC off and/or the windows rolled up because they’ll roast in there. So one of us has to stay with the animals and keep the windows partially open and/or run the AC.

If I insist on going to mass, I force her to miss mass and vice versa. The fact that they are her pets, she’s agreed to skip mass so that I can go. But I don’t feel comfortable with that. Thus the reason for starting this thread.

Sounds like a perfectly legitimate reason. As long as you didn’t plan it so you could miss Mass, I don’t see a sin here for either of you. Either before you leave or when you get settled, just talk to your priest.

God Bless

 

[Yerusalyim]

OK, if it’s a mortal sin that someone else committed, then by it’s very nature you could NOT have caused them to commit that sin…rather…you cooperated in the commission of the sin. If you cooperate in the commission of sin you have SOME DEGREE of culpability…which is between you, God and your confessor.

 

[allaussie]

could you stand in the doorway to listen to mass while holding the dogs? and then at communion one could go to the altar to recieve and then swap places with the one holding the dogs so she can go.
Or try to get there early and see if you can ask the priest to bring communion to whoever is holding the dogs like they would to a sick or elderly person who can’t walk far enough to get to communion.

 

[kage_ar]

Soooo … update?

 

[Sir_Knight]

I got a dispensation from my local priest. He informed me that if I could not attend mass, then to bring a bible along and do the readings for that day and to attend mass on one other day during the week.

 

[LilyM]

I got a dispensation from my local priest. He informed me that if I could not attend mass, then to bring a bible along and do the readings for that day and to attend mass on one other day during the week.

Excellent! Problem solved.