Confession: Missing a Holy day of obligation

[Edmundus1581]

So… I understand the Church’s teaching. Missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin.

Even if I participated in Mass every other day of the week (excluding the Saturday vigil). Just doesn’t seem right.

This exact question came up for me when I was a new and fervent Catholic, at age 21 (and many years ago). I was attending Mass every weekday.There can be a “life” balance problem here. Attending daily Mass can take away from other things, such as study, so that when Sunday comes around we have to catch up on the activities or rest which have fallen behind. As Sunday Mass is longer, and maybe at a less convenient time, it is the one most tempting to skip. I did this one Sunday and missed Mass. At my next confession I asked the priest whether the weekday Masses in some way reduced the obligation to attend on Sunday and he explained firmly, but kindly, “No”. He explained that Sunday Mass is the act of the community, and is always more important than weekday Mass. So, our lives must to be organised to attend Mass every Sunday, rather than attending at other times and maybe missing a Sunday.

That lesson was nearly forty years ago, and having it heard it once I have never question it, and have only come to see more-and-more it’s importance.

And, for anyone who may question my “life balance” scenario, I know Protestants who do exactly this. They are so heavily involved in church activities (albeit not weekday “Mass”) that they regularly miss the Sunday service with the explanation that they are already doing enough. The difference with Catholicism could not be more stark.

 

[MrsK0224]

So… I understand the Church’s teaching. Missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin.

Even if I participated in Mass every other day of the week (excluding the Saturday vigil). Just doesn’t seem right.

The Third Commandment is to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. For Christians, the Sabbath Day is on Sunday. This is one reason that Sundays are special days that the Church calls us to attend Mass.

The other reason I can see why Sundays would be special days to attend Mass is because a far greater proportion of the congregation attends on Sundays. Jesus wants us to be part of a community with other Christians, not in isolation. Therefore, attending Mass on Sundays gives us greater opportunity to connect within our faith community.

 

[Cjbhoward]

I think I understand what you’re saying. I could attend six morning Masses in a week, but if I skip Sunday somehow I can go to Hell what is that???

Not just that, but I’m separated from God. Right?

So if I miss on Sunday for a “good” but non-qualifying reason, I’m separated from God. So I go to Mass on Monday… what’s going on here?

This is what happened to me, just yesterday I’m at Sunday Mass, participating & I hear the priest say, “…that You have held us worthy to be in your presence & minister to you.”

& I thought, “Should I be here?” Am I “worthy to be in His presence & minister to Him”?

I know the Church teaching. But how does one reconcile that in their mind?

I am in a state of mortal sin, but I am held worthy to be in the presence of God & minister to Him?

 

[Leodin]

Dacinom:

I think I understand what you’re saying. I could attend six morning Masses in a week, but if I skip Sunday somehow I can go to Hell what is that???

Not just that, but I’m separated from God. Right?

So if I miss on Sunday for a “good” but non-qualifying reason, I’m separated from God. So I go to Mass on Monday… what’s going on here?

This is what happened to me, just yesterday I’m at Sunday Mass, participating & I hear the priest say, “…that You have held us worthy to be in your presence & minister to you.”

& I thought, “Should I be here?” Am I “worthy to be in His presence & minister to Him”?

I know the Church teaching. But how does one reconcile that in their mind?

I am in a state of mortal sin, but I am held worthy to be in the presence of God & minister to Him?

If you’re truly sorry for missing mass on Sunday, and you vow to never do so again without a truly good reason, and go to confession as soon as possible, then you won’t be in a state of mortal sin in the present. Remember, God loves you. Also, none of us are truly worthy to be in His presence, or to receive the Eucharist. That is a gift from God, and not one to be taken lightly. It wouldn’t be a sin to not be there if you weren’t supposed to be. But Sunday is the Lord’s Day, and we observe it for that reason.

Also, consider that trying to go to mass every single day might be damaging to your faith at the moment. If that’s causing you to question why we must go to mass on Sunday, then it’s not a good practice until you commit to being there on that day in particular.

 

[Servant31]

So ididnt follow all of the responses here but just to clarify for the op. Attending mass during the week is good to do but not required. Mass is mandatory on Sundays (the Saturday vigil satisfies this) and on holy days of obligation.
If a Sunday or holy day is missed without good reason, then that is a mortal sin. Once you are in a state of mortal sin, then you must go to confession and receive absolution BEFORE receiving communion again at any mass.
If your at mass you aren’t obligated to go to communion, just stay in the pew and say a prayer. This still satisfies the Sunday and holy day obligation, you need to be there, but you don’t have to receive communion to satisfy the Sunday/holy day obligation. Once you have gone to confession, and if you have had your sins forgiven through absolution, THEN you can go to communion again. So once someone commits any mortal sin, they are no longer in a state of grace (and therefore ineligible to receive communion), until they receive absolution from a priest in the confessional, which puts them back into a state of grace. Hope this helps.