Continuing to not go to Mass after dispensation lifted

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People seem to be a little too accommodating of this. Not fulfilling the obligation is a mortal sin so without talking to clergy and most importantly the bishop it seems dangerous to your soul to not go to Mass.
 
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That’s overkill. I’m high-risk, and I will not be putting my safety in the hands of anybody else, priest or not.
 
gopackthomas said:
Not fulfilling the obligation is a mortal sin
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Except when it isn’t, such as necessary work, being infirm or ill, caring for infants, inclement weather, and many other reasons that excuse us from the obligation.

Except when one asks for and receives a dispensation from one’s pastor.

Except when it is not possible to attend mass.

Etc.
gopackthomas said:
without talking to clergy and most importantly the bishop it seems dangerous to your soul to not go to Mass.
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People have been excused from the mass obligation because of illness, infirmity, care of infants or elderly, and many other reasons without calling up their pastor or bishop for literally thousands of years. They use prudential judgment.

And, most here have indicated the OP should speak to their pastor about their concerns and ask for a dispensation if needed.

The bishop would not be the person to go to, it would be a parish pastoral discussion and decision.
 
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Dispensations from the Bishop have to take into account the civil authorities and what they are dictating, as well.

If the civil authority is only allowing 25% or 50% capacity in churches, then half the diocese, or more, theoretically, can’t attend Mass with regularity.

I realize that isn’t the case in all jurisdictions. Some civil authority didn’t close anything down, from what I gather.
 
At some point, a reasonable accommodation might be to increase the number of Masses. I do not think it will be needed though, as a rule. We are building up numbers slowly, but still have a ways to go to max out those who can attend. I think we will be back to normal before then.

I would think that the lifting of a dispensation would have to coincide either with the allowance for a fuller church, or more Masses.
 
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PaulinVA said:
If the civil authority is only allowing 25% or 50% capacity in churches, then half the diocese, or more, theoretically, can’t attend Mass with regularity.
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Well, to be fair, that assumes that churches are packed to capacity at every weekend and holyday Mass. That’s not at all the case in many (most?) churches.
pnewton said:
At some point, a reasonable accommodation might be to increase the number of Masses.
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Presuming you have a sufficient number of priests to celebrate those Masses.
 
Gorgias said:
Presuming you have a sufficient number of priests to celebrate those Masses.
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If there are not enough priest to offer Mass enough for everyone to go, then it is not the time to life the dispensation. Another issue might be time, as disinfecting after each Mass before others enter takes a little time.
 
My parish has added another Mass on Sunday to accommodate everyone but there are still people who have to sit outside.
 
Our Archbishop sent an updated outline re Mass and the requirements.
One statement he said,if you are going out to partake of other activities,you need to get back to in person Mass.Seems pretty clear cut to me
 
In normal times, you don’t need a dispensation to miss for a just reason. If in good conscience you believe attending would be a risk to yourself or others, it would not be a sin. That being said, either way, you should still do your best to keep the commandment to keep the day holy.
 
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Jeanne_S said:
Our Archbishop sent an updated outline re Mass and the requirements.
One statement he said,if you are going out to partake of other activities,you need to get back to in person Mass.Seems pretty clear cut to me
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Actually, it isn’t. That is what YOUR bishop said. It doesn’t apply to people elsewhere.

And, it would be important to see the whole statement from that bishop, whether there is a dispensation currently in place or not, what the state or county restrictions are, etc.
 
I never said it applied Nationwide. The crux of that statement was,if you aren’t worried about going to lunch,the stores etc .then you should be attending Mass
 
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The way this is worded, it sounds more like spiritual advice than any sort of lifting of a dispensation. There is some universalism in it, if (a big if) all other things are equal. For example, if you do not feel comfortable with attending Mass, but can somehow attend a ball game with the same type of safety in place, then that speaks to which is more important.

It is more like personal advice than law. Speaking to the OP, and on a similar point, if the dispensation is still in place, then there is no real compelling reason to go to Mass on Sunday, and not Tuesday (for example), assuming one is still honoring the day. That is an option some here are exercising so they can receive the Eucharist.
 
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Jeanne_S said:
The crux of that statement was,if you aren’t worried about going to lunch,the stores etc .then you should be attending Mass
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Three things:

1). Going to stores is necessary to purchase food.

2). Dispensed is dispensed. If someone eats in a restaurant, they are still dispensed. They are NOT sinning in any way if they do not go to mass.

3). If a bishop has lifted a dispensation, then the individual needs to discuss it with their priest if they want to ask for an individual dispensation. The individual also needs to discern whether they are excused from the mass based on objective moral criteria such as examples given in the catechism like care of infants, etc. And the individual needs to form their conscience and act accordingly, including resumption of mass or alternative as stated here (individual dispensation, being excused from mass, etc).
 
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Not per my Archbishop,don’t shoot the messenger just because you don’t like the message😌
 
Jeanne_S said:
Not per my Archbishop,don’t shoot the messenger just because you don’t like the message😌
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Again, what your bishop said isn’t totally clear (since we don’t have what he actually said but just your summary of it) in the context of whether there is still a dispensation in his diocese. And, if there is, then what he said is a suggestion, advice, but no one is sinning if they don’t go to mass if there is a dispensation from mass regardless of where else they may have gone that week or where they go next week.

If there is no dispensation, then typical prudential judgment applies as far as whether a person is excused from mass, and they also have the ability to ask their pastor for a dispensation. So, again, even if no blanket dispensation is in place, the bishop’s advice is good prudential advice but it doesn’t necessarily mean a person is sinning if they didn’t attend mass, again regardless of where they may have gone on other days.
 
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It’s would seem to me that if one isn’t attending Mass because they are fearful of exposure,then why is going out to eat,shopping etc.any less of a concern?
 
Religious services are considered high risk because of long duration, density, indoor spaces and loud vocalization like singing.
 
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