Did I sin by not attending Sunday Mass today?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lief_Erikson
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lief_Erikson

Guest
I go to daily Mass every day I can, but today, Sunday, after I turned my alarm clock off (which was buzzing to tell me “Mass!”), I accidentally sank immediately back into sleep. When I woke up again, it was 8:40, ten minutes through the service. If I had gotten up then and gone to Mass immediately, rather than spending the next 20 minutes online in my bed trying to find out whether or not it was a sin to purposely skip the end of Mass because of having accidentally missed most of it by oversleeping, I could have gotten there in time for the end of the service. I had the capability to get there in time for Eucharist. I purposely decided to not make myself get up and go, though, because it would have been an embarrassment and (it seemed to me) quite a lot of effort to show up just in time for Eucharist and nothing else. To get ten to fifteen minutes or so of the end of service and none of the rest. I would have shown up if I knew it was a sin not to show up for the Eucharist alone (when I have the capability), but I presently have no such knowledge, so I decided to stay at home.

I couldn’t find out online whether or not I would commit any sin in not making myself get there in time for the Eucharist, after having overslept most of the Mass. I knew it is mortal sin to purposely skip morning Mass on Sundays, and I know it is not sin to accidentally oversleep and consequently miss it.

My question arises from the fact that my situation appears to kind of fall in between those extremes. I accidentally overslept and so accidentally missed almost all the Mass. As far as that goes, I am plainly not guilty of any sin. But after waking up, I could have gotten myself to church in time for the Eucharist, so was I obligated to do so even though I’d missed everything else accidentally? And if the answer to that is yes, that I was obligated to attend only for the Eucharist, have I committed a venial or mortal sin in choosing not to go, this morning?
 
Lief_Erikson said:
I go to daily Mass every day I can, but today, Sunday, after I turned my alarm clock off (which was buzzing to tell me “Mass!”), I accidentally sank immediately back into sleep. When I woke up again, it was 8:40, ten minutes through the service. If I had gotten up then and gone to Mass immediately, rather than spending the next 20 …
My question arises from the fact that my situation appears to kind of fall in between those extremes. I accidentally overslept and so accidentally missed almost all the Mass. As far as that goes, I am plainly not guilty of any sin. But after waking up, I could have gotten myself to church in time for the Eucharist, so was I obligated to do so even though I’d missed everything else accidentally? And if the answer to that is yes, that I was obligated to attend only for the Eucharist, have I committed a venial or mortal sin in choosing not to go, this morning?
Click to expand...
I was told by my priest after a very similar situation that, since I tried and had every intention and that I didn’t fall asleep on purpose, (I worked until 12:30 am, drove 20 minutes home, etc… and had to get up no later than 7:00 am I didn’t commit a mortal sin but I went to confession anyway, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
Was that the only Mass available to you? Could you have gone to a later one even at a different parish? If none of that was available then I would say it was accidental but I would also try to get to confession asap, but that’s just me. Definitely mention it in your next confession. If another Mass was available and you chose not to attend,( maybe looking up masstimes rather than whether or not it is a sin would have been a better use of your time) then that is a mortal sin.
 
I didn’t think of checking that.

I have two churches I go to, both very near my house. I was too late for either of those (except the Eucharist), and I don’t know where other churches are in my area.
 
Lief_Erikson said:
I purposely decided to not make myself get up and go, though, because it would have been an embarrassment and (it seemed to me) quite a lot of effort to show up just in time for Eucharist and nothing else. To get ten to fifteen minutes or so of the end of service and none of the rest. I would have shown up if I knew it was a sin not to show up for the Eucharist alone (when I have the capability), but I presently have no such knowledge, so I decided to stay at home.

If you went to the Saturday Vigil Mass-no sin
If you went to Saturday am Mass-daily Mass, Sunday obligation not fulfilled.

The Holy Eucharist should be the source and summit of your life,
you missed the opportunity to offer your cross in conjunction with the True Sacrifice, and you missed receiving the Lord-

wrong?yes.
Click to expand...
 
One way I learned to reduce stress and anxiety is always to have a backup plan, where to turn to in case you’re late, miss the entire event, etc. This is true not only of Sunday Mass either.
 
Somebody here turned me on to masstimes.com/home.php. It might not always be accurate, but it’s been a lifesaver for me. We have a 5:15 Sunday evening Mass within a 20 minute ride.
 
Thanks for the links, guys :). I appreciate it.

I’ll ask my priest about whether or not I sinned, as there seems some difference of opinion.
 
Hi,

You would need 3 factors to commit a mortal sin.

Serious matter
Sufficient reflection
and full consent.

How could you give full consent, if you didn’t know whether or not it was sinful?

You intended to attend Mass. While it is true you could have tried to attend another Mass, you didn’t know how to find one. I can’t see any sin here. I would think you need to be prepared if you oversleep in the future, but if you make the effort, but miss Mass, it is not a sin.

Lux
 
This also raises the question of how late one can arrive at Mass and still be able to receive communion.
 
wynd said:
This also raises the question of how late one can arrive at Mass and still be able to receive communion.
Click to expand...
From what a previous pastor told us, in order to satisfy your Sunday obligation, you should arrive before the Gospel is proclaimed. That being said, this would also apply to Holy Communion.

Now, daily Mass (unless it is a Holy Day of Obligation, then, the Sunday rule would apply) is different. There have been times when I’ve been delayed by a train crossing and I’ve arrived just in time for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I’ve still been able to receive Holy Communion. My pastor realizes that many of us make a sacrifice to attend Mass during lunch time.
 
I’ve looked up the Sunday Mass times now, and there are later Masses available at one the churches I commonly go to. I didn’t realize they offered a 5:00 PM service . . . I could have made it to that if I’d known :(. If I oversleep again, I’ll have several alternatives now.

So thanks for the recommendation, guys.

It is kind of obvious to double-check and see if there are later Masses. I thought there weren’t but my memory was faulty, and I didn’t think of looking for other churches. I was both stupid and lazy today, thinking more about me than about Jesus. Annoying. 😊
:banghead:
 
Here are a couple of posts about this on the AAA forum.

The gist is that if you make it in time for Communion, you’re in time. But don’t make a habit of it, as that would be disrespecting the Holy Sacrifice.

By the way… been there, done that. 😊

God bless you,

Ruthie the snoozer
 
Lief_Erikson said:
I’ve looked up the Sunday Mass times now, and there are later Masses available at one the churches I commonly go to. I didn’t realize they offered a 5:00 PM service . . . I could have made it to that if I’d known :(. If I oversleep again, I’ll have several alternatives now.

So thanks for the recommendation, guys.

It is kind of obvious to double-check and see if there are later Masses. I thought there weren’t but my memory was faulty, and I didn’t think of looking for other churches. I was both stupid and lazy today, thinking more about me than about Jesus. Annoying. 😊
:banghead:
Click to expand...
You can’t beat yourself up for being human. :console:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top