Failing to attend Mass on Sunday a sin?

[JABA]

I am a shift worker and work a seven day rotating roster which includes Sunday afternoons as a Nurse in a mental health ward. I usually go to mass with my parents in the morning when I have to work in the afternoon on a Sunday. My problem is, I usually work afternoons and get home late, so I usually have to sleep late in the next morning to get my proper amount of sleep, also to add on top of this I sometimes get insomnia and some other health problems which really make it hard to get up early in the morning on a Sunday to attend mass. I even cancel outings with friends or other leisure activities which I really enjoy, if they are held in the morning on other days due to these problems.

Due to these problems, is it a sin for me not attend mass on a Sunday?.

Do I just have to push myself through this?

 

[1ke]

Due to these problems, is it a sin for me not attend mass on a Sunday?.

Do I just have to push myself through this?

This is something to discuss with your priest, who knows you and your situation. It is really not appropriate for us here on an anonymous internet forum to give you advice on this one way or another.

Your priest can dispense you from your obligation if necessary.

In general, we are to attend Mass on Sundays and other Holy Days unless we are ill, caring for the ill/infants, or it is physically impossible to attend (i.e. inclement weather, etc). Shift work that does not allow for attending Mass may be an adequate reason-- again your priest can tell you this or dispense you on days you are too tired to cut your sleep short. I am sure no one wants a health professional going to work with sleep deprivation and possibly endangering his/her charges.

We simply do not know all the facts-- times of masses, times of your shift, traveling distance, etc. There are many facttors. Talk to your priest.

 

[Bookcat]

This is something to discuss with your priest, who knows you and your situation. It is really not appropriate for us here on an anonymous internet forum to give you advice on this one way or another.

Your priest can dispense you from your obligation if necessary.

In general, we are to attend Mass on Sundays and other Holy Days unless we are ill, caring for the ill/infants, or it is physically impossible to attend (i.e. inclement weather, etc). Shift work that does not allow for attending Mass may be an adequate reason-- again your priest can tell you this or dispense you on days you are too tired to cut your sleep short. I am sure no one wants a health professional going to work with sleep deprivation and possibly endangering his/her charges.

We simply do not know all the facts-- times of masses, times of your shift, traveling distance, etc. There are many facttors. Talk to your priest.

Note for clarification – ones Pastor – can dispense one (though in some dioceses the Bishop gives the authority to other priests)

 

[Moore11]

Like was mentioned before the only person who can really tell you the right answer is your priest.
But here where I live there are Masses starting at 5PM on saturday night and running through 7PM on Sunday. So that is within 26 hours that one should be able to find an hour for Our Creator and His Holy Sacrifice for your sins…

Our Masses are at 5PM 8AM 10AM 1130AM, 1PM (spanish) 5PM. That is just at our 1 parish. In the seven around our area there are even more.

 

[Glacies]

Perhaps it could be of assistance that according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law the obligation of attending a Mass may be satisfied with the Mass in the evening of the preceding day (Canon 1248 §1).

A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.

 

[Catholic_Wife]

I work nights in an ER. There are some on this site who suggest I get up early to go to Mass at 5:00pm on Saturday in case I am too tired to go to Mass on Sunday morning (there have been some mornings that I have literally been falling asleep at the wheel driving to Mass). A talk with my priest / pastor helped me consider all of my options (because getting only 2-4 hours of sleep before work just is not an option!). You should talk to your priest / pastor about your options.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Speak to your priest. In the meantime, look into Mass times at other parishes near your home and on your way to work. We should all *want *to attend Mass regularly but sometimes our own particular circumstances do not allow that.

Figure out your options and what may be physically possible for you and speak to your priest about it.

Thank you for your work with the mentally ill. That is very hard and yet very necessary work.

 

[DexUK]

I would concur with all the replies here. I’m sure your parish priest will be very sympathetic since your job is clearly a vital one that puts the good of God’s children first.

You may find that you are excused from the obligation or you may just be asked to attend at least one Mass per week, whether it be a weekday or a Day of Obligation. It certainly sounds to me like a situation I know of where a number health workers who simply couldn’t avoid working at the times when Sunday Masses were bing celebrated within reach were granted the dispensation, so you’ll probably be ok. In any case, don’t worry. I’m sure the Lord will see your sincere desire to do him homage and bless you for it.

 

[Moore11]

Another thing I want to offer is:

Imagine that you had to go somewhere for an hour every Sunday for your job. What if your job asked you to watch a TV show for an hour and if you did that they would give you 10,000 dollars every single time you did it. For 10,000 dollars would you say, “no thank you, I struggle with getting enough sleep and it is quite inconvenient…” Ask yourself each Sunday if you would refuse 10,000 dollars for an hour. If the answer is “yes” then you probably could speak to your priest about a dispensation.

You get way more than the value of 10,000 dollars each and every time you go to His Sacrifice.

 

[LilyM]

Another thing I want to offer is:

Imagine that you had to go somewhere for an hour every Sunday for your job. What if your job asked you to watch a TV show for an hour and if you did that they would give you 10,000 dollars every single time you did it. For 10,000 dollars would you say, “no thank you, I struggle with getting enough sleep and it is quite inconvenient…” Ask yourself each Sunday if you would refuse 10,000 dollars for an hour. If the answer is “yes” then you probably could speak to your priest about a dispensation.

You get way more than the value of 10,000 dollars each and every time you go to His Sacrifice.

This is a little unfair - most of us do not have the demands placed on us that a health care worker does. My job requires a great deal of concentration, but I can still do it acceptably even when sleep deprived. My job, however, is not one where a moment’s lapse in concentration can potentially lead to permanent injury or death. In such a job being well rested is a necessity, not a mere convenience.

 

[Boy_Wonder]

It’s not necessarily a sin, but it is something you should discuss with a priest. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Masses are offered at all times. many parishes offer evening masses on Sundays. Find one.

 

[Moore11]

This is a little unfair - most of us do not have the demands placed on us that a health care worker does. My job requires a great deal of concentration, but I can still do it acceptably even when sleep deprived. My job, however, is not one where a moment’s lapse in concentration can potentially lead to permanent injury or death. In such a job being well rested is a necessity, not a mere convenience.

?? Most of us? Working in the health care industry is quite a popular job. I would also expect that police officers, and yup even the person making my coffee at starbucks have many many stressful demands and should be alert for their job. yet, I see them at Mass. I dont think it is “unfair” at all. How is it “unfair” I thought is was a good point and a good way to look at the seriousness of both ones job and Mass.
As for permanent injury or death… I would say that MOST jobs carry that danger if you think about it. A roofer, a towtruck driver, Semi driver, heck ANY job that requires you do drive…
The only point I was making was make sure you are examining your reason for wanting a dispensation for Mass in a very honest way. There are still places where people risk their very lives to attend Mass and sometimes are killed for it. So lets put things into proper perspective when talking about how hard it is for us to get to Mass. The OP also notes they they struggle with insomnia, which is not solved by skipping Mass. If you are truly using the argument that healthcare workers need to be alert and not sleep deprived (most are alert AND sleep deprived) then you should be more concerned about the insomnia mental illness than if the person gets to get out of a once a week obligation…

 

[billcu1]

This is something to discuss with your priest, who knows you and your situation. It is really not appropriate for us here on an anonymous internet forum to give you advice on this one way or another.

Your priest can dispense you from your obligation if necessary.

That is interesting. I have never heard that a priest can dispense of your obligation. There is the vigil too of course. I can’t attend days of obligation because I do not have a car and I can’t always get a ride to Mass. What exactly are the rules for this dispensation?

 

[Kasmalim]

?? Most of us? Working in the health care industry is quite a popular job. I would also expect that police officers, and yup even the person making my coffee at starbucks have many many stressful demands and should be alert for their job. yet, I see them at Mass. I dont think it is “unfair” at all. How is it “unfair” I thought is was a good point and a good way to look at the seriousness of both ones job and Mass.
As for permanent injury or death… I would say that MOST jobs carry that danger if you think about it. A roofer, a towtruck driver, Semi driver, heck ANY job that requires you do drive…
The only point I was making was make sure you are examining your reason for wanting a dispensation for Mass in a very honest way. There are still places where people risk their very lives to attend Mass and sometimes are killed for it. So lets put things into proper perspective when talking about how hard it is for us to get to Mass. The OP also notes they they struggle with insomnia, which is not solved by skipping Mass. If you are truly using the argument that healthcare workers need to be alert and not sleep deprived (most are alert AND sleep deprived) then you should be more concerned about the insomnia mental illness than if the person gets to get out of a once a week obligation…

If the OP wanted to skip mass from sheer laziness I don’t think this thread would be here.

I used to suffer from insomnia, I would toss around in bed for hours before I managed to get asleep; but once asleep, I would stay asleep for 11 hours or until someone woke me up. If I didn’t sleep late I wouldn’t be able to do anything during the day - I’d be extremely exhausted, have severe headaches, and wouldn’t be able to concentrate at all (not stuff I’d want my healthcare worker to have during work). The OP implied that by skipping mass he/she gets the right amount of sleep, thus getting the energy to do his/her job , so actually it does solve his/her problem… But anyway, the OP should consult a priest for this to get the right advice.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

That is interesting. I have never heard that a priest can dispense of your obligation. There is the vigil too of course. I can’t attend days of obligation because I do not have a car and I can’t always get a ride to Mass. What exactly are the rules for this dispensation?

Speak to your priest. If you can’t get to Mass because of transportation options (and you’ve considered asking for a ride, taking the bus, walking, etc.) then you simply can’t get there.

But do speak to your priest because he may be able to direct you to other parishioners who live near you and will give you a ride.