I suppose in my family situation I tend to be the assertive one and my other family members are more pliable (or just very respectful) so I never get any arguments.I really hope you’re right about this. We discussed it this afternoon and they said they didn’t want me traveling to the midnight mass tonight because of the distance and how dangerous the roads are right now. I can understand this as honestly it’s also a concern of mine. I invited them but they firmly declined and I said I was going to the only morning mass there is tomorrow and I hope they’ll respect my decision in the morning and not try to stop me from leaving. When I said I would go Christmas morning though they accused me of “abandoning them” on Christmas and not following our usual Christmas traditions (that don’t include mass) so I’m concerned as to how the morning will play out. I’ve stayed calm the whole time I’ve been discussing it with them but I still feel like I’m the one causing the “drama” on Christmas and this is a little upsetting.
With all dues respect I don’t think this is a religious issue. Sounds like your parents just don’t accept your growing up. Seriously, if you didn’t convert but had a girlfriend and said ‘I will be going to my girlfriends for an hour’ would they accuse you of abandoning them? I suspect they will.
Honestly they don’t care what else I do. It only seems to matter when I’m going to mass. Christmas is really just a materialistic holiday in my family and they are not accepting of any religion at all so I didn’t expect them to be ecstatic when I converted but I also wasn’t expecting to be cussed out for trying to attend mass on Christmas. I did make it to mass this morning thankfully so now it’s just getting through the next couple of weeks. But I’m going to focus on enjoying Christmas for now and the reason for the season and keep praying it gets better!
Thank you very much! I will keep you and your family in my prayers!
Welcome to the church and merry Christmas!
There is an obligation to attend Mass on New Year’s (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), except in years when the holy day falls on a Saturday or a Monday.
Do you invite them to come with you? It would be a bit harder for them to think you’re looking for an excuse to get away from them if you were always inviting them to come along. For instance, if you say, “Would anyone like to come to Mass with me this weekend? We could go at 5:30 on Saturday night, at 8:30 or 10:30 on Sunday morning, or at 7 pm on Sunday night.” If they decline the invitation, then you ask if one of those times would work better for them as the time that you go by yourself, freeing up the rest of the time to spend with them. (It would be an act of charity to make it a point to attend Mass at the time that is best for the rest of your family, even if they are not going with you.)
Unless you live in a diocese that has abrogated the obligation.
I do invite them most of the time but every time they make it known that they’re not interested in going to church and say whatever hurtful things they can think of in an attempt to stop me from going and inviting them usually results in an even greater scene than if I just go on my own. I try to make the times as convenient for them as I can but the local parish is very small and typically only has one vigil mass time and one morning mass time on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
Thank you for sharing with me. It is comforting to know I am not alone in this. I hope things have gotten better for you and I will remember your family in my prayers.
Happy New Year! Thank you for the prayers, I appreciate it.
