Going to Mass Sick: question

[PetraG]

Standard precautions.
Seating apart from everyone else.
Keeping your hands to yourself.

Among other things.

I would say these are charitable ways to handle a mild illness that doesn’t argue against going to Mass.
If you have the chills or any sign of a fever, however, STAY HOME. They don’t want students going to school if they have been vomiting or have had a fever with 24 hours and there is a reason for that.

 

[1ke]

My grandmother used to say:
You can go to the doctor, the morgue, or Mass.
If you are too sick for Mass, you should consider a doctor.

Thankfully, Grandma doesn’t speak for the church. Her overzealousness is misplaced, and instilled in you a skewed view of the Sunday obligation and what the Church requires.

 

[bobperk]

The comparison of missing work to not going to Mass isn’t exactly a great one to make. At Mass, you are in much closer proximity to people, there is an expectation of hand-shaking and greeting (which isn’t always easy to avoid), receiving communion, etc. At many jobs, you can keep your distance from people much easier than you can at Mass. I say make the prudential judgment, and if it still bothers you just refrain from the Eucharist until you can go to confession.

 

[DarkLight]

My grandmother used to say:
You can go to the doctor, the morgue, or Mass.
If you are too sick for Mass, you should consider a doctor.

I would like to know what your grandmother would have done with those fun 24h stomach bugs. The way I put it, I can throw up in my own bathroom or the one at church. And I don’t consider that worth going to the doctor until you’re getting over like 36-48h.

 

[Hoosier-Daddy]

I dont personally subscribe to that rule. Mass is well, for the masses. And the masses are always sick. You are welcome to sit next to me. Dont kiss me at the sign of peace though… dont touch my babies. . But yeah, come one come all I say. We often head to Walmart after Mass so that’s where the bugs are anyway!

 

[c1949]

I take medication that reduces my immunity to infection. That made me worry as I watched the national news and reports on how widespread the flu was.

I had an exchange of words with a clerk at a convenience store who sneezed into her hands. I pointed out the hand sanitizer a couple feet away. She gave me “that look” and educated me to the fact that money is covered with bacteria. I wasn’t ready with a come-back for her.

My former pastor also gave me “that look” by email ( —??) saying that everything in church is covered with bacteria.

Well, the come-back is this: money and hymnals are indeed covered with bacteria – but they are generally HARMLESS bacteria. What’s important is when someone has an infectious type illness, that’s NOT a harmless virus or bacterium. Jan 2019 – did you catch the news about the cruise ship where 500 people came down with that norovirus (or whatever)?

I find that that I’m the only oddball who doesn’t like to shake hands in church. I had a bacteriology class in college where we had a demonstration of how a bacterium can spread across a room of people by simply shaking hands. Common sense may not be the best advice to give or receive.

I used to work in a nursing home where the staff had very poor technique for handwashing and other things that I can’t mention. Well, I went to work one day and the whole place was sick. Whatever it was just ripped through – all my patients had diarrhea. Incredible.

I notice in some places where employees wear plastic service gloves they don’t really know what they’re doing – their focus is on keeping THEIR hands clean but have no concept of handling the food safely.

I make my decisions about Church and shopping trips based on Center for Disease Control reports. (Don’t know if they’re shut down at present. I think the FDA is shut down.) My decisions are not based on hard-and-fast rules. It’s a combination of factors at the moment.

I note that priests seldom seem to be sick during the flu seasons. Teachers, too – they’re exposed to a lot.

 

[vz71]

I say make the prudential judgment, and if it still bothers you just refrain from the Eucharist until you can go to confession.

This seems problematic.
Go ahead and sin, you can always go to confession.

Am I hearing right?

 

[vz71]

Her overzealousness is misplaced, and instilled in you a skewed view of the Sunday obligation and what the Church requires.

Can you provide the specific teaching from the catechism?

 

[1ke]

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor

 

[phil19034]

My grandmother used to say:
You can go to the doctor, the morgue, or Mass.
If you are too sick for Mass, you should consider a doctor.

It’s one thing to say this to a child or teenager who has a tendency to faking being sick for church and school

It’s a totally different thing to say this to a responsible adult.

 

[bobperk]

No. A person may get up in the morning and not feel well and perhaps think to himself that he does not want to get others around him sick. Then maybe later in the day he recovers and it becomes apparent that he was never contagious in the first place. He may then think to himself, “I could have made it to Mass after all,” but at the time it seemed more prudent to recover from feeling ill and avoid spreading any kind if illness to others.

 

[Peeps]

Aerosols from sneezing/coughing can travel for many feet. Sitting in the back won’t protect others.

 

[ewohdrol]

This attitude annoys me. God may love you. The person you have made ill most likely doesn’t.

 

[vz71]

If you were not describing a sin, why even bother mentioning confession?

 

[pulchraesamicamea]

Hello! I understand your situation and I’m sorry that you got sick.
I have multiple health problems and these problems cause seizures. Due to it, I couldn’t go to Mass often until now. I really wanted go, but my doctor advised me to “stay home” because seizures can be life-threatening. Illnesses can be different in nature but if it puts you at risk, it is good to take some rest.

I think it’s good to take care of yourself and rest- and you can watch Mass from Catholic channels, such as EWTN. Also, I think it’s good to offer God a prayer and ask for healing, too. I’m praying for you!

Please see a doctor if the sickness get worse! It took me nearly 3 years to find out what’s making me sick (and people around me still don’t understand) so it’s definitely good to seek medical help.

As a person who cannot go to Mass often, there is the Anointing of the Sick which a priest can administer to you by visiting you. Also, you can contact your diocese to see if a priest can bring the Eucharist if you feel sick for a long time. If you need, you can contact your diocese to see if they have services for the sick (even it’s for a short period of time).

I hope you feel better soon and wishing you a fast recovery!

Pax Christi!

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

I think this thread is a great example of why the “too sick to go to work, too sick for Mass” rule of thumb arose. The Church isn’t going to be able to provide some exhaustive list of symptoms, cross referenced for severity, divided by distance from fellow parishioners, etc.

At some point you have to just give a general guideline and trust adults to apply common sense.

 

[Beryllos]

This seems problematic.
Go ahead and sin, you can always go to confession.

Am I hearing right?

No. He did not say “if you sin” but rather “if it still bothers you,” which I understand as scrupulosity.

There are measures to prevent spreading an illness without missing out on the sacrifice of the Mass.

The health of others is a lot more important than our “missing out.”

 

[vz71]

The health of others is a lot more important than our “missing out.”

This is a false delimma.

 

[DeniseNY]

This is a false delimma

It’s really not. Last winter, I had someone sitting in the pew behind me hacking uncontrollably and you could tell that it was a wet cough. Lo and behold, I got sick and was sick for 10 days. I work from home and since it was bitterly cold last winter, I wasn’t going anywhere else so Church is the only place where I would have come in contact with someone who was ill. What if it had been someone elderly sitting in front of her and they picked up what she had? I think it’s uncaring and somewhat selfish to go to church when you’re not only sick, but contagious.

 

[vz71]

So because you experienced this, it is the rule and must always happen that way.
Your logic appears flawed.

If one can protect others from their illness, there is no reason to miss Mass.