How sick do I have to be to miss Mass?

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Hermione

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Hello,

I ate some food I was allergic too and feel really sick as a result. I am not extemely sick so I could potentially go to Mass although doing so would mean feeling terrible for an hour. Having said that, I’d rather feel terrible than commit a mortal sin.

How sick do I need to be to be excused from the duty to attend?

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer!

Thanks! 🙂

P.S. Since I’m in RCIA I can’t participate, and I could watch the Mass at home on TV
 
If you are not yet recieved into the Church being in RCIA, there is not an obligation to attend Mass yet, though I appreciate your desire to attend. I think its great that you have that desire. If you are ill, you are ill. The important thing is not to be too scrupulous. I think that Jesus understands. One other thing, the fact is that you can participate in the mass, with the exception of Holy Communion. I encourage participation by following the readings, kneeling, and making the sign of the cross. Those are ways to participate. By the way, welcome.
 
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Hermione:
Hello,

I ate some food I was allergic too and feel really sick as a result. I am not extemely sick so I could potentially go to Mass although doing so would mean feeling terrible for an hour. Having said that, I’d rather feel terrible than commit a mortal sin.

How sick do I need to be to be excused from the duty to attend?

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer!

Thanks! 🙂

P.S. Since I’m in RCIA I can’t participate, and I could watch the Mass at home on TV
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As a Catechumen or Candidate you are expected to live the Catholic Faith. As an Inquirer I could agree that the Sunday obligation does not apply. To address the original question. If you are sick enough that you will not go out anywhere else, then your sick enough not to go to Mass. I would question someone who stays home sick from Mass Sunday morning and still shows up for their bowling team or Tee time at 2PM Sunday afternoon!
 
I have a related question. Sometimes I wake up and I feel fine, but over the course of the day I feel bad enough that I can’t go anywhere. I usually go to the Sunday afternoon mass offered at my parish. If I am well enough to go to Mass in the morning but do not go because I am planning on going in the afternoon, and then get sick and do not go in the afternoon, is that a sin? I know I would not have deliberately missed mass, but at the same time, there would have been masses I could have gone to and did not. Fortunately, this has never happened on Sunday, but given that it has been a recurring event, it’s possible that it could.
 
Grace and Glory:
I have a related question. Sometimes I wake up and I feel fine, but over the course of the day I feel bad enough that I can’t go anywhere. I usually go to the Sunday afternoon mass offered at my parish. If I am well enough to go to Mass in the morning but do not go because I am planning on going in the afternoon, and then get sick and do not go in the afternoon, is that a sin? I know I would not have deliberately missed mass, but at the same time, there would have been masses I could have gone to and did not. Fortunately, this has never happened on Sunday, but given that it has been a recurring event, it’s possible that it could.
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How could going to a later Mass possibly be a sin ? You’re still going to Mass.​

 

How could going to a later Mass possibly be a sin ? You’re still going to Mass.​

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Sorry if I didn’t phrase myself clearly enough. My question was if I couldn’t go to the later Mass because I got sick, but there were earlier Masses I could have gone to before I got sick.

It would be like this: I wake up, feel fine, decide to go to the afternoon Mass and therefore do not go to the morning Masses. Over the course of the day, I get sick enough that I cannot go to the afternoon Mass. I therefore do not go to the morning or the afternoon Masses.
Although I was planning on going to Mass and sickness prevented it (as far as I know that’s not a sin), there had been earlier Masses that I could have gone to, and didn’t. My question is in a situation where I miss Mass altogether because I got sick after the morning Masses and before the afternoon Mass.

Hopefully I phrased myself better there.
 
Thank you for replying everyone! 🙂

Do any of you know examples given by priests of illnesses that make missing Mass permissible? And illnesses that aren’t severe enough to qualify?

Thanks!
 
Grace and Glory,

Your question traverses several interesting issues. According to para 2181 of the Cathecism:

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.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

Notice where it says serious reason. Failure to meet the criteria of serious reason is a grave sin. But your situation, IMHO, does not meet the qualifications of grave sin.

But on that note, you have a prior knowledge that you may become ill in the afternoon. So, I believe that the heart of your conundrum is why do you not go to Mass in the morning? I believe that you must search your heart to find the real answer to this question.

Your very asking of this question shows that you feel remorse for missing Mass. Pray to the Holy Spirit to give you strength to go to Mass in the morning, and your problem would be solved.

As humans, sometimes we forget that we are creatures of habit. If we fall out of habit, humans then tend to rationalize ourselves right out of prayer life. Through prayer, we become one with our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I will pray for the Holy Spirit to help you change your heart, and to become more habitful of prayer.

God bless you always,
 
What if you were sick, and you were still in the condition to go to Mass but your sickness was contagious? Would it really be wrong to skip Mass for that week if your purpose was to made sure nobody caught it?
 
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papadon:
Grace and Glory,

Your question traverses several interesting issues. According to para 2181 of the Cathecism:

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.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

Notice where it says serious reason. Failure to meet the criteria of serious reason is a grave sin. But your situation, IMHO, does not meet the qualifications of grave sin.

But on that note, you have a prior knowledge that you may become ill in the afternoon. So, I believe that the heart of your conundrum is why do you not go to Mass in the morning? I believe that you must search your heart to find the real answer to this question.

Your very asking of this question shows that you feel remorse for missing Mass. Pray to the Holy Spirit to give you strength to go to Mass in the morning, and your problem would be solved.

As humans, sometimes we forget that we are creatures of habit. If we fall out of habit, humans then tend to rationalize ourselves right out of prayer life. Through prayer, we become one with our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I will pray for the Holy Spirit to help you change your heart, and to become more habitful of prayer.

God bless you always,
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Thank you for your response.🙂 Fortunately, I have not actually gotten sick like this on a Sunday, because it is infrequent (probably happens about once every two months). That is also probably why I have continued going to afternoon Mass, because on each individual Sunday, it doesn’t seem likely to happen. This happened to me last week in the middle of the week, however, and I wanted to know how it would have affected me if it had happened on a Sunday. I have tried to rearrange my work schedule to make morning Mass possible; hopefully that will prevent this from happening. Thanks again!
 
Grace and Glory,

You are quite welcome and God bless you. I’m sorry that I have missed the point that this hasn’t happened on Sunday. Work schedules are so hard these days, in respect to worshipping on Sundays. I feel your pain, as I work weekends and also work the midnight shift. I will remember you in my prayers.

May God bless you and Keep you,

Papadon
 
I have hauled myself out of bed with a low grade temp, completely stuffed nose and gone. I just tell those around me before the “sign of peace” that I am sick - I don’t want to pass it to them.
This morning I woke with a doozy of a headache, gobbled two Excedrin and took off down the road for Mass, headache still pounding…
The point being that I NEED the Mass so if I can walk and drive, I go. No matter how I feel physically, I know my spirit will be fed and therefore, I will feel better than if I did not go. :love:
 
if you think you are too sick to go to Mass, then you are to sick. the same standards you would use about going to work or school. remember the graces gained from the celebration of the Mass benefit the whole church, including those who cannot be there because of illness.
 
I missed Mass today. Last night I was throwing up and this morning I still felt sick with a low grade fever. At first I telt guilty and then started to think that I might have a case of scrupulosity; after all I don’t want to infect the congregation. I usually drag myself out of bed and go anyway but this morning I didn’t have the energy to even do that.I laid in bed all day and slept until about 3:00 p.m. after taking medicine for cold and flu. Later in the day I started to get ready for a 715p.m.because without me going, my teeanagers and 10 yr, old think they don’t have to go, too. Well, we got to Mass but it was in spanish (we speak english ) and my kids convinced me to go home. Now I feel guilty for my children not going. Another case of scrupulosity?

I remember a story about Mother Teresa. One of her sisters was sick with a fever and Mother Teresa told her ‘better to burn in this world than the next.’ A lot of times remembering that, gets me moving in the morning. But not today. Am I being too scrupulous?
 
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PMV:
What if you were sick, and you were still in the condition to go to Mass but your sickness was contagious? Would it really be wrong to skip Mass for that week if your purpose was to made sure nobody caught it?
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PMV:

In your case, I would probably not go or, if you do. Try to find a place in the back where people are not sitting or standing.

Also, at the “Sign of Peace” I would not shake anyone’s hand. This is from personal experience where I was just getting over the flu and there was a couple with newborn twins near me. I was probably not contagious, but I was not going take any chances, so I did not shake anyone’s hands. I also did not partake in the Precious Blood.

As for Hermione, the only suggestion for the next time is to make sure you get an aisle seat (been in that situation too :bigyikes: )

PF
 
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