Is missing Mass really a Mortal Sin?

[jmcrae]

I’m getting that…but the way it’s worded, “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day” sounds must less mortal-sin-like than if it was worded, “Thou must attend mass ever Sunday!”. The way it’s worded sounds a bit more flexible. Is it worded differently in various versions of the bible?

In the translation with which I am most familiar, it is stated as a command, “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.” There is no option given.

But even in your translation, it does not say, "If you happen to feel like it … " or, "As long as you don’t have anything better to do … " It is also still phrased in the form of a command; it is still clearly not just a suggestion.

 

[babylonsfalling]

yes, i AM catholic. <—Then what does other refer to. Other than what?

I wish someone could explain WHY it is a mortal sin? If I miss mass I am not hurting anyone. <—Hurting someone isn’t the criteria. There are lots of sins that don’t involve "hurting anyone" Again, if I NEVER went to church, I could understand it, but occasionally miss because I am too tired…???

 

[shepherd_girl]

In my experience I have found that many of my fellow Catholics seem to believe Mass attendence is optional. My sister in law for instance, has it in her mind that she can take the summer off from Mass, like you can take a vacation from it. I wish more priests would reserve a homily now and then to lay out the law.
From God’s point of view, the Ten Commandments are not meant to restrain people or punish them or take away their fun. God realizes we humans are weak and very pathetic creatures. We like our creature comforts. We tend to be lazy now and then. Our present culture pounds self-seeking pleasures at every turn.
God laid down these rules like any good parent for our own good. See how we quickly get into trouble when we stray off the path.
Once you get it in your head it’s okay to skip Mass, then it can become a habit If we can’t give God our full attention one hour a week, what does that say about where our allegiance is? For Catholics, it’s not about earth being the big dance. Heaven is always the goal.
And how bout that old excuse about “I don’t get anything out of church.” What about GIVING something?
Bottom line is skipping Mass is breaking the commandment. Father knows best.

 

[PJM]

=lisahiku;8325251]Is missing Mass occasionally really a mortal sin? I have heard it is and can not understand why? To never go, yes. But to miss here and there, I don’t have a problem with it.

Thats nice God does!
Commandments are not options; sorry
Exo. 20:
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other gods before me.”
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day”

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “
4. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
5. "You shall not kill. “
6. "You shall not commit adultery”.
7. "You shall not steal”.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
9. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; or property”
10.“you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ***, or anything that is your neighbors.”

God Bless you, PLEASE get to Confession ASAP!

Pat

 

[Hopemercy]

I miss Mass nearly all the time. Medical reasons and thus I am allowed. Thankfully so

Also the issues of distance etc these days.

Mass can be heard live online; and many radio stations here broadcast live Mass on Sundays.

There are now also grave issues re trust.

I knwo the teaching is that whatver the sin of the priest, stil valid, but even so. I have a suspicion that that was not meant to apply to such sins/crimes as child abuse, I need to know that the priest there is pure of that.

Until we moved last year (Ireland) we attended mass at a friary where we knew the priest andr trusted him. Here we had that a short while too then he vanished to Rome.

So many here no longer go near mass for these reasons.

So I am at ease with my internet and radio masses and of course I strive for communion at least once a year. It actually helps spiritually. In so many unexpected ways.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

I miss Mass nearly all the time. Medical reasons and thus I am allowed. Thankfully so

Also the issues of distance etc these days.

Mass can be heard live online; and many radio stations here broadcast live Mass on Sundays.

There are now also grave issues re trust.

I knwo the teaching is that whatver the sin of the priest, stil valid, but even so. I have a suspicion that that was not meant to apply to such sins/crimes as child abuse, I need to know that the priest there is pure of that.

Until we moved last year (Ireland) we attended mass at a friary where we knew the priest andr trusted him. Here we had that a short while too then he vanished to Rome.

So many here no longer go near mass for these reasons.

So I am at ease with my internet and radio masses and of course I strive for communion at least once a year. It actually helps spiritually. In so many unexpected ways.

If you are medically dispensed, then there is no NEED for you to listen to internet or radio Masses. Those do NOT ‘substitute’ for the real thing.

Distance can be an issue in very rare cases, certainly most parishes will have somebody who is willing to offer rides, etc.

As for the trust issue, pash and pshaw. Come on now. You’re willing to tar 96% PLUS of priests who are guiltless and ASSUME they’re guilty? Even IF, their guilt of mortal sin doesn’t invalidate the Mass itself.

Feelings are a very very POOR guide for judging Truth. Plenty of invalid, illicit and downright sinful things feel just great whereas doing the RIGHT thing may FEEL tiresome, irksome, even downright scary.

Bottom line: Unless you have a legitimate reason (medical/psychiatric issues, care of a child, absolute inability to get there), missing Mass is sinful, gravely in and of itself.

And no, ‘trust issues’ are not of themselves a legitimate excuse to miss Mass.

 

[ronh4]

Could this be an example of the Church of “I” ?

 

[jmcrae]

Could this be an example of the Church of “I” ?

I think what happened was that when the soloist was practicing her scales, “Mi mi mi mi,” they all thought she was singing “Me, me, me, me!” and they thought it was the new teaching of the Church. (j/k)

 

[lisahiku]

RonH 4
and JM Crae

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[Hopemercy]

If you are medically dispensed, then there is no NEED for you to listen to internet or radio Masses. Those do NOT ‘substitute’ for the real thing.

Distance can be an issue in very rare cases, certainly most parishes will have somebody who is willing to offer rides, etc.

As for the trust issue, pash and pshaw. Come on now. You’re willing to tar 96% PLUS of priests who are guiltless and ASSUME they’re guilty? Even IF, their guilt of mortal sin doesn’t invalidate the Mass itself.

Feelings are a very very POOR guide for judging Truth. Plenty of invalid, illicit and downright sinful things feel just great whereas doing the RIGHT thing may FEEL tiresome, irksome, even downright scary.

Bottom line: Unless you have a legitimate reason (medical/psychiatric issues, care of a child, absolute inability to get there), missing Mass is sinful, gravely in and of itself.

And no, ‘trust issues’ are not of themselves a legitimate excuse to miss Mass.

And you are who?

On various aspects you shout about here…Here in ireland the percentage of abuse was 76% and there is little real penitence.

Trust is vital - period , and posts like this arouse nothing that is good. I and others need to know that our priest is liviing the faith fully.

And yes, there has been abuse here.

And what you say re radio and internet is rather negative and I for one wil take no heed of you here.These can be vital connections for so many…

I am sure you do not mean to sound pharisaical but that is hiow you come across

And you are who?

 

[shepherd_girl]

Certainly there are many legit reasons for skipping Mass - all that were addressed here.
But as for why, it’s obviously something God takes seriously or else it would not be considered a mortal sin if one misses for no good reason. We as Catholics believe we are creatures of God and the Catholic Mass is considered the highest form of prayer through which we worship God the creator. It is also the source of the Holy Eucharist which as Catholics we believe to be the true presence of Christ and if we do not eat his flesh we have no life within us.
Those who think missing Mass occasionally “just because” are straying into territory of disobedience and not accepting Church teaching/authority. We’re not always going to feel like going to church; it’s those times when we don’t and yet we attend anyway that we perform a sacrifice that is pleasing to God and will only help ourselves in the end.
Hey, we are all weak and we all falter. That’s the sacrement of reconciliation is for.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

And you are who? A Catholic like yourself.

On various aspects you shout about here…Here in ireland the percentage of abuse was 76% and there is little real penitence. My sympathies to the Irish people though that isn’t the percentage I have heard across the pond, nor do I judge the ‘penitence’ of others.

Trust is vital - period , and posts like this arouse nothing that is good. I and others need to know that our priest is liviing the faith fully. No, you aren’t asking for trust. You’re asking for certainty. . .and that is something no one can have. How do you ‘know’ the priest is living the faith fully if you don’t trust him? Who gets to be judge here?

And yes, there has been abuse here. Yes and? There has always been abuse. Priests are human beings. Abuse is wrong. But what ‘penitence’ would you accept? I remember here in Boston when the first stories came out. . .people actually said and still say that they will NEVER forgive, that there is NOTHING that can be done, that the priest’s sin is UNFORGIVEABLE not by God, but by man. How does this help anyone?
And what you say re radio and internet is rather negative and I for one wil take no heed of you here.These can be vital connections for so many…I’m sorry you see it as negative; it is merely a statement of fact. A person who is validly dispensed does not NEED to watch a TV or internet Mass as it does not SUBSTITUTE for the real thing. That doesn’t mean they can’t watch to enjoy or if they feel it ‘helps’ them get a connection. Not NEEDING something doesn’t mean it cannot be engaged in. It just means that if you like it, fine, watch, but you don’t need to do it and feel it ‘substitutes’ for Mass. It doesn’t. That isn’t just my opinion, it is that of canon lawyers citing the 1983 CIC #1247-1248.

I am sure you do not mean to sound pharisaical but that is hiow you come across OK, name-calling with the caveat that I don’t ‘mean’ to be such a nasty person? If I had a penny for every argument that used the word "pharisee’ to describe another poster who was stating what the Church teaches I’d buy out Donald Trump.

And you are who?

A Catholic like yourself.
And may God bless the Irish people and help them to recover from this very sad and painful abuse situation. Many people 10 years ago here were suffering the same lack of trust as you did. Those who learned to let go and trust in God, at least, are if not ‘back to normal’ at least well on the way and the Church (all its members, lay and clergy) are getting stronger and flourishing. . .those who kept holding on to their anger and hurt (normal as those reactions are) and closing in on themselves, getting angrier and angrier until NOTHING would, nothing COULD, satisfy their screams of “IT’s NOT FAIR, nothing you can do will make us trust, make us forgive, make us happy. . .make us BELIEVE again”. . .well, the longer they hold the hate, the farther away they wander, and the more we pray for them.

 

[Corki]

On various aspects you shout about here…Here in ireland the percentage of abuse was 76% and there is little real penitence.

That is a completely false statistic.

Trust is vital - period

Sure, but the level of trust you need to have in someone is different depending on how you are going to interract with him. The level of trust you need to have for a priest in order to attend Mass is very low. You simply need to trust that he is validly ordained and that he has faculties to say Mass.

, and posts like this arouse nothing that is good. I and others need to know that our priest is liviing the faith fully.

You may **want **to know the details of your priest’s personal life but you don’t **need **to know them. And that has nothing to do with an obligation to attend Mass.

And what you say re radio and internet is rather negative and I for one wil take no heed of you here.These can be vital connections for so many…

No one discounts the value of seeing or hearing the Mass remotely. The problem arises when people see that as a valid substitute for Mass attendance.

 

[rosebud1972]

Im a revert of two years now and just recently ive started to miss mass. Alot has changed for my family over the last to years for the better since returning BUT Ive missed a few masses lately and my husband whos new to the faith has missed over a month and I really dont think its a mortal sin. We try as parents to show our child what is right and we go regularly now to mass. But I cant believe its a mortal sin to miss mass and be denied communion for that.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Im a revert of two years now and just recently ive started to miss mass. Alot has changed for my family over the last to years for the better since returning BUT Ive missed a few masses lately and my husband whos new to the faith has missed over a month and I really dont think its a mortal sin. We try as parents to show our child what is right and we go regularly now to mass. But I cant believe its a mortal sin to miss mass and be denied communion for that.

The Church clearly Teaches that it is a mortal sin to miss Mass on days of obligation with no legitimate reason.

So you must decide whether or not you believe what the Church Teaches.

 

[rosebud1972]

You cant really pass judgement on why another misses mass and say well now u cant recieve communion…You would certainly scare away alot of people from going to mass and I dont think thats really the point

 

[rosebud1972]

Confession is a personal thing not something you have to do every year… and maybe thats not what the church teaches but I will go when I feel the need to go and have a priest to trust and if one misses mass every now and then it can happen and dosnt make it a mortal sin …we are all different in our faith journeys and should be treated as such.

 

[mlund]

The core point here is that “occasionally” has nothing to do with the nature of a Mortal Sin. The threshold for Mortal Sin is grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. The situation is binary, yes or no.

Where the a matter of frequency might come into play is in honestly discerning whether one has truly been “excused for a serious reason” as opposed to choosing to “deliberately fail in this obligation”. If a mutable factor (such as a schedule I can change) is causing me to constantly miss my Sunday obligation then I should be taking pains to change that schedule, and blithely failing to do so pushes me into the realm of deliberate failure. A nurse being forced to work a sudden double-shift does not have the same worry.

But quantitative analysis of “I’ll skip today and be OK if I don’t skip the rest of the month, since I only miss occasionally,” is definitively wrong.

• Marty Lund

 

[Corki]

Confession is a personal thing not something you have to do every year… and maybe thats not what the church teaches but I will go when I feel the need to go and have a priest to trust and if one misses mass every now and then it can happen and dosnt make it a mortal sin …we are all different in our faith journeys and should be treated as such.

You need to go to confession **at least **once a year. It’s a precept of the Church. More often is better; our priest recommends once every month or two as a good practice.

As a revert, there are two things that might be very beneficial. First, a good confession with a holy priest to cover the time you were away. And second, a refresher course in Church teaching. Many parishes offer classes for those returning to the Church. There are also good basic Catechism classes for adults - even free ones online.

You mentioned children. I don’t know how old they are but if they are school age, they will be learning all this in CCE class - about Confession, the obligation to attend Mass, mortal sin, etc. You will be a great help to them if you brush up on your knowledge.

Welcome back!

 

[jmcrae]

Confession is a personal thing not something you have to do every year.

If you only have to go once a year, you must be a living Saint. I have enough for a good Confession just about every Saturday.