Is the Mass a Gift if we are forced to accept it?

[Abigail]

Dear CAF Posters:

I have spent some time on this forum, reading posts related to the Mass and our obligation to attend. I have some questions, and hope I will receive some thoughtful answers. I am NOT posting to rile people, and I don’t have an “agenda.” I just want to broaden my view based on what other people have thought about these things.

Our Church teaches that the Mass is a great gift from God. That it is a re-presentation of Calvary, and by it we participate in and receive the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Mystically, that is an awesome thought.

BUT, we humans are frequently unable, for various reasons, to appreciate the reality of this mystery. This gives rise to my two questions.

QUESTION ONE: Is the Mass a gift, or an obligation? It can’t be both. No one gives a gift while requiring that the recipient receive it. A gift is freely given, and freely received.

QUESTION TWO: If Mass is an obligation, what excuses us from attendance, and why? I have heard many people on this forum opine that a Catholic must attend mass unless it is IMPOSSIBLE. For those who feel that way, how would you deal with the following situations?

A family decides to go skiing. They call ahead and discover there is a Mass on Saturday at the resort. When they arrive, they find that Mass has been cancelled. There is another Mass in a nearby town, and a private pilot is willing to take them there for $5,000. If the Mass is truly Calvary, the most important thing on earth, wouldn’t it be more important than $5,000? Would it make a difference if the family were rich and $5,000 was not important? If so, why? Wouldn’t it be equally important for a poor family to bottom out their savings to attend Calvary?

Similar situation. A family intends to go to Mass, but their car breaks down. They don’t have any money, but they have $5,000 in credit on their credit cards. They can buy a used car for that, but they won’t be able to make the payments. But shouldn’t they do that, if Mass if really Calvary. Who would forego standing with Christ at the cross for $5,000, even if they couldn’t repay it?

OK. Some of you are going to say at this point that I’m being snarky. I assure you that I am not. If Mass is truly the equivalent of Calvary, such that we should not miss it unless it is IMPOSSIBLE, just what does that mean? And why? I read a story about a paraplegic in Africa who dragged herself many miles so she could go to Mass. That is laudable. Is it required? If so, why or why not?

 

[jmcrae]

Dear CAF Posters:

I have spent some time on this forum, reading posts related to the Mass and our obligation to attend. I have some questions, and hope I will receive some thoughtful answers. I am NOT posting to rile people, and I don’t have an “agenda.” I just want to broaden my view based on what other people have thought about these things.

Our Church teaches that the Mass is a great gift from God. That it is a re-presentation of Calvary, and by it we participate in and receive the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Mystically, that is an awesome thought.

BUT, we humans are frequently unable, for various reasons, to appreciate the reality of this mystery. This gives rise to my two questions.

QUESTION ONE: Is the Mass a gift, or an obligation? It can’t be both. No one gives a gift while requiring that the recipient receive it. A gift is freely given, and freely received.

QUESTION TWO: If Mass is an obligation, what excuses us from attendance, and why? I have heard many people on this forum opine that a Catholic must attend mass unless it is IMPOSSIBLE. For those who feel that way, how would you deal with the following situations?

A family decides to go skiing. They call ahead and discover there is a Mass on Saturday at the resort. When they arrive, they find that Mass has been cancelled. There is another Mass in a nearby town, and a private pilot is willing to take them there for $5,000. If the Mass is truly Calvary, the most important thing on earth, wouldn’t it be more important than $5,000? Would it make a difference if the family were rich and $5,000 was not important? If so, why? Wouldn’t it be equally important for a poor family to bottom out their savings to attend Calvary?

Similar situation. A family intends to go to Mass, but their car breaks down. They don’t have any money, but they have $5,000 in credit on their credit cards. They can buy a used car for that, but they won’t be able to make the payments. But shouldn’t they do that, if Mass if really Calvary. Who would forego standing with Christ at the cross for $5,000, even if they couldn’t repay it?

Actually the law doesn’t specify "impossible’ - it just says, “unreasonably difficult.”

In both of your scenarios, the family would be dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass.

I read a story about a paraplegic in Africa who dragged herself many miles so she could go to Mass. That is laudable. Is it required? If so, why or why not?

I’m familiar with the story. She was not required to attend Mass, not only because she couldn’t get there without going to extraordinary lengths, but also because she was not even a baptized Catholic.

Her example is given to show what extraordinary love of Jesus Christ looks like - and at the end of the story, she is baptized, and she is given a specially outfitted car to drive; she doesn’t spend her whole life crawling to Mass on her hands and knees. (It’s possible that she only actually did that once, and that her situation attracted attention and assistance straight away - at least, that’s what I hope happened.)

We tell stories like this, not because we’re worried about the people who miss Mass for good reasons, but to prick the consciences of those who miss Mass in order to sleep in on Sundays, or to participate in secular pursuits instead, without looking for a way to get to Mass as well.

 

[Abigail]

Thank you, jmcrae, for your reply.

You state that in both the examples given, the family would be dispensed from their obligation to attend Mass, but you don’t say why. It can only be because of the expense required. If that is that case, how much are we required to expend before it becomes “unreasonably difficult”?

Cab fare in an unknown city? Does it matter if it’s our last dime? Gas to drive 45 miles to Mass? Does it matter if we have to cut back on groceries? Does it matter if we only have to go without luxuries? Who determines what’s a luxury?

Again, I am not being snarky here. I think there are a lot of people who go through this calculation often, and are desperately unsure about how to do it. For example. I live in a very rural, non-Catholic area. The nearest parish is 45 minutes away, over two lane country roads that are frequently impassable in bad weather. Many people in my area are very poor. Is it frequently difficult to get to Mass. Yes. Is it frequently impossible. Yes. Is there a lot of room inbetween. Yes.

If we are required to believe that every Mass and Holy Day of Obligation is the true and actual representation of Calvary, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the meeting of heaven and earth in the liturgy, these minor details wouldn’t matter. We would crawl through 20’ snow drifts to get there. But the fact of the matter is that we DON’T believe that, and that the CHURCH DOESN’T REQUIRE US TO BELIEVE IT because if the Church did, we would be required to spend $5,000 to get there. Since we aren’t held to that standard, to what standard are we held?

 

[jmcrae]

Thank you, jmcrae, for your reply.

You state that in both the examples given, the family would be dispensed from their obligation to attend Mass, but you don’t say why. It can only be because of the expense required. If that is that case, how much are we required to expend before it becomes “unreasonably difficult”?

I think that’s something that becomes obvious in the situation itself. One guideline I have heard is that, if it takes you longer than 1 hour to get to the nearest Mass by means of your normal transportation, then you are dispensed from attending.

Cab fare in an unknown city?

This doesn’t seem unreasonable, to me, assuming the Mass is within a reasonable driving distance for the cab, and you were planning to travel by cab everywhere else, too. Another thought is to share the cab with others who are also going to Mass, and reduce costs in that way.

Does it matter if it’s our last dime? Gas to drive 45 miles to Mass? Does it matter if we have to cut back on groceries? Does it matter if we only have to go without luxuries? Who determines what’s a luxury?

Not to get into “keeping up with the Joneses” but if your standard of living is being reduced significantly below others in your area who have the same income, by the means necessary to get to Mass, then you probably have a good case to make for hardship. (ie: if everyone in your income bracket has cable TV except you, because you have to pay $200.00 a month on cab fare to get to Mass, and you can only get the $200.00 by canceling your service.)

Again, I am not being snarky here. I think there are a lot of people who go through this calculation often, and are desperately unsure about how to do it. For example. I live in a very rural, non-Catholic area. The nearest parish is 45 minutes away, over two lane country roads that are frequently impassable in bad weather. Many people in my area are very poor. Is it frequently difficult to get to Mass. Yes. Is it frequently impossible. Yes. Is there a lot of room inbetween. Yes.

If we are required to believe that every Mass and Holy Day of Obligation is the true and actual representation of Calvary, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the meeting of heaven and earth in the liturgy, these minor details wouldn’t matter. We would crawl through 20’ snow drifts to get there. But the fact of the matter is that we DON’T believe that, and that the CHURCH DOESN’T REQUIRE US TO BELIEVE IT because if the Church did, we would be required to spend $5,000 to get there. Since we aren’t held to that standard, to what standard are we held?

A standard of what is reasonable, and possible. And yes, we are required to believe that the Mass is a re-presentation of Calvary. Keep in mind that only two Christians were in actual attendance at the real thing - everyone else had what seemed to them to be extremely good reasons for not being there. (Romans after them to crucify them, etc.)

 

[puzzleannie]

Dear QUESTION ONE: Is the Mass a gift, or an obligation? It can’t be both. No one gives a gift while requiring that the recipient receive it. A gift is freely given, and freely received.

not?

any gift carries with it the obligation to accept it, because if you don’t accept it, you have not received a gift, you have nothing, so that is a non-problem. Nobody comes to your door and marches you to Mass at gunpoint so there is no force involved. The Mass is the way Jesus Christ instituted worship and the means by which He gives us his grace in the Eucharist. We are free to accept or reject, to participate or to stay away, but the consequences of rejection and refusal to participate are that we do not share in his grace. That is what it means to be in a state of mortal sin, to be separated by our own wilful act and choice, in full knowledge and intent, from his grace. As we any gift, if we turn it down, we don’t posses it.

no need to construct elaborate scenarios as if you are looking for an excuse to miss Mass. You don’t want it don’t go, but don’t complain if you find yourself struggling to get along in life without benefit of Christ’s presence and isolated outsite the community he forms.

prudence is one of the cardinal virtues, and the one that comes into play when judging whether circumstances prevent getting to Mass, and prudence does not call for elaborate role-playing or impossible scenarios

 

[Abigail]

Thanks, PuzzleAnnie, for your thoughts.

You wrote “any gift carries with it the obligation to accept it, because if you don’t accept it, you have not received a gift, you have nothing, so that is a non-problem. Nobody comes to your door and marches you to Mass at gunpoint so there is no force involved.”

Well, in a sense, that’s true. But the Church says that if we don’t accept the gift we aren’t just going to be without the gift, we are going to be DAMNED TO HELL! That is not a non-problem, and it does seem to imply some force (coercion).

It is true that we are free to accept or reject the grace God gives us in the Mass. But that is not what my question is about. It is not about people who are “looking for an excuse to miss Mass.” If you read that into my post, I’m afraid you read it wrong.

It is about people who love God, want to do the right thing, but are at times physically, mentally or psychologically unable to be as loving and giving as the Church presents as an ideal. Not all people find support and help in the “Church community.” For example, someone who has been sexually abused by a priest, then shunned by the community because they reported the abuse.

Prudence is indeed a virtue, but it is not something we have from birth. What is prudent for one person may be seen as indulgence by another. I did not present these examples as “elaborate role-playing or impossible scenarios.” I don’t think they are elaborate, or impossible. We are all put in similar situations frequently.

 

[Abigail]

Dear Forum:

It’s past my bedtime here, and I will be out of town tomorrow. I am very interested in your posts, but will not be able to reply until Wednesday.

Please keep in mind that this post is not about “excuses for missing Mass.” What I am trying to explore is the concept of “unreasonably difficult”. At one extreme we have the concept that Mass is more important than any other human activity so we MUST attend it unless it is TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE. But the Church doesn’t seem to teach that. I don’t think any priest would require a family to spend $5,000 to attend Mass at a resort. But why not? And how much would a “reasonable” amount be?

What I’m looking for here is a guideline for what is “reasonable.” Not ideal, not an excuse, but some examples of what prudence looks like, and why. If we can get to Mass by spending $10.00 on a cab, that looks prudent. If it goes up to $100.00, does it depend on how much money a person has? What amount does it have to be before it becomes “unreasonably difficult”? As a single woman, how do I determine whether it’s prudent to even take a cab in a strange city, regardless of the fare.

People make these decisions every day in their personal and business lives. But they don’t have the additional pressure of trying to decide if something is a sin, and if it is a sin, whether it is a mortal or a venial sin. And if they can’t decide if it’s a mortal or a venial sin, should they receive communion, or not? Someone who is looking for an “excuse to miss Mass” doesn’t worry about these things. The rest of us do.

 

[JRKH]

Dear CAF Posters:

I have spent some time on this forum, reading posts related to the Mass and our obligation to attend. I have some questions, and hope I will receive some thoughtful answers. I am NOT posting to rile people, and I don’t have an “agenda.” I just want to broaden my view based on what other people have thought about these things.

Our Church teaches that the Mass is a great gift from God. That it is a re-presentation of Calvary, and by it we participate in and receive the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Mystically, that is an awesome thought.

Yes it is an awesome thought.

BUT, we humans are frequently unable, for various reasons, to appreciate the reality of this mystery. This gives rise to my two questions.

QUESTION ONE: Is the Mass a gift, or an obligation? It can’t be both. No one gives a gift while requiring that the recipient receive it. A gift is freely given, and freely received.

The mass is truly a gift from God. It provides a way in which we may receive Christ physically into our bodies. A great gift indeed.
The obligation is that we attend mass at least once a week, on Sunday. The obligation is not on the mass, but on us.
In considering this question of the Sunday obligation, I have come to this conclusion. The greatest commandments are Love of God and Love of neighbor (Mt 22:36-40), so God must be absolutely first in our life. Sunday is the first day of the week AND the day of the resurrection. If God is first in our life we should WANT to receive him as often as possible. since most people work and can’t get to daily mass, we should go and receive him first thing in our week if at all possible.

QUESTION TWO: If Mass is an obligation, what excuses us from attendance, and why? I have heard many people on this forum opine that a Catholic must attend mass unless it is IMPOSSIBLE. For those who feel that way, how would you deal with the following situations?

As jmcrea explained it does not say impossible. Rather we are to attend Mass on Sunday unless we have a valid reason for not attending.

A family decides to go skiing. They call ahead and discover there is a Mass on Saturday at the resort. When they arrive, they find that Mass has been cancelled. There is another Mass in a nearby town, and a private pilot is willing to take them there for $5,000. If the Mass is truly Calvary, the most important thing on earth, wouldn’t it be more important than $5,000? Would it make a difference if the family were rich and $5,000 was not important? If so, why? Wouldn’t it be equally important for a poor family to bottom out their savings to attend Calvary?

Similar situation. A family intends to go to Mass, but their car breaks down. They don’t have any money, but they have $5,000 in credit on their credit cards. They can buy a used car for that, but they won’t be able to make the payments. But shouldn’t they do that, if Mass if really Calvary. Who would forego standing with Christ at the cross for $5,000, even if they couldn’t repay it?

What they should do is whatever seems righ to them in the given situation. Then they, the parents at least, should confess/discuss the issue with their confessor. Only he can judge the particulars.

OK. Some of you are going to say at this point that I’m being snarky. I assure you that I am not. If Mass is truly the equivalent of Calvary, such that we should not miss it unless it is IMPOSSIBLE, just what does that mean? And why? I read a story about a paraplegic in Africa who dragged herself many miles so she could go to Mass. That is laudable. Is it required? If so, why or why not?

I don’t think you are bein snarky - just ill informed.
I like that you feel this drawn to mass - that you truly see it in this way - as the re-creation of calvary.
I wish more catholics really saw this as well. That if they truly Love God above all else, they would make every effort to get to mass as often as possible. They would not even think about the “obligation” but rather the “Gift”.

Peace
James

 

[EasterJoy]

I think the attitude that a gift is only a gift if one is free to refuse it is itself off base. This is only true of gifts that are trifles, not the real gifts that meet our most profound needs.

Most of life’s greatest gifts are not chosen: our lives, our parents, our children, our pastors, our talents. Surely most of us have experienced gifts from Providence that we would never have been so wise as to choose for ourselves. Yet these times in our lives are indeed gifts, if we accept them obediently and gratefully.

Besdies, what is original sin, but Adam and Eve’s refusal of the gift of our poverty before God? We are nothing without God, but that is OK. We were never meant to be without God in the first place. The same can be said of all of God’s gifts, but particularly the Most Holy Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. The Mass is our participation in and nourishment from that Holy Sacrifice. Our lives are buried in the the life of Christ, we are buried with Him, and so we are made into an acceptable offering to God.

What greater gift could there be but that, and what could be more indispensible? To object to that arrangement would be like complaining that we have to breathe, or that, as birds, we are required to spread our wings and fly, while other animals can please God without doing that. It is indeed a misunderstanding of the gift. If a Catholic cannot appreciate that gift, surely it is a sadness, more so than if an eagle fledgling could not be coaxed to fly.

When are we excused from Mass? When are we excused from the obligation to breathe? When the necessity to not breathe is greater, as when we’re under water, of course. It’s not like we’re trying to get out of breathing, or that managing somehow to catch a breath when we would do better to hold our breath is some great accomplishment. We do not receive Holy Communion when we are in mortal sin, any more than we eat when we have a belly wound. We have the wound tended to, and, when healed, we eat again. It is all about common sense.

 

[Mel_Stones]

To question one - SALVATION is the ultimate gift which cannot be forced upon us. The Mass is both a gift and an obligation - this is possible. For example, lets say you get your child martial arts lessons as a present. He really wants them and is excited at first. Later the lessons get tough, he gets bored or scared, the lessons may even hurt. But you require that he continue to go because he will gain confidence, disciple, responsibility, safety and many other benefits. In this way the lessons are both gift and obligation.

Anyone who goes to Mass for the sole purpose of fulfilling obligation is not accepting the gift of salvation. Mass can be painful, difficult, or just boring at times but those who are truly devote to God will be devote to His Church and allow the obligation to mandate their continued attendance.

To question two - Each situation that might cause a person to miss Mass has to be determined by the individual at the time. That is one reason to have a well formed Catholic conscience. What would be a reason for one person to miss Mass may not be a reason for another. We are only required within safety - this is both physical safety and financial safety. For example, to gamble within ones own financial ability is not sinful. To gamble when money is tight and put the well-being of yourself or your family in danger, is sinful. So, to pay enough money to put your well-being in danger would not be required to get to Mass. Or to put yourself in possible physical danger would not be required. But to ignore alternatives (such as getting a ride from fellow parishioners) would be sinful.

When in doubt, I’d say air on the side of heartfelt safety until you can discuss the matter with your priest.

 

[jmcrae]

I think the attitude that a gift is only a gift if one is free to refuse it is itself off base. This is only true of gifts that are trifles, not the real gifts that meet our most profound needs.

Most of life’s greatest gifts are not chosen: our lives, our parents, our children, our pastors, our talents. Surely most of us have experienced gifts from Providence that we would never have been so wise as to choose for ourselves. Yet these times in our lives are indeed gifts, if we accept them obediently and gratefully.

Those are good points. The gift of life itself is thrust upon us without our asking for it, and even without our wishing to receive it. We come into this world screaming in protest, and yet, once we’ve tasted breath and food and warmth, we no longer want to give it up.

 

[JRKH]

To question one - SALVATION is the ultimate gift which cannot be forced upon us. The Mass is both a gift and an obligation - this is possible. For example, lets say you get your child martial arts lessons as a present. He really wants them and is excited at first. Later the lessons get tough, he gets bored or scared, the lessons may even hurt. But you require that he continue to go because he will gain confidence, disciple, responsibility, safety and many other benefits. In this way the lessons are both gift and obligation.

Anyone who goes to Mass for the sole purpose of fulfilling obligation is not accepting the gift of salvation. Mass can be painful, difficult, or just boring at times but those who are truly devote to God will be devote to His Church and allow the obligation to mandate their continued attendance.
Others have addressed question two.

Not to start a feud but I felt I must comment. For anyone truly devoted to God the Mass should never be boring. It may be painful and/or difficult for those with some illness or infirmaty, but such pain or difficlulty would pale against the Glory of attending mass and receiving Christ in the Eucharist.
If one finds the mass Boring, then they need to recognize in this boredom an area in their spiritual life that needs work.

Peace
James

 

[Mel_Stones]

Not to start a feud but I felt I must comment. For anyone truly devoted to God the Mass should never be boring. It may be painful and/or difficult for those with some illness or infirmaty, but such pain or difficlulty would pale against the Glory of attending mass and receiving Christ in the Eucharist.
If one finds the mass Boring, then they need to recognize in this boredom an area in their spiritual life that needs work.

Peace
James

But boredom is an emotion. We don’t have control of our emotions. We do have control of how we act despite emotions. So we can choose to go to Mass even if the emotion it evokes is boredom. Many truly devote people go through dry spells - I’m willing to wager boredom (even for the beauty of the Mass) is, at times, a side effect of these spells.

Because of emotions, the Mass could well be painful or difficult for many other reasons besides illness. Again the action is perseverance despite these emotions which are beyond our control.

Christ’s peace be with you.

 

[Julian0404]

Dear Forum:

It’s past my bedtime here, and I will be out of town tomorrow. I am very interested in your posts, but will not be able to reply until Wednesday.

Please keep in mind that this post is not about “excuses for missing Mass.” What I am trying to explore is the concept of “unreasonably difficult”. At one extreme we have the concept that Mass is more important than any other human activity so we MUST attend it unless it is TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE. But the Church doesn’t seem to teach that. I don’t think any priest would require a family to spend $5,000 to attend Mass at a resort. But why not? And how much would a “reasonable” amount be?

What I’m looking for here is a guideline for what is “reasonable.” Not ideal, not an excuse, but some examples of what prudence looks like, and why. If we can get to Mass by spending $10.00 on a cab, that looks prudent. If it goes up to $100.00, does it depend on how much money a person has? What amount does it have to be before it becomes “unreasonably difficult”? As a single woman, how do I determine whether it’s prudent to even take a cab in a strange city, regardless of the fare.

People make these decisions every day in their personal and business lives. But they don’t have the additional pressure of trying to decide if something is a sin, and if it is a sin, whether it is a mortal or a venial sin. And if they can’t decide if it’s a mortal or a venial sin, should they receive communion, or not? Someone who is looking for an “excuse to miss Mass” doesn’t worry about these things. The rest of us do.

Abigail,
the inquiry as to “unreasonably difficult” has been addressed fully in the summation of all the above. The sum total of the answer is “it depends”, i.e. on your financial status, physical capabilities and love of The Lord. The more money one has, the easier it is to consider an extravagant expense as not being “unreasonably difficult”. The stronger one is physically the more one can endure as not being “unreasonably difficult”. And the more one loves the Lord the more one will make increasingly higher sacrifices, which to them are not “unreasonably difficult”.
This Forum cannot advise Abigail on what is “unreasonably difficult” for Abigail. That is a decision you must make on each and every occassion it is necessary, and at each time your circumstances may have changed such that what was “unreasonably difficult” last time, is now not to difficult to undertake.
God has blessed each of us differently, and He knows our true strengths and weaknesses. He will judge what you have done or failed to do in the course of your life, to fullfill the first three commandments

 

[Verbum_Caro]

Abigail,

You seem to be giving these issue serious thought, and I hope this thread can be fruitful for you.

Here is my contribution:

1. Your dichotomy between a gift and obligation hold only if the thing is both a gift and an obligation in the same respect. In other words, only if one has an obligation to accept the gift qua gift does the problem arise.

But the obligation that we are speaking of regarding the Mass isn’t an obligation to simply attend Mass. The obligation upon which the command to attend Mass is based is the Natural Law obligation to render to God acceptable worship.

The Mass is a gift because by giving us the Mass, Christ (and His Church) makes it possible for us to fulfill our obligation of rendering acceptable worship to God.

Thus the Mass is both a gift and an obligation*, but in different respects*. As a gift, freely given, the Mass enables us to fulfill our obligation. From the standpoint of obligation, the Mass is the means by which we fulfill the obligation of worship.

1. As to your second question, I’ll just add some food for thought that might help further develop (or sidetrack. . .) the discussion. Other posters have pointed out that there is a calculus involved regarding attending Mass or not, and I think this is the fruitful line to follow in this discussion.

I think it might be worth considering that while Church does teach us that the Mass is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Calvary, the notion that the Mass actually is the Crucifixion (with all its attendant circumstances) is a theory (one currently very much in vogue). There are other theories of the Mass as sacrifice. Perhaps considering the Mass as the same sacrifice but not as the same event as Calvary might help in figuring out our relationship to it?

VC

 

[Trishie]

The thought which occurred in response to your thread title was, “Is my life, your life, a gift if we are forced to accept it?”
*We had no say in it, you or me. *
*We found ourselves alive and aware and uniquely ourselves, destined for eternal unity in God. *
Intrinsically and overwhelmingly so!
As also the Eucharist!

 

[TEPO]

QUESTION ONE: Is the Mass a gift, or an obligation? It can’t be both. No one gives a gift while requiring that the recipient receive it. A gift is freely given, and freely received.

OBLIGATION – Yes… We are obliged to accomplish our mission on earth, which should be in perfect line with Gods plan for us. Through mass we receive the tools (Eucharist, blessings, prayer, gospel) to accomplish our mission.

GIFT – Not really… It is a gift from God that we live eternal life in the splendor of heaven. We can reach this goal by accomplishing our mission on earth, and mass is, like I said, the tool. But is the mass itself a gift to us, I say no -its the benefits from the mass that are the “gift”… …

QUESTION TWO: If Mass is an obligation, what excuses us from attendance, and why? I have heard many people on this forum opine that a Catholic must attend mass unless it is IMPOSSIBLE. For those who feel that way, how would you deal with the following situations?

If you dont pay the price to get to mass, then thats why we have confession… What harm can come from going to confession one more time — just to make sure…

 

[JRKH]

But boredom is an emotion. We don’t have control of our emotions. We do have control of how we act despite emotions. So we can choose to go to Mass even if the emotion it evokes is boredom. Many truly devote people go through dry spells - I’m willing to wager boredom (even for the beauty of the Mass) is, at times, a side effect of these spells.

Because of emotions, the Mass could well be painful or difficult for many other reasons besides illness. Again the action is perseverance despite these emotions which are beyond our control.

Christ’s peace be with you.

Yes we all go through dry spells I will grant you that one and perseverance is what we must count on. So I suppose boredome could become an issue for some.
However I think dryspells tend to evoke other emotions than boredom. At least they do for me. When I am dry, I am worried and questioning where God’s peace is. I am not bored, rather I am concerned.

I would also caution us all to be on guard against justifying poor behavior by saying we don’t have control of our emotions. I suggest a review of Mt Chapter 5 to see how Jesus addresses some of these “emotions” like anger and lust that we supposedly don’t have control over. One of the big tasks we all have as followers of Christ is to learn to control these things as best we can.

Peace
James

 

[Ruthie_again]

There is guidance in the Catechism.

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

I don’t think He’d be pleased if we died stuck in a snowdrift, trying to get to Mass in a blizzard. Personally, I think it would not qualify as martyrdom, because a prudent person wouldn’t do it. Remember, prudence is one of the virtues.

I don’t think He minded, the Sunday I stopped to help someone herd their goats off the highway and back into their pen. (Picture this overly plump, middle-aged woman in her Sunday best, herding goats!) By the time they were secured, Mass was over.

I’m sure He was glad that, when I was dizzy and foggy due to fever, I didn’t endanger my neighbors by driving.

Yes, we should want to be there more than anything. But we will not be sent to Hell for missing Mass for serious reasons. You said,

But the Church says that if we don’t accept the gift we aren’t just going to be without the gift, we are going to be DAMNED TO HELL!

This is wrong. The Church condemns no one to hell. She can’t make the judgment; only Jesus can. Missing Mass is a grave sin. To be mortal, it must have two more elements. Read your Catechism, beginning with #1854.

There is an online (and searchable) Catechism here: scborromeo.org/ccc.htm Study it and it might answer your questions!

God bless you,

Ruthie

 

[Biggie]

It seems so incredible to me that as far as obligation is concerned, this is all God basically asks of me - a small hour once a week! And then in that small hour, he doesn’t want me to do something for him, but he wants to do something for me. When you think of what powerful people on earth demand their servants to do, doesn’t it seem incredible that the master of all asks only this of his servants?

And you know if I don’t even have that one hour for God in a whole week, isn’t it possible I have sinfully neglected him? So I think seeing the obligation and legalistically parsing its terms essentially misses the point.