Late for Mass?

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bjford

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Hi,

I was wondering when one must be present at mass to fulfill the Sunday obligation. I’ve heard that you must be present for the Gospel, but my understanding was that the Eucharist was more important than the Liturgy.

Thanks.
 
The Mass must be seen as a whole. It is true that Christ is only *sacramentally *present in the Eucharist, but He is also present in the Word of God (see John 1). It is also important to note that the order of the Mass is symbolic of salvation history. Just as God revealed Himself first to the Hebrew people through His Word and the Law, and thereby prepared them for His coming, we too are prepared by the Word found in the Gospels for the coming of the Word made Flesh.
 
Of course the Eucharist is important, but I don’t think it makes sense to go to Mass only for that reason. One must prepare to receive the Eucharist through prayer, commuity and reflection on the readings. The Liturgy of the Word prepares Mass-goers for the Eucharist.

As far as being late goes, I know I’ve been guilty. I try to arrive at Mass early every Sunday in order to sit quietly, pray and prepare myself for Mass. If I get there early, I have more time with God. If I’m late, I feel like I’m missing out.
God bless.
 
I remember reading something recently (I thnk there may even be aanother thread on this topic) that said after Vatican II the Church really started to say that you have to be there for MASS - not some part of it. When I was a little kid many many years ago 😃 there was a different guidance, but that is NOT in place now.
 
One of the best prompts to my conscience came from a good friend who had converted to Catholicism for her marriage. She observed that ‘cradle Catholics’ mosied into mass whenever they could get themselves (and their kids) organized–and that it was so disruptive. She also wondered, if you could arrive at 9:05, why not at 8:55. A very good question. It has made me more of a stickler, though not perfect, about getting myself and my kids ready for church on time.
 
The reason why I asked was because I work on Sundays (10-7), so I get up usually at 7:00 AM, take a half-hour bus ride, and go to 8:30 Mass, and after mass I walk to work (I cant get my license until I turn 18 for insurance reason, so until this fall I walk and use the bus). One day, though, I got up late, and was 15 minutes late for mass-- they were just finishing up the gospel reading. I could have gone to mass after work (there are 8:00 and 9:00 masses), but by the time I’m done with work I’m very tired, can’t concentrate, have homework to do, and have to get somebody to give me a ride. When I got home, my mom said that I just needed to make it to the Eucharistic part of the mass for it to be valid, but then somebody told me I needed to be there for the Gospel, so I didn’t go to mass after work.
 
Then you were relieved of your Sunday obligation. It was a mistake that you arrived late, so there was no sin. Normally the requirement is to be there by the Gospel, but if a situation is beyond your control there is no sin in arriving later.
 
I don’t think God faults us for being late to Mass despite our best efforts to be there on time. If every once in a great while the alarm clock doesn’t work quite right or the bus arrives late, God understands. If someone consistantly doesn’t leave enough time to get ready for and get to Mass (causing persistant lateness), God would like that person to put in the necessary effort to get out of that habit.
 
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