Mass, No Homily

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Hi all, I’m sorry if this was asked before, but I did a quick search and didn’t find the exact answer to my question.

This evening at Mass, there was no homily, but instead a video for some spiritual program was played (!). I know that this is not allowed, and that a priest or deacon must give the homily. My question is, was the Mass valid without a homily? Do I need to go to another Mass to satisfy my Sunday obligation? I should mention that I’m somewhat scrupulous, so I may be worrying needlessly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Mythos said:
Hi all, I’m sorry if this was asked before, but I did a quick search and didn’t find the exact answer to my question.

This evening at Mass, there was no homily, but instead a video for some spiritual program was played (!). I know that this is not allowed, and that a priest or deacon must give the homily. My question is, was the Mass valid without a homily? Do I need to go to another Mass to satisfy my Sunday obligation? I should mention that I’m somewhat scrupulous, so I may be worrying needlessly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Yes, the Mass is still valid, although the action was illicit. And yes, you have fulfilled your Sunday obligation. Even an Mass where illicit acts occur nonetheless fulfils your Sunday obligation.

The only things that can invalidate the Mass are a) the priest not being properly ordained (and dioceses and parishes check thoroughly, so this is incredibly unlikely), or b) improper consecration (eg Doritos and Fanta being used instead of bread and wine).
 
LilyM said:
Yes, the Mass is still valid, although the action was illicit. And yes, you have fulfilled your Sunday obligation. Even an Mass where illicit acts occur nonetheless fulfils your Sunday obligation.

The only things that can invalidate the Mass are a) the priest not being properly ordained (and dioceses and parishes check thoroughly, so this is incredibly unlikely), or b) improper consecration (eg Doritos and Fanta being used instead of bread and wine).
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Or improper words at the consecration.
 
I’ve been to mass a few times where there was no homily. All we got were the readings, then the eucharist. Of course, this was a weekday mass, so I don’t think it’s relevant to the topic;) God Bless!
 
OraLabora said:
Or improper words at the consecration.
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Yes, improper consecration means improper words, matter or intent.

I gave an example of improper matter, I wasn’t intending to give an exhaustive list of examples of other kinds of impropriety.
 
Mass was valid but what they did was wrong, report it to the Bishop and be sure to include the worries it caused you.

The only way to stop this kind of abuse and ensure we are provided with the Latin rite of the Church is to demand that priests respect our rights and get the Bishop to put a stop to the priest who think they can deny us mass in our rite and give us their own version of the mass in its place.
 
RyanCV said:
I’ve been to mass a few times where there was no homily. All we got were the readings, then the eucharist. Of course, this was a weekday mass, so I don’t think it’s relevant to the topic;) God Bless!
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You’re correct. Weekday Masses do not require homilies.
 
uxordepp said:
You’re correct. Weekday Masses do not require homilies.
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Where I regularly attend a weekday Mass, the priest does however give a short homily. The regular priest’s homilies however are extremely insipid. He’s a poor speaker, loses his way, and has a muddled message. But once in a while he is replaced by the rector of the community, and he usually delivers short three or four sentence homily that really bites and is a great take-away for the day. I often find myself reflecting on what he said at many points during the day.

It’s a blessing to have such a great message in so few words at a 7 am Mass.
 
Advocatus_Fidei said:
Mass was valid but what they did was wrong, report it to the Bishop and be sure to include the worries it caused you.

The only way to stop this kind of abuse and ensure we are provided with the Latin rite of the Church is to demand that priests respect our rights and get the Bishop to put a stop to the priest who think they can deny us mass in our rite and give us their own version of the mass in its place.
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Much of the time in the USA, at least, these recorded programs used at the homily come FROM the bishop.
 
Mythos said:
Hi all, I’m sorry if this was asked before, but I did a quick search and didn’t find the exact answer to my question.

This evening at Mass, there was no homily, but instead a video for some spiritual program was played (!). I know that this is not allowed, and that a priest or deacon must give the homily. My question is, was the Mass valid without a homily?*** Do I need to go to another Mass to satisfy my Sunday obligation? ***I should mention that I’m somewhat scrupulous, so I may be worrying needlessly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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-you are obligated to go to mass? really? I didn’t know that.

I rarely saw my foster parents go to mass, and they were the catholics, not me;0)
Hum.
 
I’m sorry for the poor examples your foster parents set for you. My prayers for all.
 
phoenixrrt62 said:
-you are obligated to go to mass? really? I didn’t know that.

I rarely saw my foster parents go to mass, and they were the catholics, not me;0)
Hum.
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Anyone can claim to be anything if they want to. Boys place red plastic hats on their heads and claim to be firemen, or green plastic hats and claim to be soldiers. Catholics in good standing (in the eyes of God) are obligated by God to attend Mass each Sunday.
 
Advocatus_Fidei said:
Well in that is what Rome is for.
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wait, wait, wait…when I’ve seen this in the US, it has come from the office of the bishop and it usually occurs only once or twice during the year at the fund drive for DSF (Diocesan Services Fund). It’s been going on for years in both liberal and conservative dioceses…I would venture to guess that this activity has ALREADY been approved by Rome.
 
cecilia97 said:
wait, wait, wait…when I’ve seen this in the US, it has come from the office of the bishop and it usually occurs only once or twice during the year at the fund drive for DSF (Diocesan Services Fund). It’s been going on for years in both liberal and conservative dioceses…I would venture to guess that this activity has ALREADY been approved by Rome.
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I certainly would not assume that.
 
Mythos said:
Hi all, I’m sorry if this was asked before, but I did a quick search and didn’t find the exact answer to my question.

This evening at Mass, there was no homily, but instead a video for some spiritual program was played (!). I know that this is not allowed, and that a priest or deacon must give the homily. My question is, was the Mass valid without a homily? Do I need to go to another Mass to satisfy my Sunday obligation? I should mention that I’m somewhat scrupulous, so I may be worrying needlessly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Masses are not valid or invalid, sacraments are. The only thing that would invalidate the Eucharist confected within Mass is lack of proper matter (wheat bread and wine without any additives) and form (the proper words and actions of consecration. Different parts of the Mass may by illicit, such has having a woman preach a homily, and so forth, but that does not affect validity of the Eucharist.
In any case any irregularities are not the fault of the congregation so any one present in good faith has fulfilled his obligation. If there is no Mass, such as when there is no priest, he may not have an obligation if there is no reasonable way to get to Mass elsewhere.

best advice for a scrupulous person is to evaluate your own actions only, never to consider those of others in your assessment of the state of your own soul. YOu should be asking these questions of the one trusted priest to whom you confess all the time. The multiplicity of answers you will get by a general cast like this are unlikely to be helpful in the long run.

short answer: the congregant attending Mass is not responsible or culpable for anything the priest does out of line at Mass so should never worry about it in regards to their own state of soul.
 
Advocatus_Fidei said:
I certainly would not assume that.
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Well, I have these good reasons to assume that it is OK:
  1. our Cardinal is known for being orthodox and obedient
  2. he approves this practice
  3. he’s on good terms with the Holy Father
  4. he’s a respected leader among the US bishops
  5. our pastor is exceptionally orthodox and allows the DSF video each year
  6. I’ve seen this practice every single year I’ve been attending Catholic Masses
All that said, the OP may not be dealing with a DSF situation…I don’t think we know. But my parish and diocese are in very good hands, so, thanks be to God, I can assume we’re being taken good care of on these terms.
 
baltobetsy said:
Much of the time in the USA, at least, these recorded programs used at the homily come FROM the bishop.
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Twice in our parish, we have had a video but It was shown just before the closing, dismissal. There was a homily also, although it may have been shorter than usual.

Lynnet
 
baltobetsy said:
Much of the time in the USA, at least, these recorded programs used at the homily come FROM the bishop.
Click to expand...
But, just because this happens a lot, that does not make it licit. What they should be doing is showing this after the post-communion prayer, where the announcements belong.
 
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