Missing Mass is a Mortal Sin

[Sabda]

AFH,
Please keep in mind this is willfully (i.e. I just don’t feel like going, so I’m not going to go) missing Mass. If you can not get out because of the weather or are sick, like with the flu, etc it would not be a mortal sin to miss Mass. At most it would be venial and might not even be that. The Church does understand that there are certain circumstances were we simply can not go no matter how much we would love to be there.

 

[briang72]

I see this as the first battle Satan seeks to win against us. If he can get us out of the pews, its a significant step in winning our soul. Assuming our health and ability to get to a church, it should be easy to give back 1/168th of our week in thanksgiving to God in the format that He taught us. “Do this in memory of me”.

 

[berniedehler]

This poll question is ill-posed. Missing Divine Liturgy is a grave sin and mortal if all the conditions met. Even if they did commit an actual mortal sin by missing mass, we cannot say “they will go to hell” as the question in the poll put it. Its Christs job to make that call.

Nonsense. Mortal sin = hell. According to the Catechism, there is no one in Purgatory or Heaven that has mortal sin. Mortal sin, by definition, sends one to hell. Purgatory is only for those with venial sin. What is mortal sin? Sin that sends you to hell. Someone is missing this very simple plain point. Me or you?

…Bernie

 

[jmcrae]

Nonsense. Mortal sin = hell. According to the Catechism, there is no one in Purgatory or Heaven that has mortal sin. Mortal sin, by definition, sends one to hell. Purgatory is only for those with venial sin. What is mortal sin? Sin that sends you to hell. Someone is missing this very simple plain point. Me or you?

…Bernie

The key word is "we." It is grave matter (one of the components of a mortal sin) for one human being to say to another “You are going to go to Hell,” or for any human being to think “that other person is going to go to Hell.”

The only person we can know is ourselves. Jesus judges the rest - but even He doesn’t pass the final Judgement until the Last Day, and so far, that isn’t today.

 

[LilyM]

Nonsense. Mortal sin = hell. According to the Catechism, there is no one in Purgatory or Heaven that has mortal sin. Mortal sin, by definition, sends one to hell. Purgatory is only for those with venial sin. What is mortal sin? Sin that sends you to hell. Someone is missing this very simple plain point. Me or you?

…Bernie

No - the very vital point which YOU have missed is that it’s UNREPENTED mortal sin that sends one to Hell. We cannot read minds, so we cannot judge that a person has died unrepentant. They themselves will not be certain of their final destination until the last moment of their life, since at every moment before then there is the opportunity to mortally sin, as well as to repent of past sin and make a sincere Act of Perfect Contrition which will ensure salvation.

Although the previous poster who said the final destination is not known until the last day is also wrong. The last day is when the body joins the soul in whatever fate is determined for it. The soul is judged upon death or immediately after and at that point is irreversibly saved (either immediately going to heaven, or proceeding through purgatory first) or damned to Hell.

 

[Alexius]

Nonsense. Mortal sin = hell. According to the Catechism, there is no one in Purgatory or Heaven that has mortal sin. Mortal sin, by definition, sends one to hell. Purgatory is only for those with venial sin. What is mortal sin? Sin that sends you to hell. Someone is missing this very simple plain point. Me or you?

…Bernie

Not to interrupt, but you are right if we are to stick to the current catechism. At the same time, I do see and agree with the point that many are making about Christ’s judgment. Maybe it’s just my eastern perspective, but there is no way anyone can claim that no one is in Heaven for skipping “mass.” Your point is valid and true to the faith, but it is ultimately Christ’s judgment that will be the definitive condemnation - for Christ knows the heart…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[berniedehler]

Your point is valid and true to the faith, but it is ultimately Christ’s judgment that will be the definitive condemnation - for Christ knows the heart…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

Has Christ’s judgment already been revealed in the catechsim? Did He say that what we bind on earth is bound in heaven?

 

[Pug]

No - the very vital point which YOU have missed is that it’s UNREPENTED mortal sin that sends one to Hell.

Upon looking at the original post, I think** berniedehler** has this in mind. He originally wrote, italics added:

This means they will go to hell if they don’t repent

We do need to keep in mind the idea of repentance!

 

[HailMary]

Nonsense. Mortal sin = hell. According to the Catechism, there is no one in Purgatory or Heaven that has mortal sin. Mortal sin, by definition, sends one to hell. Purgatory is only for those with venial sin. What is mortal sin? Sin that sends you to hell. Someone is missing this very simple plain point. Me or you?

…Bernie

Mortal sin does not get you to hell on its own, its the judgment of Jesus Christ that does. You cannot put yourself in Hell: its His call. That being said, if you read my post closely you would see that it does not contradict the teaching authority of the Church because your original post says “This means they will go to hell if they don’t repent”. That is an ambiguous statement and inaccurate since what you really mean is if they DIE in a state of mortal sin then, as the Church teaches, they are subject to Hell.

And even then, we cannot say that is person “for sure” is in hell since our salvation is not purely individualistic.

St. Matthew Chapter 9:

9:1. And entering into a boat, he passed over the water and came into his own city.
9:2. And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

My first question to you reading this is: How did the man with palsy gain forgiveness? He did not speak to Jesus, the text does not say that. The text does not glorify this man in anyway, so we know it wasn’t his righteousness (in fact he may have very well be a great sinner) . Any inference you try to apply to the PERSON WHO WAS FORGIVEN is trying to inflate the text to make it say what you want it to say.

The answer is right there in the text.

“And Jesus, seeing **THEIR **faith…”. Jesus saw the FAITH of the ones who brought him (being the man with palsy) and it was THEIR faith that moved Jesus to forgive!

And the Catechism confirms this:
1861

Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

The intercession of the Blessed Mother (She is also known as the Queen of Mercy btw) can have an efficacious effect on Her Son’s decision. Also, see

Revelations 5:8:

When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,** which are the prayers of the holy ones(or saints in other translations)**.

Here is another reference that our salvation is not purely a function of our state:

Rev 3:23

I will also put her children to death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve(sorry Protestants, you are judged by your works too, not just faith!).

Anyhow my point is that just as the sinfulness of the mother killed her children, God also works the other way, the sanctity of the parents (or the community (ie: the saints)) can help another attain salvation.

Anyhow like I said originally, this question is ill-posed since Christ clearly said:
Luke 6:37:

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

God Bless

 

[wjp984]

Here is the problem. A lot of priests don’t believe missing mass to be a mortal sin and therefore wrongly inform us. Also, the Eastern Rite churches don’t believe that missing the liturgy is a mortal sin.

 

[HailMary]

Here is the problem. A lot of priests don’t believe missing mass to be a mortal sin and therefore wrongly inform us.

They will have to render account for their actions.

Luke 11:52:

Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered in: and those that were entering in, you have hindered.

Pray for those Priests who are not faithful to the Church and pray for those members of the Church Militant that are under those priests so they may overcome the obstacle put before them.

Also, the Eastern Rite churches don’t believe that missing the liturgy is a mortal sin.

That is untrue. I am Eastern rite and to even suggest this would be ludicrous.

 

[Vigis]

According to the Catechism, if a person willfully misses the Sunday obligation to attend weekly mass, it is a mortal sin. This means they will go to hell if they don’t repent. Do you know people in this situation in your family (Catholic and knowingly missing mass and knowing it is an obligation)?

Could you please post where in the Catechsim it says this and what are the circumstances for it to be considered such? I would very much appreciate that. God speed.

 

[Alexius]

Also, the Eastern Rite churches don’t believe that missing the liturgy is a mortal sin.

I’ve never heard the term “mortal sin” used in church - we don’t use these terms (“mortal” and “venial”) and neither do the Orthodox (at least, not the way they are used in the Latin rite doctrine). That doesn’t mean that skipping liturgy is less of a sin, though. It is quite serious indeed…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[wjp984]

They will have to render account for their actions.

Luke 11:52:

Pray for those Priests who are not faithful to the Church and pray for those members of the Church Militant that are under those priests so they may overcome the obstacle put before them.

That is untrue. I am Eastern rite and to even suggest this would be ludicrous.

I would agree since I also am Eastern Rite but I was under the heavily Latinized Eastern Rite. A lot has changed and from my understanding the last time I went to a Divine liturgy, they are more like the Orthodox now and don’t consider missing the liturgy to be a grave matter.

 

[wjp984]

I’ve never heard the term “mortal sin” used in church - we don’t use these terms (“mortal” and “venial”) and neither do the Orthodox (at least, not the way they are used in the Latin rite doctrine). That doesn’t mean that skipping liturgy is less of a sin, though. It is quite serious indeed…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

Well I heard the terms often and the Eastern Rite nuns used this term as well in diffentiating sins when teaching the catechism. Then again, as I mentioned in my previous post, I was under the heavily Latinized Eastern Rite. A lot has changed and I only go to divine liturgies a few times a year now.

 

[wjp984]

Could you please post where in the Catechsim it says this and what are the circumstances for it to be considered such? I would very much appreciate that. God speed.

While I don’t think people will necessarily go to Hell for missing mass, here is the catechism that states about the obligation for attending mass

The Sunday obligation

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."117 "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."118

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.

 

[Vigis]

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

Now when they say “grave sin” do they mean mortal sin? God speed.

 

[HailMary]

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

Now when they say “grave sin” do they mean mortal sin? God speed.

All mortal sins are grave but not all grave sins are mortal. A grave sin is that sin, which, when the three conditions are met, is a mortal sin. Hence, we can say that a “grave” sin is the first component part of a mortal sin, mainly, the seriousness of the sin. That being said, when someone commits a grave sin, under full will and knowledge, it is then a mortal sin.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

AFH,
Please keep in mind this is willfully (i.e. I just don’t feel like going, so I’m not going to go) missing Mass. If you can not get out because of the weather or are sick, like with the flu, etc it would not be a mortal sin to miss Mass. At most it would be venial and might not even be that. The Church does understand that there are certain circumstances were we simply can not go no matter how much we would love to be there.

Hi,

Yes I do understand that. I guess what Im confused about is why missing Mass willingly is a sin worthy of Hell and the commandments disobeyed willingly(which of course most would be willingly ) may not be mortal as well or are they considered mortal?

 

[LilyM]

Hi,

Yes I do understand that. I guess what Im confused about is why missing Mass willingly is a sin worthy of Hell and the commandments disobeyed willingly(which of course most would be willingly ) may not be mortal as well or are they considered mortal?

Well, I should think we take most all breaches of all of the commandments seriously indeed - most of them would be grave and potentially mortal (which is the worst we can say of any sin). There would only be rare exceptions (for example theft - if you’re doing it because it’s your only option to feed your starving family, or if it’s a tiny sum like 20 cents or something).