Missing Mass

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Hello…I am new to this site but very glad I found it. I have a question that really worries me. 😦 If a person is sick and cannot go to Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day is it a Mortal Sin? Are they allowed to recieve Holy Communion or must they wait until they go to confession? Also, what if you TRULY FORGET that it is a Holy Day? Thanks for any help.Peace & God’s Love to all
 
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mfluke:
Hello…I am new to this site but very glad I found it. I have a question that really worries me. 😦 If a person is sick and cannot go to Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day is it a Mortal Sin? Are they allowed to recieve Holy Communion or must they wait until they go to confession? Also, what if you TRULY FORGET that it is a Holy Day? Thanks for any help.Peace & God’s Love to all
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It is no sin to skip Mass because of illness. In fact, it would be inconsiderate of you to attend Mass if you had a communicable disease such as the flu.

If you miss Mass because you are ill, you are free to receive Communion at your next Mass.

If you forget to attend Mass on a holy day (or maybe you don’t know it is a holy day), again there is no sin. You can’t commit a sin unless you know you are doing something sinful. There is no such thing as an “accidental sin.”

(Of course, missing Mass because one forgets or doesn’t know that it is a holy day is different from missing Mass out of laziness that masks itself a “faux forgetting.”)
 
Three things are necessary for a sin to be mortal:
  1. Serious/grave matter- (which missing Mass is.)
  2. There must be sufficient reflecting on the evil which one is contemplating.
  3. There must be free consent of the will.
    Since you were sick, forget-- 2&3 don’t apply- you didn’t commit a mortal sin and would not need to go to Confession before receiving the Eucharist.
    Dc. Chuck
 
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mfluke:
Hello…I am new to this site but very glad I found it. I have a question that really worries me. 😦 If a person is sick and cannot go to Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day is it a Mortal Sin? Are they allowed to recieve Holy Communion or must they wait until they go to confession? Also, what if you TRULY FORGET that it is a Holy Day? Thanks for any help.Peace & God’s Love to all
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2181 Catechism of the Catholic Church
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.
 
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mfluke:
Hello…I am new to this site but very glad I found it. I have a question that really worries me. 😦 If a person is sick and cannot go to Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day is it a Mortal Sin? Are they allowed to recieve Holy Communion or must they wait until they go to confession? Also, what if you TRULY FORGET that it is a Holy Day? Thanks for any help.Peace & God’s Love to all
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If you’re home sick and have cable TV, see if you have EWTN, they have Mass televised, although you may not be partaking of the Eucharist, it is still a great way to participate in Mass. I work many weekends and Mass on TV is the best I can do.
 
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Tom:
If you’re home sick and have cable TV, see if you have EWTN, they have Mass televised, although you may not be partaking of the Eucharist, it is still a great way to participate in Mass. I work many weekends and Mass on TV is the best I can do.
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And if you have fast connection (DSL, cable) watch EWTN streaming video here
 
Re: section 2181 of the catechism - how do you answer people who say that they are dispensed from attending Sunday Mass when on vacation, because their parish priest told them it was OK? Is there any argument other than the obvious one that it is a mortal sin to knowingly and willfully miss Sunday Mass, if these people seem to believe it is, in fact, not a mortal sin?
 
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hearts929:
Re: section 2181 of the catechism - how do you answer people who say that they are dispensed from attending Sunday Mass when on vacation, because their parish priest told them it was OK? Is there any argument other than the obvious one that it is a mortal sin to knowingly and willfully miss Sunday Mass, if these people seem to believe it is, in fact, not a mortal sin?
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You aren’t dispensed from your Sunday Mass obligation simply because you’re on vacation. (If you’re vacationing in Las Vegas you’re supposed to pretend there aren’t any Catholic churches there?)

But if, while on vacation (or on any other sort of trip), it is not possible for you to get to a church because, say, of distance, then you do not commit a sin by missing Mass. (Obvious example: Vacationing in Saudi Arabia, where there are no Christian churches at all.)

As far as getting to a church is concerned, heroic efforts are not required. Many Catholic moralists draw a line at a one-hour trip: If it would take you longer than that to reach a church, you do not have to make it to Mass that Sunday. Of course, there is a bit of arbitrariness in saying one hour, but I suppose these moralists were responding to people who insisted on being given an exact time.

At least we can say that there must be some cutoff. It would be ludicrous to say that the Church obliges one to travel, say, 23 hours if necessary to reach a Mass in the 24th hour of a Sunday.
 
does anyone have a suggestion on a way i could present this to them that won’t come off as me sounding judgemental and “holier than thou”
 
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beng:
2181 Catechism of the Catholic Church
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.
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hearts929:
does anyone have a suggestion on a way I could present this to them
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I have a question - does their parish priest telling them it’s okay count as being “dispensed”? It kind of sounds like they’ve at least discussed it with him?
 
deacon chuck:
Three things are necessary for a sin to be mortal:
  1. Serious/grave matter- (which missing Mass is.)
  2. There must be sufficient reflecting on the evil which one is contemplating.
  3. There must be free consent of the will.
    Since you were sick, forget-- 2&3 don’t apply- you didn’t commit a mortal sin and would not need to go to Confession before receiving the Eucharist.
    Dc. Chuck
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Actually you did freely consent not to go to Mass, unless you wre physically prevented and number 2 might very well have been there

number 1 is missing, as the Church dispnses with the precept in such a case and thus it is not an act of disobedience
 
On the same subject of reasons for missing Mass. A friend of mine with a BA in theology who worked in the diocesan offices someplace in the States told me that people no longer have the obligation to attend Mass once they turn 65. (Apparently they are dispensed because people that old are usually sick.

I told him that the only “sick” I could tell about was that idea. He swears it is true. I know there is no such dispensation, but cannot find anything in writing to refute him.

Anybody know of a citation I can use to show that he is wrong?

TIA
 
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Tom:
If you’re home sick and have cable TV, see if you have EWTN, they have Mass televised, although you may not be partaking of the Eucharist, it is still a great way to participate in Mass. I work many weekends and Mass on TV is the best I can do.
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Um. The fact of the matter is that unless you are present at a Mass, you haven’t been to Mass.

If you’re sick and have to stay at home because of it (like when I was in the hospital over a weekend) and the TV at the hospital or at home televises a Mass, watching it is certainly a VERY GOOD THING. 😃

You can offer up your own life as a sacrifice along with the Mass like you do while you’re personally present at Mass. :rolleyes:

However, watching it on TV is NOT the same as having gone to Mass. :mad:

I hope you can have your work hours arranged so that you can make your Sabbath obligation for Mass in person so you can have the Eucharist.

:o
 
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DrCat:
A friend . . . told me that people no longer have the obligation to attend Mass once they turn 65. (Apparently they are dispensed because people that old are usually sick.

Anybody know of a citation I can use to show that he is wrong?

TIA
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In reality, you’d have to have him show you a citation that shows he is right. I don’t think “the Church” has a document that says if you are over 65 you are not dispensed from Mass. (an individual diocese or parish might have a guideline but I’ve never heard of it) The general principles of attending Mass apply.

If you are over 65, you are not obligated to fast on Ash Wed or Good Friday, but that is the only dispensation that I am aware of off the top of my head. Perhaps he was confused.
 
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DrCat:
On the same subject of reasons for missing Mass. A friend of mine with a BA in theology who worked in the diocesan offices someplace in the States told me that people no longer have the obligation to attend Mass once they turn 65. (Apparently they are dispensed because people that old are usually sick.

I told him that the only “sick” I could tell about was that idea. He swears it is true. I know there is no such dispensation, but cannot find anything in writing to refute him.

Anybody know of a citation I can use to show that he is wrong?

TIA
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He needs to go back to school. Nobody is dispensed form Mass because of age.
 
I do not know about the rest of you but I am afarid of missing mass, it might be my last time to attend and I need all the grace I can get.
 
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frleo:
In reality, you’d have to have him show you a citation that shows he is right. I don’t think “the Church” has a document that says if you are over 65 you are not dispensed from Mass. (an individual diocese or parish might have a guideline but I’ve never heard of it) The general principles of attending Mass apply.

If you are over 65, you are not obligated to fast on Ash Wed or Good Friday, but that is the only dispensation that I am aware of off the top of my head. Perhaps he was confused.
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Father,

Thank you for your answer. I have tried telling him that myself but he gets up on his “I have a degree in Theology and used to work in a diocesis” horse and tells me I don’t know Canon Law (something I must admit is true). I have searched for documentation, but I have found nothing. I have decided that this is one of those areas where the correct answer is so obvious that nobody has ever written about it. (The correct answer being that we are obligated until the day after our funeral.)

I’ll tell him what you told me, and hope that is enough.
 
I will be 63 in Sept. and I strongly resent your friend’s assumption that people over 65 are too infirm to attend Mass regularly! While there are many people over 65 who ARE infirm, so there are many UNDER 65 who are also infirm. Age has nothing, or very little, to do with it. BTW, I also observe the Lenten fasts even tho I am dispensed from them. Thank you for being concerned enough about the legitimacy of this to seek information.

Peace,
Linda
 
Veronica Anne:
Um. The fact of the matter is that unless you are present at a Mass, you haven’t been to Mass.

If you’re sick and have to stay at home because of it (like when I was in the hospital over a weekend) and the TV at the hospital or at home televises a Mass, watching it is certainly a VERY GOOD THING. 😃

You can offer up your own life as a sacrifice along with the Mass like you do while you’re personally present at Mass. :rolleyes:

However, watching it on TV is NOT the same as having gone to Mass. :mad:

I hope you can have your work hours arranged so that you can make your Sabbath obligation for Mass in person so you can have the Eucharist.

:o
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I wish that i could, however being a helicopter pilot 100 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday is a real problem, I guess i could quit and sell shoes?
 
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