Missing Mass

[LynnNH]

I have had two Sundays recently when I was unable to go to Mass.

The first time was when my husband, my children and I were at a camp on a lake in another state. I knew what time Mass was, because my mother had told me, but I did not know how to get there or how long it would take.

The second time was when I was away from home staying with friends. I had no car. I knew where Mass was, but not what time, and not really a way to get there.

Would this be considered a mortal sin? In the first case, I didn’t really want to be on the rural roads (some are dirt) trying to find the church. I knew it would be more than a half hour to get there.

I have been doing so well getting back to the habit of going to Mass every week (now if I could just get my husband to see the need as well!), and feel bad that I wasn’t able to go, but is this a mortal sin?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Next time you’re at camp on the weekend, before you go consider doing a Google or Yahoo Map search to get directions to the church, as well as checking their online mass times or calling the rectory to get Mass times, etc.

And if you’re going to stay with friends, let them know BEFORE you come to stay, “Say, I don’t have a car while I’m with you, and I need to go to Mass. Would you mind dropping me at church --here’s a list of the times of Mass in the nearest Catholic Church, what would suit you best?”

And for now. . .go to the priest as soon as possible and explain the situation, HE is the most proper judge. If you are in mortal sin, you’ll confess, be absolved, all better. If not, you can still have the benefit of confession for even just venial sins, and be reassured.

 

[JohnDamian]

It is not a Mortal Sin to miss mass for travel; sickness; caring for sick people etc.

As you were travelling; you did not commit any sin by missing Mass.

I would reccomend you get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; this “rulebook” explains all the “rules” and so on and so forth.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

It is not a Mortal Sin to miss mass for travel; sickness; caring for sick people etc.

As you were travelling; you did not commit any sin by missing Mass.

I would reccomend you get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; this “rulebook” explains all the “rules” and so on and so forth.

It does, John, but simple ‘travel’ does not necessarily excuse one from the obligation to attend.

If the OP had been physically traveling in a vehicle and unable to ‘stop’ at a Church for Mass, that’s one thing.

But if you’re camping out and ‘stationary’, with a Catholic Church in the area, then you should prepare to attend that church if you have transportation. That’s why BEFORE you go, you do the research so that you have a map, know how to get there, how much time it will take, etc. Less than 1/2 hour driving time one way is certainly reasonable. You don’t have a ‘get out of Mass free’ simply because you’re in a different physical ‘spot’ than your normal Sunday one!

Yes, the Catechism is important but as with any other written source, there is the possibility that one person’s ‘interpretation’ will differ from another’s. That’s why I suggested someone with more authority settle this–the OP’s priest.

 

[revert_jen]

It is not a Mortal Sin to miss mass for travel; sickness; caring for sick people etc.

As you were travelling; you did not commit any sin by missing Mass.

I would reccomend you get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; this “rulebook” explains all the “rules” and so on and so forth.

I would be interested to see the citation of that information from the CCC. All I can find is:
“The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obligd to participate in the Eucharist in 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.” (CCC #2181)

Also, technically, the Code of Canon Law is the “rulebook” and the catechism is more to explain the reasons behind the rules. (IMO, of course) But it is a very beautiful read, and I would recommend it to everyone.

I agree with Tantum ergo wholeheartedly, including the part about your priest being the best one to determine the answer to the question.

–Jen

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I have read that, if one can foresee that it will be impossible to attend mass on a specific Sunday, one should ask his pastor to dispense him from the obligation. The pastor may suggest, or maybe require, attendance on another day or another spiritual exercise. I have never done this; so am not familiar with the process.

 

[teachccd]

Mortal sin requires complete consent to turn your back on God. The mere fact that you are in question would indicate that you are most probably not in mortal sin. No one can judge the heart of another so no one here can tell you for sure. So, your best bet is to mention it in your next confession. You would have had to deliberately find something more important than Sunday Mass and by what you posted that doesn’t see to be the case… God bless…teachccd

 

[Edmundus1581]

I see camping out occassionally as a good way to spend the weekend, for your own bodily and spiritual health, and camping out with family as even more good! If it means that you miss mass, then you should do it anyway, without any sense of guilt.

Perhaps it was possible to attend mass on that Sunday. I would not recommend that you make so much effort as to spoil your vacation, for yourself or your family. This is precious time. You say that attending mass would have required a half hour drive. That is then at least an hour of driving, when you probably spend far too many hours driving during the normal week. Having a break from driving is part of your holiday. However, you weren’t even confident that half an hour would get you there - you could have been driving, and been lost, for much longer. It might have spoiled your whole day!

Others here have mentioned that you can work out how you will get to mass when you prepare for the weekend. That is reasonable advice, but preparing a family for a camping trip is going to be a very busy time anyway, and you don’t want to overextend yourself during the prepartion, so that you are too exhausted to enjoy your holiday. If I spent some time trying to research it, but wasn’t able to work it out, in reasonable time, then I’d leave it there. Having the support, or otherwise, of your spouse here seems to make all the difference to what can be achieved.

That’s how I would approach it, and wouldn’t even mention it in the confessional. The first one or two times you miss mass, for a good reason, it might help to raise it in the confessional, and, hopefully, you’ll get sufficient guidance to ease you mind in the future.

 

[Edmundus1581]

In other words, if it had have been me, not only would I not be considering “mortal sin”, I would not be considering any sin at all. I would feel confident that I spent the weekend well. Still, if in doubt, ask your confessor.

 

[Neil_Anthony]

I have had two Sundays recently when I was unable to go to Mass.

The first time was when my husband, my children and I were at a camp on a lake in another state. I knew what time Mass was, because my mother had told me, but I did not know how to get there or how long it would take.

The second time was when I was away from home staying with friends. I had no car. I knew where Mass was, but not what time, and not really a way to get there.

Would this be considered a mortal sin? In the first case, I didn’t really want to be on the rural roads (some are dirt) trying to find the church. I knew it would be more than a half hour to get there.

I have been doing so well getting back to the habit of going to Mass every week (now if I could just get my husband to see the need as well!), and feel bad that I wasn’t able to go, but is this a mortal sin?

Thanks for any help.

As you can see from the answers, its a grey area. You should go to confession since you aren’t sure if you had a good enough reason or not. If possible you should try harder to prepare next time too, by getting driving directions beforehand, etc. On the other hand, don’t go to the extreme of planning your whole vacation around being able to attend mass…

 

[lizaanne]

I see camping out occassionally as a good way to spend the weekend, for your own bodily and spiritual health, and camping out with family as even more good! If it means that you miss mass, then you should do it anyway, without any sense of guilt.

Perhaps it was possible to attend mass on that Sunday. I would not recommend that you make so much effort as to spoil your vacation, for yourself or your family. This is precious time. You say that attending mass would have required a half hour drive. That is then at least an hour of driving, when you probably spend far too many hours driving during the normal week. Having a break from driving is part of your holiday. However, you weren’t even confident that half an hour would get you there - you could have been driving, and been lost, for much longer. It might have spoiled your whole day!

Others here have mentioned that you can work out how you will get to mass when you prepare for the weekend. That is reasonable advice, but preparing a family for a camping trip is going to be a very busy time anyway, and you don’t want to overextend yourself during the prepartion, so that you are too exhausted to enjoy your holiday. If I spent some time trying to research it, but wasn’t able to work it out, in reasonable time, then I’d leave it there. Having the support, or otherwise, of your spouse here seems to make all the difference to what can be achieved.

That’s how I would approach it, and wouldn’t even mention it in the confessional. The first one or two times you miss mass, for a good reason, it might help to raise it in the confessional, and, hopefully, you’ll get sufficient guidance to ease you mind in the future.

You have GOT to be kidding!!! Please please tell me this is a joke.

You are honestly telling someone that CAMPING is more important their their immoral soul and the souls of their family!!!???

I’ve heard some pretty dangerous and wrong information passed out on this forum, but this has to be up there with the worst.

NO vacation is more important than the Mass when you KNOW there is a Mass near you. POOR PLANNING is no excuse.

If I did this I would have my butt in the confessional as soon as possible.

Regarding the second scenario - is it really so difficult to ask your friends to take you to Mass? If they are truly friends I’m sure they will be more than happy to help. Again - poor planning is no excuse.

~Liza

 

[Edmundus1581]

First off, I would like to mention that the Church recommends that if one misses mass for a good reason one should perform some form of prayer on the Sunday. (CCC 2183)

I’ve heard some pretty dangerous and wrong information passed out on this forum, but this has to be up there with the worst.

Due to the emphatic nature of this response, I have done some more research.

It is clear that CCC 2181 (“the faithful are obliged to participate …”) is binding on every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, so one does need a “serious reason” to miss even one mass.

Surprisingly, however I have found no official Church statement on the issue of Sunday obligation while travelling.

The closest is Pope John Paul II, in Dies Domini

*Moreover, Pastors should remind the faithful that when they are away from home on Sundays they are to take care to attend Mass wherever they may be, enriching the local community with their personal witness. *

Note the words “take care to attend”. This is not the same as “must attend”. Clearly John Paul is leaving open the question how much “care” is appropriate.

I’ve also found several non-canonical references, including in “Ask An Apologist”, and they say that yes, one is obliged to attend mass even when travelling, however there are exceptions, which are particular to the nature of travelling (eg. fear of getting lost).

Rather than analyse these different, but convergent, opinions I would just say the obligation is serious, but not binding in every circumstance, so, in my opinion, it should be raised in the confessional, not as (necessarily) a sin, but as question. Even better would be to raise it before travelling, if time permits, and receive dispensation.

However, It is clear from CCC 2181 that not every occassion of missing mass requires a dispensation. One should attempt some research before bombarding the priests with this unnecessarily.

As you can see from the answers, its a grey area. You should go to confession since you aren’t sure if you had a good enough reason or not. If possible you should try harder to prepare next time too, by getting driving directions beforehand, etc. On the other hand, don’t go to the extreme of planning your whole vacation around being able to attend mass…

I agree with all of this. If there’s one point that I would like to emphasise from my first response it is that if one misses mass for serious reason (including travel, with all circumstance considered), then there is no sin. It is not a question of mortal or not-mortal. Indeed, it may very well be a good and holy exercise of one’s time.

 

[choy]

you may ask a priest for dispensation and he has the authority to do so if he sees your reason as valid

 

[Tantum_ergo]

The most important thing for the OP to do is to talk to her priest. He will help.

The most important thing for any of the rest of us to do is to walk that fine line between playing "Look for the loophole’ and "obsess in terror over any possible slip’.

IOW: If you are going camping, plan ahead. If you are going to a place where you have absolutely no chance to get to Church on a Saturday or Sunday, ask the priest ahead of time to give you a dispensation.

If you are going to a place where you CAN get to Church, but you get a flat tire, or a child gets sick or hurt, or there is a rockslide, flood, storm or whatever such that it would be impossible–or even if ‘possible’, dangerous–to try to go to Church–stay safe, and talk it over with the priest when you return if only for your own reassurance that you did the right thing and it was not sinful in such a case to miss Mass.

If you are going to a place where you CAN get to Church but you just feel tired, or you want to ‘party’ the night before and then are too ‘hung over’ the next day, or you just ‘don’t feel like spoiling the vacation with a ‘forced’ activity’. . .rethink your attitude, because that kind of attitude could be gravely sinful. No amount of rationalizing with, "but I was on vacation’, or “in canon law I don’t see an AUTHORITATIVE documentation that absolutely 100% says that I MUST attend” is going to pass muster at the judgment. If (God forbid) you do succumb to temptation, get to confession as soon as possible, try harder the NEXT time you’re in a similar situation since you know you’re liable to be tempted, but once you have confessed and been forgiven, don’t obsess to the point of not being able to forgive yourself. If God forgives you, you should be at least as ‘forgiving’ as He.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I have had two Sundays recently when I was unable to go to Mass.

The first time was when my husband, my children and I were at a camp on a lake in another state. I knew what time Mass was, because my mother had told me, but I did not know how to get there or how long it would take.

The second time was when I was away from home staying with friends. I had no car. I knew where Mass was, but not what time, and not really a way to get there.

Would this be considered a mortal sin? In the first case, I didn’t really want to be on the rural roads (some are dirt) trying to find the church. I knew it would be more than a half hour to get there.

I have been doing so well getting back to the habit of going to Mass every week (now if I could just get my husband to see the need as well!), and feel bad that I wasn’t able to go, but is this a mortal sin?

Thanks for any help.

One can get the times and location of masses at Mass Times. It give all the masses within your specified radius from where you are, together with directions and phone numbers. Since things are not always up to date, it is probably wise to call the church, if possible, and confirm the information.

 

[Mijoy2]

I find this topic (mortal sin vs not a mortal sin) to be a very distressing one to my faith. In fact I find it so distressing it often is cause for reason for me to reconsider if my catholic faith is indeed the true faith at all.

The grey area of this topic in the many areas it is brought to the forefront of this discussion (i.e. certain forms of sex in marriage, stealing a pen from work, missing mass for various reasons etc etc) seems to bring the dignity of our faith down. The reason is because this issue is of paramount importance and yet it can be so very white to some and so very black to others, both of whom considers themselves to be devout in thier faith.

Something is wrong with this picture. Something is very wrong with this picture. It is of my personal opinion that the church should address this deep state of confusion we are in. I’d think protestants must read the posts of this topic and feel so very good about thier faith system.

It’s distressing and degrading. It undermines our faith. NOT, mind you, the answer to the questions, the fact they are so heavily debated and the topis is so ambigous and confusing to us all.

 

[Edmundus1581]

I have said my reading of Church teaching, namely that it there is a serious obligation to attend mass while travelling, and that if in doubt, on should consult one’s confessor, but that, on the other hand, travel can be a legitimate reason to miss mass, and, in that circumstance, should be taken joyfully, without any sense of sin.

What follows is really just my personal take, caveated by the above.

IOW: If you are going camping, plan ahead. If you are going to a place where you have absolutely no chance to get to Church on a Saturday or Sunday, ask the priest ahead of time to give you a dispensation.

If there is absolutely no chance to get to Church, then I don’t see a need for a dispensation, so long as the travel is necessary (including for a rest), and infrequent. I don’t see that we need a priest to specifically give us what is already provided by the Catechism (CCC 2181 - “…unless excused for a serious reason…”). The issue here is the interpretaton of “serious reason”. If one is in doubt about whether one’s circumstances are a “serious reason”, then one should ask a priest, but, if there’s no doubt, then the Catechism applies.

If you are going to a place where you CAN get to Church but you just feel tired, or you want to ‘party’ the night before

These are two entirely different circumstances (tired v. hungover). Now, I would say that preparing for vacation is going to make one tired (especially to a camping place, with children) and the point of the vacation is to revive one’s spirits, and spend time with family, so I would say that avoiding unnecessary travel while on the vacation is more of a reason to miss mass than it would be normally. Eg. I might regularly drive 30 minutes to mass, but would not feel so obliged when on vacation, especially if the route were unfamiliar, and uncertain. Here, the issue is the travel, not being at mass itself. If there were a church at the camping ground, or within a 15 minute walk, then there is no question.

I just keep coming back to the picture of a family spending a weekind camping out. To me that is such a good, and holy, activity, that it should be considered as the primary purpose of the weekend. If there is no mass, then take the weekend anyway, without scruple, and if there is mass, then the effort to get to mass (again, the organisation and the travel, not the mass itself) should be not such as to spoil the vacation.

In all of this, I am assuming the background of a “normal” family. Life is busy, tiredness is the normal state, weekends away are infrequent, and precious, life is full of “must do”’'s, some of which don’t get done, etc… My answer would be completely different for a different circumstance, eg. a childless couple, who spend several weekends a year on vacation.

 

[VonDerTann]

“The grey area of this topic in the many areas it is brought to the forefront of this discussion (i.e. certain forms of sex in marriage, stealing a pen from work, missing mass for various reasons etc etc) seems to bring the dignity of our faith down. The reason is because this issue is of paramount importance and yet it can be so very white to some and so very black to others, both of whom considers themselves to be devout in thier faith.”

–I could not possibly agree more.

–Moreover, in my own experience on these boards, many ‘debates’ over moral issues quickly devolve into overly legalistic debates over citations to, or interpretations of, the CCC…or Encyclicals…or Canon Law…or the Baltmore Cathecism…or to the writings of Popes from the 1300s…etc, etc. IMHO, there is no difference between this, and Protestant sects arguing over interpretations of the Bible.

Catholicism is NOT a set of rules. It is about a relationship with God and with your fellow travelers on the journey of life. If we had to boil down our faith to one word, I respectfully submit that word is “LOVE,” not “rules” or anything else for that matter.

–VdT

 

[Edmundus1581]

I find this topic (mortal sin vs not a mortal sin) to be a very distressing one to my faith. In fact I find it so distressing it often is cause for reason for me to reconsider if my catholic faith is indeed the true faith at all.

The grey area of this topic in the many areas it is brought to the forefront of this discussion (i.e. certain forms of sex in marriage, stealing a pen from work, missing mass for various reasons etc etc) seems to bring the dignity of our faith down. The reason is because this issue is of paramount importance and yet it can be so very white to some and so very black to others, both of whom considers themselves to be devout in thier faith.

Something is wrong with this picture. Something is very wrong with this picture. It is of my personal opinion that the church should address this deep state of confusion we are in. I’d think protestants must read the posts of this topic and feel so very good about thier faith system.

It’s distressing and degrading. It undermines our faith. NOT, mind you, the answer to the questions, the fact they are so heavily debated and the topis is so ambigous and confusing to us all.

I agree with your overall observations. I’ll have to quit this topic (too much time already), but I’ll just briefly address your comments with respect to protestants. Certainly, they look at Catholic debates about Church law (which is what this is), and laugh. However, the protestant alternative of no-church-law is far, far, worse. I know - I was one, and have kept contact with protestant family and friends over the years. They argue forever over not just details, but everything - from baptism, to holy communion, to whether the KJV bible is the definitive Word of God, etc. There is no resolution, ever, to these debates. In the Catholic church we may sometimes get caught with legalistic scruples, but it is a very small price to pay for the overall stability, and unity.

Thanks for the observations though! A refreshing take

 

[Neil_Anthony]

It’s distressing and degrading. It undermines our faith. NOT, mind you, the answer to the questions, the fact they are so heavily debated and the topis is so ambigous and confusing to us all.

The important thing to remember is that you can’t commit a mortal sin without knowing that you are committing a mortal sin. So to the people who don’t think these things are a mortal sin, if they have made a sincere effort to investigate the question, then for them it isn’t a mortal sin.

These debates are full of people who actively think about what is right and wrong, and who form their conscience based on reason. It shows that we’re thinking about what God wants and doesn’t want. So its a good thing, IMO. This is what we’re supposed to do: do our best to follow what we believe God wants for us, based on church teachings, which are sometimes difficult to apply in real life. That’s where our own prayer and reason and relationship with God come in.