I’m an English speaker in Italy for three months on an exchange program. There’s Mass here but the priest speaks Italian so I prefer to wait until once or twice a month when I get to visit some English speaking monks on a Sunday. They offer confession for, I believe, the duration of Mass, and afterwards. I went afterwards last time but it was inconvenient to my host family. Is it a sin to miss part of Sunday Mass to go to confession? I don’t want to leave any part of my Sunday obligation wanting.
Missing part of Mass for confession
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My understanding is that when confession is offered during Mass (which would be highly unusual in the US), it does not interfere with you fulfilling your obligation, IOW, you are considered to “be at Mass”. And the priest does pause hearing confessions during the consecration (and possibly for more of the Canon than that)
The Church wouldn’t set up a situation of “you can go to confession, but that means that you’re not fulfilling your Sunday obligation”. It is really a post-Vatican II concept that one must be following along with every jot and tittle of the Mass, to be considered as fulfilling one’s obligation.
The Church wouldn’t set up a situation of “you can go to confession, but that means that you’re not fulfilling your Sunday obligation”. It is really a post-Vatican II concept that one must be following along with every jot and tittle of the Mass, to be considered as fulfilling one’s obligation.
po18guy
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Mention it during your next confession, pointing out where you were at the time. Making an act of contrition when cognizant of serious sin may be the best you can do at times. Then, attend mass and confess when you can. Some penitential prayer in between will reveal your heart and benefit others.
Although my brother may be stuck on the full and active participation aspect of the Novus Ordo, how else to focus on the One you love?
Although my brother may be stuck on the full and active participation aspect of the Novus Ordo, how else to focus on the One you love?
If you’re referring to me, centering one’s mind and heart on Our Lord would be that way. It doesn’t require following along with each and every word, reciting every response in unison, and singing every hymn — if that’s your “thing”, that’s fine, but if it’s not, your assistance at Holy Mass is no less worthy.
I can always spot first-timers at the TLM by the way they are desperately trying to follow along in the missal — I did the very same thing my first time — when the thing to do, is just to relax and take it all in, and let the Holy Ghost lead you. Nobody told me that.
But there is no sin here. Why would the Church put you in a position of not fulfilling your obligation by opting to go to confession which is being offered during Mass?
Confession during Mass is unusual in the US, and if is going to be offered, it should be made clear to those at Mass, that if they do choose to go to confession during Mass, they haven’t compromised their Sunday obligation by so doing. Again, in the TLM, there would be no question of “because I was in the confessional, I couldn’t follow along with each and every word of the Mass, so was I really ‘at Mass’ ?” Of course you were.
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Per my comments, I really don’t think they’re going to have a problem with it, but you can ask anyway, if you wish.
po18guy
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Out of obedience, I have left 1962 - as good as it was - where it is. Full and active participation. Obedience. Any other activity during the mass necessarily draws us away from the pinnacle of our worship. VII specifically addressed the laity being physically present but spiritually elsewhere during the mass. In essence: “Focus on presenting Christ to the Father” - what else matters? Is it a bad thing to focus solely on Christ - a participative holy hour - during the mass?
I remain mystified by the controversy.
I remain mystified by the controversy.
So far as I am aware, though in a perfect world all present would be able to assist word-for-word after the fashion of the Novus Ordo, those who adhere to the 1962 Latin Missal do not have this expectation made of them. The FSSP has express approval from the Church, and many dioceses have dispensed from this condition or that of TC.
Even when I must of necessity assist at the Novus Ordo instead of the TLM, very often I allow others to make the responses, while I engage in quiet contemplation. So far as I am aware, “do this, do that” vocal participation does not bind under pain of sin. If it does, I would appreciate seeing the documentation.
Even when I must of necessity assist at the Novus Ordo instead of the TLM, very often I allow others to make the responses, while I engage in quiet contemplation. So far as I am aware, “do this, do that” vocal participation does not bind under pain of sin. If it does, I would appreciate seeing the documentation.
po18guy
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Neither are we expected to follow word-for-word. Rhetorical: if it is unreasonable to memorize the liturgy (true or not), is it not also unreasonable to have to learn a new language to follow at all? RHETORICAL. Rather, we are expected to participate fully, not memorize. The Creed? Yes. The Lord’s prayer? Certainly. But not the consecration! Prayer, mental and spiritual involvement is how we participate in the Church’s greatest prayer, but prayer focused on the present liturgy, whether Word or Eucharist. Private devotions (Rosary, Chaplets etc.) are for private times, no?
We are two sides of the same coin, and I never forget that.
We are two sides of the same coin, and I never forget that.
Padre Pio recited the Rosary during Mass (obviously not while he was offering Mass himself). I fail to see how one can go wrong following the example of Padre Pio.
On the other side of the coin, as you allude to, even the excellent Father Stedman’s My Sunday Missal urged people to “pray the Mass” (echoing Pope St Pius X), and did even say that other devotions should be laid aside towards this end, and this was WRT the TLM. The Stedman missal was intended to be an aid to “Dialogue Masses”, something with which I have no problem, and I frequently “dialogue” large portions of the TLM (but not the Canon) sotto voce myself. But other times, as with the Canon, I am moved to recite, as Padre Pio did, portions of the Rosary. So far as I am aware, there is no magisterial teaching, nor disciplinary directive, not to do so, either in the TLM or in the Novus Ordo.
Just on a personal note, my mother’s present hospitalization, on the one hand, frees me up to go to Mass while she is in hospital, but on the other hand, distance and time issues may force me to miss the TLM (which I normally attend when I am able to assist at Mass) and go to the Novus Ordo. I’m good with that, we have an excellent, liturgically conservative parish downtown. But I shall exercise the same meditativeness and quiet contemplation whichever form I attend.
On the other side of the coin, as you allude to, even the excellent Father Stedman’s My Sunday Missal urged people to “pray the Mass” (echoing Pope St Pius X), and did even say that other devotions should be laid aside towards this end, and this was WRT the TLM. The Stedman missal was intended to be an aid to “Dialogue Masses”, something with which I have no problem, and I frequently “dialogue” large portions of the TLM (but not the Canon) sotto voce myself. But other times, as with the Canon, I am moved to recite, as Padre Pio did, portions of the Rosary. So far as I am aware, there is no magisterial teaching, nor disciplinary directive, not to do so, either in the TLM or in the Novus Ordo.
Just on a personal note, my mother’s present hospitalization, on the one hand, frees me up to go to Mass while she is in hospital, but on the other hand, distance and time issues may force me to miss the TLM (which I normally attend when I am able to assist at Mass) and go to the Novus Ordo. I’m good with that, we have an excellent, liturgically conservative parish downtown. But I shall exercise the same meditativeness and quiet contemplation whichever form I attend.
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