Not agreeing - remain under obligation?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mo0004
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mo0004

Guest
It is well-known that the Church has removed the obligation (in the US) for three holydays if they fall on a Saturday or Monday, and moved the Ascention to Sunday. I personally “respectfully disagree” with the Church on this one, and I have stated it publicly in that way. I believe that we should not change based only on convenience. (Parenthetically, I also believe that the U.S. Government was wrong to change three Federal holidays from the observed day to the nearest Monday just for a long weekend - same line of reasoning.) Does my belief in the holyday tradition mean that I remain under obligation to attend Mass on those days under pain of mortal sin? The reason I am asking is that I believe that it does and have acted on that belief (except for Ascention Thursday, where the only Mass is at noon and I work.) Therefore, this is really an academic question. But my wife (and practically everybody else I know) believes otherwise. That being the case, if the answer is yes, then there would be situations where I am obligated to attend Mass and she is not!
 
mo0004 said:
Does my belief in the holyday tradition mean that I remain under obligation to attend Mass on those days under pain of mortal sin?
Click to expand...
No.

(Neither are you required to be a work on those holidays which have been moved to a Monday.)
 
No, your belief about whether or not the Church should have moved the obligation and observance of the Holy Days has no impact on what the actual obligation is.

You can certainly attend Mass on those days, but you are not observing the Holy Day-- the readings on those days are daily mass readings, not the readings for the feast. If the Feast is transferred to Sunday, then that becomes the feast day.

The dates selected for that particular feast were arbitrary to begin with-- the Church selected them. The Church has the authority to move them, to require them as holy days or to not require them as days of obligation.

If there is any “sin” involved, it may be related to authority and you denying the authority of the Church to declare on what day we observe Feasts.
 
If there is any “sin” involved, it may be related to authority and you denying the authority of the Church to declare on what day we observe Feasts.

I guess from my original post it sounds that way, so I’d better rephrase! I do disagree with the decision, but do not disagree with the Church’s authority to make that decision. For example, in our community, we are required to keep our lawns mowed to a reasonable height (6" I think.) If the Community Association Management Board liberalized that, I wouldn’t like it and would continue to keep my lawn mowed. However, I would accept the authority of the Board (but in that case would keep this in mind for the next election). Accordingly I would not feel critical of my neightbor (even if it were in my own private thoughts) if he chose not to mow his lawn as much. Same thing here - I choose to go to Mass on those days. But I have no right to judge those who do not - doing that would indeed be a sin.
 
mo0004 said:
It is well-known that the Church has removed the obligation (in the US) for three holydays if they fall on a Saturday or Monday, and moved the Ascention to Sunday. I personally “respectfully disagree” with the Church on this one, and I have stated it publicly in that way. I
. . .
Does my belief in the holyday tradition mean that I remain under obligation to attend Mass on those days under pain of mortal sin? !
Click to expand...
you are obligated on pain of mortal sin to obey the magesterial teaching of the Church in matters of faith and morals, and your Sunday/Holy Day obligation flows from that primary obligation. does that help? The bishops can designate any day they wish to observe the Holy Day. I can’t. I have not the authority.
 
mo0004 said:
It is well-known that the Church has removed the obligation (in the US) for three holydays if they fall on a Saturday or Monday, and moved the Ascention to Sunday. I personally “respectfully disagree” with the Church on this one, and I have stated it publicly in that way. I believe that we should not change based only on convenience. (Parenthetically, I also believe that the U.S. Government was wrong to change three Federal holidays from the observed day to the nearest Monday just for a long weekend - same line of reasoning.) Does my belief in the holyday tradition mean that I remain under obligation to attend Mass on those days under pain of mortal sin? The reason I am asking is that I believe that it does and have acted on that belief (except for Ascention Thursday, where the only Mass is at noon and I work.) Therefore, this is really an academic question. But my wife (and practically everybody else I know) believes otherwise. That being the case, if the answer is yes, then there would be situations where I am obligated to attend Mass and she is not!
Click to expand...
According to my book the US has moved to Sundays only Epiphany and Corpus Christi. Have they also now moved Ascension to a Sunday?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top