Not going to Mass but hearing it? -obligation

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheSeeker2014
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TheSeeker2014

Guest
[
390. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation?
Code: 
A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason. ](https://culbreath.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/pope-francis-skipping-mass-and-the-sunday-obligation/)
^linked^
So if you are say, sick, are you obligated to watch/listen to Mass on tv (if available) or radio?

If you stay home (for whatever) would the obligation be fulfilled via TV or radio?
 
TheSeeker2014 said:
[
390. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation?
Code: 
A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason. ](https://culbreath.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/pope-francis-skipping-mass-and-the-sunday-obligation/)
^linked^
So if you are say, sick, are you obligated to watch/listen to Mass on tv (if available) or radio?

If you stay home (for whatever) would the obligation be fulfilled via TV or radio?
Click to expand...
“Hear” in this case means “attend”. While it is good to view or listen to a broadcasted Mass when one is unable to attend, there is no obligation to do so.

If one is really uanable to attend due to illness, proximity issues, etc. there is no obligation. We are only obligated to do those thing we are capable of doing. God does not ask the impossible.
 
TheSeeker2014 said:
If you stay home (for whatever) would the obligation be fulfilled via TV or radio?
Click to expand...
Mass on TV, radio, the Internet, etc. never fulfills your obligation.

If you have no obligation (e.g., you are ill, the weather is so bad you cannot drive to church, etc.) then watching it on TV is laudable, but doesn’t fulfill the obligation since none exists.

If you do have an obligation to attend Mass, then watching it on TV doesn’t excuse you from actually going to church.
 
TheSeeker2014 said:
[
390. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation?
Code: 
A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason. ](https://culbreath.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/pope-francis-skipping-mass-and-the-sunday-obligation/)
^linked^
So if you are say, sick, are you obligated to watch/listen to Mass on tv (if available) or radio?

If you stay home (for whatever) would the obligation be fulfilled via TV or radio?
Click to expand...
Canon law states: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1247).
 
Although we are called to obedience, anyone attending mass out of obligation instead of desire is missing the point.
 
Neofight said:
Although we are called to obedience, anyone attending mass out of obligation instead of desire is missing the point.
Click to expand...
You’re probably right. But how do you instill that desire? Which, by the way, you probably have more of if you do watch it on tv or youtube.
 
ProVobis said:
You’re probably right. But how do you instill that desire? Which, by the way, you probably have more of if you do watch it on tv or youtube.
Click to expand...
God instills it in our hearts, we need to fully say yes to him, open ourselves up to radical conversion of our lives. It is our temporal desires that hinder this, that make mass an obligation, that make us desire other things.

Being aware of this is half the battle.
 
Neofight said:
Although we are called to obedience, anyone attending mass out of obligation instead of desire is missing the point.
Click to expand...
Absolutely.
If one is attuned to the call to worship, one would not even consider skipping. Unless very ill, or weather and roads are extremely dangerous.
 
Jon_S said:
It is our temporal desires that hinder this, that make mass an obligation, that make us desire other things.
Click to expand...
But the Protestants don’t have the obligation. Can one conclude that they attend Sunday service strictly because they desire to more than Catholics? Or because of habit? Or some other reason perhaps?
 
Neofight said:
Although we are called to obedience, anyone attending mass out of obligation instead of desire is missing the point.
Click to expand...
This has no relevance to the question that was asked.

Besides, I would say that someone who attends Mass purely out of obedience to God is doing quite well.
 
Neofight said:
Although we are called to obedience, anyone attending mass out of obligation instead of desire is missing the point.
Click to expand...
I disagree with this. We *should *feel obliged, because it is out of justice that we worship God at Mass. And so our sense of obligation is a good thing. There’s great merit in attending Mass even (especially?) when you’d rather be doing something else.
 
ProVobis said:
But the Protestants don’t have the obligation. Can one conclude that they attend Sunday service strictly because they desire to more than Catholics? Or because of habit? Or some other reason perhaps?
Click to expand...
It could be any number of reasons, sadly in many of the very popular mega churches, people often attend as a social function and entertainment venue.

While I agree that it is wonderful that people attend mass even if only because of the obligation, I do think one needs to open themselves to more than that. To receive Gods mercy and to be filled with his grace.

So it doesn’t stop with obedience, it begins with obedience but is so much more.
 
ProVobis said:
But the Protestants don’t have the obligation. Can one conclude that they attend Sunday service strictly because they desire to more than Catholics? Or because of habit? Or some other reason perhaps?
Click to expand...
Some of them are there to see and be seen, but otherwise I’m inclined to say yes.

I’ve commented several times before about how surprised I was when I switched sides at how casually dressed most Catholics are for Mass and how few of them sing along with the hymns.

Protestants who show up for church, on average, seem much more engaged.
 
Jon_S said:
It could be any number of reasons, sadly in many of the very popular mega churches, people often attend as a social function and entertainment venue.

.
Click to expand...
This is a topic probably better in a new thread but I have to say that’s a huge generalization. There is a true worship happening within those “mega-churches” and the “social” aspect is the gathering of Christians to worship the Lord with gladness. After the worship service many of these churches then have “small groups” who gather to study scripture together so that they are connected to members of the church as a whole.

I don’t attend a mega-church but mine does use instruments and upbeat contemporary songs and hymns to worship our Lord. We even clap :eek: during our songs. And yet, we keep our liturgical pattern in that we have our scripture readings (same as the CC), confession of faith, Communion, sermon, etc.

It is different but it’s not for the ‘entertainment’ value that we go - we go to fellowship with other Christians and worship our Lord together.

God bless,

Rita
 
spedteacherita said:
This is a topic probably better in a new thread but I have to say that’s a huge generalization. There is a true worship happening within those “mega-churches” and the “social” aspect is the gathering of Christians to worship the Lord with gladness. After the worship service many of these churches then have “small groups” who gather to study scripture together so that they are connected to members of the church as a whole.

I don’t attend a mega-church but mine does use instruments and upbeat contemporary songs and hymns to worship our Lord. We even clap :eek: during our songs. And yet, we keep our liturgical pattern in that we have our scripture readings (same as the CC), confession of faith, Communion, sermon, etc.

It is different but it’s not for the ‘entertainment’ value that we go - we go to fellowship with other Christians and worship our Lord together.

God bless,

Rita
Click to expand...
Noticed I used words like “many”, “often”

I used no absolute terms, and it is no generalization to describe these as possible scenarios. I’ve experienced it. I even used to church shop for the church that offered the most for me in terms of social gathering and liveliness.

Notice I also used these terms of “many” to refer solely to mega churches, granting that some mega churches are not this way, and frankly mega churches are a small sect of protestantism to begin with.

I was also speaking of generally how individuals might approach going to church each week, not what the church describes as why they should go each week.

In my evangelical mega church upbringing, it was described as nice to go each week and good for Christian growth. It was in no way required or even pushed to attend weekly and if I told my friends or pastor I missed a month of church to go play somewhere no one thought a thing of it.

So please don’t derail the thread with putting words in my mouth, I offerred one possible choice among many to a question posed. I even started my post “it could be any a number of reasons”

The point of the post was that there are a number of reasons Protestants attend church weekly. From obedience, to sacramentals, to habit, and yes some even do for entertainment and social growth. To deny that as a possibility is to not look around you in our non denominational growing american individualistic culture.

My point is that we should attend church weekly for one reason. To worship our maker and give him glory. What the catalyst for that is, is not as important.
 
TheSeeker2014 said:
Code: 
390. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation?

A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason.
Click to expand...
Although you receive a blessing by listening to a live electronic broadcast of a Mass, as another poster has pointed out “hearing Mass” is an archaic way of referring to the real, not virtual, participation of Catholics at Mass. It comes from the days before modern means of recording or broadcasting Mass (records, tapes, CDs, radio, TV, Internet, etc.) were invented, when the only way a person could hear a Mass was by being physically present at the church where a priest was “saying” the Mass.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
This has no relevance to the question that was asked.

Besides, I would say that someone who attends Mass purely out of obedience to God is doing quite well.
Click to expand...
Thank you for keeping me on track!

But, now that you decided it is relevant by responding, I would agree that one who at least attends out of obedience is doing quite well, perhaps, but probably not better than one who does not.

I guess it all depends on how you view God. If you view Him as an stern task master who demands obedience, well you are probably right. If you view Him as a Father who lets us decide for ourselves, yet is never disappointed, and always loves us despite our short comings and bad decisions, even those who do not attend with any particular feeling of obligation are also, as you say, “doing quite well”.

Peace and all Good!
 
Neofight said:
I guess it all depends on how you view God. If you view Him as an stern task master who demands obedience, well you are probably right. If you view Him as a Father who lets us decide for ourselves, yet is never disappointed, and always loves us despite our short comings and bad decisions, even those who do not attend with any particular feeling of obligation are also, as you say, “doing quite well”.
Click to expand...
You don’t have to obey only the stern taskmaster. You might also choose to obey the immensely loving Father because you want to please him. So you can choose to obey out of fear of a lightning bolt striking you down, or you could choose to obey because you want to do what you can to please him.

I get tired of hearing how people who do something only out of obligation are somehow lacking. Acting out of obligation can be a very loving, giving thing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top