People just coming to Mass right at Holy Communion

[Evan]

I’m not making any moral judgements here but can’t this send the wrong message about the Mass? Besides, there’s nothing wrong about saying the Mass outside, is there?

I believe you would need a bishop’s dispensation to offer mass outside of a Church. Along with a valid/compelling reason.

 

[puzzleannie]

Where does it say that he did not meet his obligation? I’m not suggesting that he did, but the Church has been silent on how late is late. So we can’t really say he didn’t nor that he did.

I neither said nor implied he did not meet his obligation, we don’t even know if OP is talking about a Sunday Mass. The Church is not silent on how late is late. See other posts. Mass begins at the first blessing and ends at the final blessing. However, no one is forbidden from receiving communion if they come late. Why are we not all kneeling with our heads down in meditation in any case, or have our eyes firmly fixed on the priest and Jesus, that we have all this leisure to watch everyone else?

 

[ConstantineTG]

I neither said nor implied he did not meet his obligation, we don’t even know if OP is talking about a Sunday Mass. The Church is not silent on how late is late. See other posts. Mass begins at the first blessing and ends at the final blessing. However, no one is forbidden from receiving communion if they come late. Why are we not all kneeling with our heads down in meditation in any case, or have our eyes firmly fixed on the priest and Jesus, that we have all this leisure to watch everyone else?

The Church still hasn’t defined how late is late with Mass and fulfilling one’s obligation to attend Sunday Liturgy. Many priests on their own have tried to come up with definitions, but its not an official stance of the Church.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Here’s a Q&A from “Ask an Apologist” about that.

At what point in Mass does a later arrival not fulfill the Mass obligation?
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=13499

And, here is a Q&A from Catholic Exchange that applies.

Sunday Obligation
catholicexchange.com/2006/12/30/82722/

There’s nothing in there that differs from what I said.

 

[SwizzleStick]

There’s nothing in there that differs from what I said.

Correct. It does support what you said. With that being said, Catholics are obligated to attend Sunday Mass. That to me means one should be in attendance for the entire Mass if it is at all possible. Sometimes it isn’t, I suppose.

I don’t think I’ve been late to Sunday Mass in my life, though I do recall arriving just after Father arrived on the altar for a daily Mass once, so I really don’t understand why this is an issue for a lot of folks that are habitually late. I do know some folks have jobs that require them to be somewhere else on an emergency basis and sometimes folks have something come up on an emergency basis, and some folks have schedules that prevent them from arriving earlier on a general basis, but for most folks, I think they generally should be able to arrive at Mass before it starts.

When I was a kid, a family of ten at our parish always arrived a few minutes after Mass started. All ten of them went up to the front pew of Church week after week after week, just a few minutes after Mass began. I would think they could have adjusted their schedule just a few minutes to avoid doing that. But, it was their habit. I think sometimes that is the reason some people arrive late to Mass on Sunday. It is just what they do.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Correct. It does support what you said. With that being said, Catholics are obligated to attend Sunday Mass. That to me means one should be in attendance for the entire Mass if it is at all possible. Sometimes it isn’t, I suppose.

I don’t think I’ve been late to Sunday Mass in my life, though I do recall arriving just after Father arrived on the altar for a daily Mass once, so I really don’t understand why this is an issue for a lot of folks that are habitually late. I do know some folks have jobs that require them to be somewhere else on an emergency basis and sometimes folks have something come up on an emergency basis, and some folks have schedules that prevent them from arriving earlier on a general basis, but for most folks, I think they generally should be able to arrive at Mass before it starts.

When I was a kid, a family of ten at our parish always arrived a few minutes after Mass started. All ten of them went up to the front pew of Church week after week after week, just a few minutes after Mass began. I would think they could have adjusted their schedule just a few minutes to avoid doing that. But, it was their habit. I think sometimes that is the reason some people arrive late to Mass on Sunday. It is just what they do.

I agree. We shouldn’t look at being late and should do our best to be on time always. Of course the Church wants us to attend the entire Liturgy. But at the same time of course the Church does not want to impose punishments on those who through no fault of their own were not able to make it on time. If for example its the last Mass of the day and you did everything in your power to come on time, or because of important commitments such as your shift in the hospital as a nurse, you cannot make it before the start of Communion, then the Church will not hold it against you and would either view you as fulfilling your obligation or dispensing it altogether.