Question about missing Mass

[expectthebest]

If you miss Mass because you are sick or some other good reason, do you have to do something to make up for it? I once had a Priest tell me that if you have to miss Mass for a good reason, you still have the obligation to fulfill in some other way. I’m not sure if he meant this as something encouraged or something that would be a mortal sin if you didn’t do something to make up for missing Mass.

Tks

 

[expectthebest]

I just found this:

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.”117 “The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.”118

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2183 “If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”120

2192 “Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church” (CIC, can. 1246 § 1). “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1247).

This says that saying the liturgy or praying for a sufficient amount of time is recommended but it doesn’t say it is binding under pain of sin. Am I reading this right?

 

[1ke]

If you miss Mass because you are sick or some other good reason, do you have to do something to make up for it?

No.

I once had a Priest tell me that if you have to miss Mass for a good reason, you still have the obligation to fulfill in some other way. I’m not sure if he meant this as something encouraged or something that would be a mortal sin if you didn’t do something to make up for missing Mass.

I cannot speak to what he said or what you might have thought he said. There is no obligation to “do” anything.

 

[Goya]

I just found this:

…

This says that saying the liturgy or praying for a sufficient amount of time is recommended but it doesn’t say it is binding under pain of sin. Am I reading this right?

Apparently not.

It says:

*2183 “**If **because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”120 *

There is a pretty clear caveat there, before you get to the “…it is…recommended that” part. Those conditions need to be met, before you can substitute for mass.

So if you live in the dessert, or in South Carolina or such, and there is no mass available to you, or you can not make it to mass for other grave cause, THEN you may engage in personal or family prayer or such.

fwiw/jmho.

 

[expectthebest]

Apparently not.

It says:

*2183 “**If ***because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”120

There is a pretty clear caveat there, before you get to the “…it is…recommended that” part. Those conditions need to be met, before you can substitute for mass.

So if you live in the dessert, or in South Carolina or such, and there is no mass available to you, or you can not make it to mass for other grave cause, THEN you may engage in personal or family prayer or such.

fwiw/jmho.

Thank you. I think we agree. The question wasn’t if you could miss Mass and then do something else. The question was if you missed Mass for an allowable reason, did you have to do something else to make up for it. 1ke seems to have cleared that up.

Tks to all.

 

[phil19034]

I don’t know your priest, but I assume he meant the same thing as our Archdiocese meant when a snowstorm was approaching Philadelphia this winter.

The Archdiocese sent out an email to everyone who was subscribed to their email list stating something like the following:

If you are unable to safely make it to Mass this Sunday due to the weather, please make an effort to watch Mass to TV, pray the rosary, or another prayerful act outside of your normal day. It is important to remember that Sunday still remains the Lord’s Day.

Basically, what the Archdiocese was trying to communicate is that being sick or snowed in and missing Mass doesn’t mean we don’t have to treat Sunday as the Lord’s Day. It still is. So when we legitimately miss Mass, we still need to treat the day as Holy… but we are not obligated to do so in any specific way.

So if you are celebrating the fact that you don’t have to go to Mass, something is very wrong

I pray this is helpful.

God Bless!

 

[Joe_5859]

This says that saying the liturgy or praying for a sufficient amount of time is recommended but it doesn’t say it is binding under pain of sin. Am I reading this right?

Yes, you are reading it correctly.

 

[WJeffrey]

Apparently not.

It says:

*2183 “**If ***because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”120

There is a pretty clear caveat there, before you get to the “…it is…recommended that” part. Those conditions need to be met, before you can substitute for mass.

So if you live in the dessert, or in South Carolina or such, and there is no mass available to you, or you can not make it to mass for other grave cause, THEN you may engage in personal or family prayer or such.

fwiw/jmho.

I like your bold font, because it is visible from outer space.

 

[Rosebud77]

Always a comfort to read this. Mass is all but impossible for me now. Thank you