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PeteZaHut
Guest
What’s the deal with Saturday masses? I have heard some people say that you shouldn’t go to them unless you absolutely have to. I have also heard that the Lord’s day is sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday.
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NewUlm1976_2000
Guest
The Saturday evening masses count just as much as if you would go on Sunday. It comes down to personal preference which mass you want to go to. There is no stigma associated with going to Saturday afternoon/evening masses.
K
Kielbasi
Guest
There is no problem with Saturday masses at all. They are good particularly for folks who are engaged in the First Saturday devotion.
1
1ke
Guest
The Church makes absolutely **NO **distinction between a Saturday evening anticipated Mass and Mass on Sunday morning or Sunday evening. They are all equally valid, and you do not have to have a reason to go to Saturday evening Mass nor is there any requirement that it be out of necessity.
Go to whichever Mass you choose.
J
Joe_Kelley
Guest
From Canon Law
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puzzleannie
Guest
did the person making this statement have the authority to speak for your bishop? I think not. you may attend any weekend Mass that meets your obligation, Saturday evening or all day Sunday. Please don’t pay attention to well-meaning people who bind burdens to place on the shoulders of other people, a practice Jesus warns us about.
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Andreas_Hofer
Guest
Whatever stigma some do attach to fulfilling one’s obligation on Saturday evening often seems to arise from the relative novelty of the practice - the permission is only roughly a half-century old, but in some places it is even younger, with some bishops not availing themselves of it until the early 80s, I think. Though the law makes no distinction as far as fulfilling one’s obligation, old prejudices die hard, and they haven’t really had that much time to do so.
J
Joe_Kelley
Guest
I recall going to a church back east fifty years ago - pre-VII. It was the pastor’s opinion that going to the 9 am mass barely qualified for meeting the obligation. Anything later was definitely a sign of laziness. 
S
Sr_Sally
Guest
So then a Saturday evening Mass should have been the best choice!I recall going to a church back east fifty years ago - pre-VII. It was the pastor’s opinion that going to the 9 am mass barely qualified for meeting the obligation. Anything later was definitely a sign of laziness.
C
Corki
Guest
I have heard many criticisms of the Saturday evening Mass but they weren’t about the validity or appropriateness.
The chief criticism is that sometimes when people go to the Saturday evening Mass, they do not treat Sunday as the Lord’s Day. There is a mindset amoung some people that they can get Church “out of the way” on Sat. night and then have Sunday “free”. The obligation to attend Mass and the command to keep the Lord’s Day holy are two related by distinct requirements and this gets muddles somewhat (for some people) by the Sat. evening Mass.
The second issue that comes up is when there is a shortage of priests. When a parish is served by only one priest, there is no reason he HAS to say a Saturday evening Mass. Many priests like to keep Saturdays for weddings, Confession, etc. and have Sunday Masses on Sundays. There are people who try to force the issue and insist that the priest say a Saturday evening Mass. Resistance by the priest is sometimes seen as being “against” the concept of Saturday evening Mass.
The chief criticism is that sometimes when people go to the Saturday evening Mass, they do not treat Sunday as the Lord’s Day. There is a mindset amoung some people that they can get Church “out of the way” on Sat. night and then have Sunday “free”. The obligation to attend Mass and the command to keep the Lord’s Day holy are two related by distinct requirements and this gets muddles somewhat (for some people) by the Sat. evening Mass.
The second issue that comes up is when there is a shortage of priests. When a parish is served by only one priest, there is no reason he HAS to say a Saturday evening Mass. Many priests like to keep Saturdays for weddings, Confession, etc. and have Sunday Masses on Sundays. There are people who try to force the issue and insist that the priest say a Saturday evening Mass. Resistance by the priest is sometimes seen as being “against” the concept of Saturday evening Mass.
J
JDHallKY
Guest
Recently, my mom (not Catholic) was telling me about how she was driving home on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks back and when she passed a Catholic Church about 4:00, she noticed the parking lot was packed with cars and people were going into Church. She did not criticize, but said she couldn’t really understand how one could go to Church on Saturday afternoon and feel like they had honored the Lord’s Day the same way they would be if they went first thing on Sunday morning.
I told her I was just glad the church was packed. With Mass attendance what it is in these United States, everyone can go on Saturday evening for all I care. Just go!
Anyway, that’s my :twocents:.
I told her I was just glad the church was packed. With Mass attendance what it is in these United States, everyone can go on Saturday evening for all I care. Just go!
Anyway, that’s my :twocents:.
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Andreas_Hofer
Guest
I recall going to a church back east fifty years ago - pre-VII. It was the pastor’s opinion that going to the 9 am mass barely qualified for meeting the obligation. Anything later was definitely a sign of laziness.
Both good examples of the residual attitudes I was talking about. But I won’t argue with Corki that there can be genuine theological concerns at the root of opposition, which I in part share.
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PeteZaHut
Guest
can you treat the Lord’s day from Saturday at sundown to Sunday at sundown?
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bpbasilphx
Guest
<<I recall going to a church back east fifty years ago - pre-VII. It was the pastor’s opinion that going to the 9 am mass barely qualified for meeting the obligation. Anything later was definitely a sign of laziness.>>
Which is odd, because canonical times for Mass to begin were between sunrise and midday. And wasn’t the High Mass/Missa Cantata usually around 10-11?
Which is odd, because canonical times for Mass to begin were between sunrise and midday. And wasn’t the High Mass/Missa Cantata usually around 10-11?
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Al_Masetti
Guest
I remember confessing to missing Mass … because I left the house too late for the 9am Mass and went to the 10am Mass instead.I recall going to a church back east fifty years ago - pre-VII. It was the pastor’s opinion that going to the 9 am mass barely qualified for meeting the obligation. Anything later was definitely a sign of laziness.
I was very young, but I did have the sense of sin of laziness.
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stmaria
Guest
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
BENEDICT XVI
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html
Living the** Sunday **obligation
73. Conscious of this new vital principle which the Eucharist imparts to the Christian, the Synod Fathers reaffirmed the **importance of the Sunday obligation **for all the faithful, viewing it as a wellspring of authentic freedom enabling them to live each day in accordance with what they celebrated on “the Lord’s Day.” The life of faith is endangered when we lose the desire to share in the celebration of the Eucharist and its commemoration of the paschal victory. Participating in the Sunday liturgical assembly with all our brothers and sisters, with whom we form one body in Jesus Christ, is demanded by our Christian conscience and at the same time it forms that conscience. To lose a sense of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, a day to be sanctified, is symptomatic of the loss of an authentic sense of Christian freedom, the freedom of the children of God. (206) Here some observations made by my venerable predecessor John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini (207) continue to have great value. Speaking of the various dimensions of the Christian celebration of Sunday, he said that it is Dies Domini with regard to the work of creation, Dies Christi as the day of the new creation and the Risen Lord’s gift of the Holy Spirit, Dies Ecclesiae as the day on which the Christian community gathers for the celebration, and Dies hominis as the day of joy, rest and fraternal charity.
Sunday thus appears as the primordial holy day, when all believers, wherever they are found, can become heralds and guardians of the true meaning of time. It gives rise to the Christian meaning of life and a new way of experiencing time, relationships, work, life and death. On the Lord’s Day, then, it is fitting that Church groups should organize, around Sunday Mass, the activities of the Christian community: social gatherings, programmes for the faith formation of children, young people and adults, pilgrimages, charitable works, and different moments of prayer. For the sake of these important values – while recognizing that Saturday evening, beginning with First Vespers, is already a part of Sunday and a time when the Sunday obligation can be fulfilled – we need to remember that **it is Sunday itself **that is meant to be kept holy, **lest it end up as a day “empty of God.” **
For those of you that go to Mass on Saturday how do you keep holy the Lord’s day? By going to the lake? By sleeping in? Got something more important to do?
Lev 23:3-4 “For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath rest, a day for sacred assembly, on which you shall do no work. **The Sabbath shall belong to the Lord **wherever you dwell”
Acts 20:7-8 “ And on the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread”
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons (Mark 16:9).
V
On the **first day of the week we came together **to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. (Acts 20:7)
Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday not saturday.
One of the commandments is to keep holy the Lord’s day. Too bad that is no longer the attitude of many Catholics. And please don’t make the excuse that it is allowed by the Church. One will find liberalism there also. **God bless Pope Benedict **may he restore sacredness to the Church.
BENEDICT XVI
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html
Living the** Sunday **obligation
73. Conscious of this new vital principle which the Eucharist imparts to the Christian, the Synod Fathers reaffirmed the **importance of the Sunday obligation **for all the faithful, viewing it as a wellspring of authentic freedom enabling them to live each day in accordance with what they celebrated on “the Lord’s Day.” The life of faith is endangered when we lose the desire to share in the celebration of the Eucharist and its commemoration of the paschal victory. Participating in the Sunday liturgical assembly with all our brothers and sisters, with whom we form one body in Jesus Christ, is demanded by our Christian conscience and at the same time it forms that conscience. To lose a sense of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, a day to be sanctified, is symptomatic of the loss of an authentic sense of Christian freedom, the freedom of the children of God. (206) Here some observations made by my venerable predecessor John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini (207) continue to have great value. Speaking of the various dimensions of the Christian celebration of Sunday, he said that it is Dies Domini with regard to the work of creation, Dies Christi as the day of the new creation and the Risen Lord’s gift of the Holy Spirit, Dies Ecclesiae as the day on which the Christian community gathers for the celebration, and Dies hominis as the day of joy, rest and fraternal charity.
Sunday thus appears as the primordial holy day, when all believers, wherever they are found, can become heralds and guardians of the true meaning of time. It gives rise to the Christian meaning of life and a new way of experiencing time, relationships, work, life and death. On the Lord’s Day, then, it is fitting that Church groups should organize, around Sunday Mass, the activities of the Christian community: social gatherings, programmes for the faith formation of children, young people and adults, pilgrimages, charitable works, and different moments of prayer. For the sake of these important values – while recognizing that Saturday evening, beginning with First Vespers, is already a part of Sunday and a time when the Sunday obligation can be fulfilled – we need to remember that **it is Sunday itself **that is meant to be kept holy, **lest it end up as a day “empty of God.” **
For those of you that go to Mass on Saturday how do you keep holy the Lord’s day? By going to the lake? By sleeping in? Got something more important to do?
Lev 23:3-4 “For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath rest, a day for sacred assembly, on which you shall do no work. **The Sabbath shall belong to the Lord **wherever you dwell”
Acts 20:7-8 “ And on the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread”
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons (Mark 16:9).
V
On the **first day of the week we came together **to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. (Acts 20:7)
Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday not saturday.
One of the commandments is to keep holy the Lord’s day. Too bad that is no longer the attitude of many Catholics. And please don’t make the excuse that it is allowed by the Church. One will find liberalism there also. **God bless Pope Benedict **may he restore sacredness to the Church.
L
Leopard
Guest
You may. In fact, you may consider the Lord’s day as beginning whenever your bishop allows Sunday liturgies to begin, which may be as early as 4:00 pm Saturday in some dioceses.
S
stmaria
Guest
Whenever your “liberal” Bishop allows liturgies to begin.
C
Chatter163
Guest
Actually, liturgical Sunday begins at sundown Saturday, or as the bishop reckons it (as early as 4PM), to MIDNIGHT on Sunday.
L
Leopard
Guest
This kind of disrespect is not necessary. Like it or not, this is an area where the bishop sets the law for his diocese.
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