Should I go to mass tomorrow/would it be a mortal sin for me to miss?

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HopingforGodtohelp

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Hi, I’m wondering if I should go to mass tomorrow. I’ve had a moderate cold all week, but I did go to class. Then, yesterday, the cold suddenly took a huge turn for the worse and I stayed in bed all day, barely able to move. Today, some friends invited me to a football game and an outside party. For some dumb reason, I said yes, and I went. I felt completely miserable and felt like my lungs were going to rip apart.

If I don’t feel significantly better tomorrow, should I go to mass? I have a horrible hacking cough that could definitely get others sick, and I would have to walk to mass in the cold. I feel miserable, but I would feel super guilty knowing that I went to a football game and a party that were outside but not mass!

Would it be a mortal sin for me to miss mass?
 
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No. You’re sick. Stay home and don’t get others sick.

-Fr ACEGC
 
I would just email or text your priest and tell him you are too sick to come to mass. He might be able to arrange a Homebound Eucharistic minister to come over and give you communion. Read the readings for the day and pray some rosaries while you are at home.

Get well soon.
 
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Elias said:
I would just email or text your priest and tell him you are too sick to come to mass. He might be able to arrange a Homebound Eucharistic minister to come over and give you communion
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I don’t mean to be contrary for contrariness’s sake, but isn’t Father ACEGC’s opinion sufficient? (An opinion I entirely share, for that matter.) Why bother the pastor?

I do not agree with the concept of lay eucharistic ministers, but putting that aside, having one to come and give you communion on a single Sunday seems a bit much. I do not have nearly the problem with having EMHCs to go to the sick, as I do with having them at Mass where the danger of inadvertent profanation of the Blesed Sacrament is far greater.

My opinions on the phenomenon of EMHCs are really beyond the scope of this thread, so I wouldn’t want to see the thread get derailed with discussing the merits or demerits of the matter. I will acknowledge that EMHCs act out of great sincerity and love for the Blessed Sacrament and for the faithful.
 
Well that’s why I said might.

Besides it would be nice to let your pastor know so he can pray for you to feel better.
 
Homebound means you’re seriously sick and can’t get out… not home one day due to a cold. Do EMHC really make “homebound” calls for the common cold? I very much doubt thats the norm anywhere.
 
Well thats just ignorance on my part as I don’t know much about it outside of what I saw during my time as Lector.

Again, hence why I put might in my sentence. Maybe the pastor really cares and will send one of those ministers out, maybe he won’t. I’ve never been sick enough to need one so I’ll never know.
 
None of that is necessary. If you are sick, you are excused.
 
By requesting a home visit aren’t you also risking giving him/her the cold, too? Since you are excused from attending Mass due to a contagious illness, please don’t risk also spreading the illness! Rest, get well and if you feel up to it, do some of the suggestions above.
 
I wish that every parish would print in it’s bulliten this time each year a message reminding parishioners that being ill excuses you from the obligation to attend mass on Sundays.

This is a real issue at my parish. Last week an extraordinary minister coughed throughout mass and then proceeded to distribute communion while visibly ill. For those of us with infants or those who are immunocompromised it’s puts us in a tough spot! We are obligated to attend, but risk getting ill because of the many who attend mass despite being ill.

Please take father’s advice and stay home!
 
Yikes, the EM should have at least known not to distribute Communion while sick. The pastor should definitely put that notice in the bulletin. You might want to bring it up to him. During flu season, they should also cut out the hand shaking at the Sign of Peace.

May God bless you all! 🙂
 
ZemD said:
I wish that every parish would print in it’s bulliten this time each year a message reminding parishioners that being ill excuses you from the obligation to attend mass on Sundays.

This is a real issue at my parish. Last week an extraordinary minister coughed throughout mass and then proceeded to distribute communion while visibly ill. For those of us with infants or those who are immunocompromised it’s puts us in a tough spot! We are obligated to attend, but risk getting ill because of the many who attend mass despite being ill.

Please take father’s advice and stay home!
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I couldn’t agree more.

I really want to be respectful of everyone’s devotion and zeal to attend Holy Mass, but I would like to see people realize that there are common-sense limits to the binding force of the Sunday Mass “obligation” (I dislike that word, but it’s the commonly used terminology). There are even times when you should not attend Mass — you might be willing to sit there and suffer, even though Our Lord does not require you to be there in that condition, but if you are contagious, you could injure others.

I would stay home, stream the Sunday EF/TLM from the FSSP website, and make a spiritual communion.
 
Stay home please, enough of the flu going around. My son stayed home so not to get anyone else sick
 
Please stay home if not for you own sake for those of us who are trying to recover from major illnesses or those who are immune compromised! The last thing they need is the flu or some other nasty bug.
 
Thank you everyone! I will stay home. I just felt bad because of the party and the football game, but in retrospect, given that I believe that to be a mistake anyways, it shouldn’t matter. I will not go to mass tomorrow and pray the rosary instead.
 
HopingforGodtohelp said:
Thank you everyone! I will stay home. I just felt bad because of the party and the football game, but in retrospect, given that I believe that to be a mistake anyways, it shouldn’t matter. I will not go to mass tomorrow and pray the rosary instead.
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In retrospect, you probably shouldn’t have gone to the party and the football game, but what’s done is done, I know you didn’t say “I’m going to go ahead and have a good time, even though I know it will only make me sicker, and I’ll end up not being able to go to Mass tomorrow”. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Stay home and get well.

As I said, I dislike the term “obligation” — I would say “expectation” instead. If I were making the rules, it would go something like:

“The Church, in keeping with perennial Christian teaching, has an expectation that all of her faithful will devoutly assist at Holy Mass, each and every Sunday and Holy Day, at the very least. In many places, Mass is offered daily for the greater glory of God and the sanctification of souls, and the faithful are well-advised to attend it as well, at least on occasion. Frequent absence from Sunday Mass, without excuse, could rise to the level of grave sin. Keep in mind, too, that the Church has no power to derogate from the divine Commandment ‘remember thou the sabbath day, to keep it holy’.”

But I’m not the one “making the rules”, and that’s probably a good thing for everyone concerned, myself included.
 
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That is best, You do not need to get anyone else sick, especially Senior Citizens ,…
 
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