Skipping Mass, a mortal sin?

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foreverblessed

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Is skipping Sunday Mass a mortal sin? How about leaving after communion? For sake of discussion, I am referring missing Mass due to reasons such as having a sick child and not wanting to take separate shifts or simply being too tired. I am referring to leaving after Communion for reasons such as avoiding traffic in the parking lot or wanting to take your screaming child home for a nap .

I never thought of it as a mortal sin or a grave matter until listening to a tape by Father Larry Richards. He explained that yes, it is a mortal sin and a grave matter, it is not putting God first and deliberately braking one of the ten commandments. I agree and have since then taken this matter more seriously. However, I have come across many Catholics who simply don’t realize this and don’t think that skipping one Sunday requires going to confession.

I am having a tough time backing this up and explaining why it is a mortal sin and more importantly why mortal sins require going to Confession. The Catechism seems to have much room for interpretation when it comes down to what constitutes a mortal sin and what makes a matter “grave”. So, if you could please explain why it is or is not a mortal sin and why or why not mortal sins require confession before a priest, I’d appreciate it. Thank you!
 
Skipping mass for convenience sake, or because you are too tired is a mortal sin - because it breaks the commandment “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.”
That is the best I can offer - but it is good enough for me. 🙂

Also, mortal sin or grave sin cuts us off from the life of grace and the family of God - that is restored only through sacramental confession.

I hope these answers aren’t too simple for you. Good luck.
 
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foreverblessed:
Is skipping Sunday Mass a mortal sin? How about leaving after communion? For sake of discussion, I am referring missing Mass due to reasons such as having a sick child and not wanting to take separate shifts or simply being too tired. I am referring to leaving after Communion for reasons such as avoiding traffic in the parking lot or wanting to take your screaming child home for a nap .

I never thought of it as a mortal sin or a grave matter until listening to a tape by Father Larry Richards. He explained that yes, it is a mortal sin and a grave matter, it is not putting God first and deliberately braking one of the ten commandments. I agree and have since then taken this matter more seriously. However, I have come across many Catholics who simply don’t realize this and don’t think that skipping one Sunday requires going to confession.

I am having a tough time backing this up and explaining why it is a mortal sin and more importantly why mortal sins require going to Confession. The Catechism seems to have much room for interpretation when it comes down to what constitutes a mortal sin and what makes a matter “grave”. So, if you could please explain why it is or is not a mortal sin and why or why not mortal sins require confession before a priest, I’d appreciate it. Thank you!
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Leaving Mass early to avoid traffic is at the very least reprehensible and shows a lack of respect for your Lord and God whom you are there to WORSHIP.

As to Missing Mass. It is mortally sinful to refuse to Worship God. One can have a valid reason, sick child yes, perfectly good reason. Broken car? Not a good reason. People got to church for 1900 year without cars. Work to much and too tired? Not a good reason.

As to WHY its a Mortal Sin. Because it is objectivly sinful to refuse to Worship God. It is a Sin because the Church says it is (Code of Canon Law. 1246 ) And in the Catechism…

2177 The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life.
“Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.”
“Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Epiphany,
the Ascension of Christ,
the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi,
the feast of Mary the Mother of God,
her Immaculate Conception,
her Assumption,
the feast of Saint Joseph,
the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints.”

One can miss Mass only for grave reasons.

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.”
 
Another question with baggage. This sort of question may have been asked 30 years ago without an agenda but not today.

It is a litmus test to see it you are a “Taliban Catholic” - one who is delighted to have long lists of mortal sins and Catholics to identify as damned. Since as we all know there has been a dramatic decline in Mass attendence, the flippant response is something along the lines of “my mother never missed Mass but once – are you saying she’s in hell for eternity?”

It is also a litmus test to see if you are a “laxist Catholic” - one who believes that Vatican II did away with sin.

I answer this question that a Catholic surely has heard of the obligation to attend Mass unless one has a grave reason for not doing so. So missing Mass without a grave reason is a sin. It does offend God.

The nature of this sin being mortal depend on the criteria of grave matter, reflection, and consent. Catholics have been told that missing Mass is not a grave matter by priests, by friends, by relatives, etc. I think that today it would be rare to find people who have been counseled that missing Mass once or even frequently has the consequence of the death of sanctifying grace in the soul.

Like many good questions in the forum there’s a chasm between the letter of the law and Catholicism as it is actually practiced.

If what we’re about is getting souls to heaven, I think we as friends of people who don’t attend Mass or attend infrequently should invite them to come to Mass in friendship or address with them what is hindering their practice of the faith.
 
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metal1633:
Broken car? Not a good reason. People got to church for 1900 year without cars. "
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I live nearly 30 miles from my church. Its only one of two Catholic Churches in the area. No public transportation…and as far as I know none of my fellow parishoners live out my way. Its a pretty rural place.

I suppose I could walk…but what if I don’t know my car is broken until Sunday morning???

I don’t know what I would do if my church didn’t have six different masses…giving me ample opportunities to get to at least one.

dream wanderer
 
I don’t know if this will help or not but I remember reading an interview a reporter had with Sister Lucia (One of the visionaries from Fatima who is still alive).

The children at Fatima were shown Hell as part of their vision from Our Lady. He asked her about serious sin and what would constitute one. She said “Missing Mass once through your own fault could send a soul to Hell”. (paraphrasing here as I don’t remember the exact words)

Also, we have to consider grave sin or sin that is mortal any sin that breaks a Commandment. Missing Mass out of laziness or slothfulness and breaking the Commandment to Keep Holy the Sabbath Day is sinful. I

In 1John 16-17 “If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal.”

I guess we are being taught here by St. John that there are sins which are mortal. For these sins we need Sacramental Confession and Contrition for them, for venial sins we can say an Act of Contrition.

God is so great and good and loves us. Thank you Lord for the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. :bowdown:

God Bless!
 
“Broken car? Not a good reason”

Ummmmm…

Yes it is a good reason.

What if your church is 20 miles away (15min drive)

You can’t walk, neighbors could be gone, I mean, give me a break.
 
I don’t think that “being tired” or having to “tag team” at different Masses because of sick kids is a grave enough reason to miss Mass, personally.

For me, yes, it’s a sin. It violates the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

And, honestly, as a convert, I have to say that the strong devotion to attending Mass EVERY SINGLE week is something which distinguishes us from our Protestant brothers and sisters, who generally have a far more lax attitude about Sunday service attendance. I cannot tell you how many times, when growing up Protestant, we decided whether or not we “felt like” going to services as we were sitting around the house on a Sunday morning.

This is one of those places where the rubber meets the road: do you go to Mass when it’s easy and simple and convenient, or do you go every single time you possibly CAN go? Make the sacrifice. Go.
 
I have had on a couple of occassions, instances where my priest has granted me dispensation from my sabbath obligations upon request because I was going to be in the mountains camping - or because I had rare engagements related to my work that required my attention.
He has always granted dispensation when I request it. Only asks that perhaps I spend time in prayer joining myself spiritually to the mass, or saying the rosary.
 
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Mijoy2:
I just have trouble picturing a God taking attendance.
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Perhaps you are stuck with reacting to or rejecting a vision of God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, vengeful, jealous God who writes our every transgression in the Book of Life.

In my mind, it is not about God “taking attendance”. It is about me using my free will to make a deliberate decision to separate myself from God, to remove myself from grace, to choose mortal sin.

And, unfortunately, sometimes I make that choice. Thank God (literally) for the gift of Confession.

I believe that if I end up going to Hell, it isn’t because a wrathful God chose to put me there, as if he were some blood-thirsty monster. It is because I, in all my human weakness, made the deliberate choice to reject God and thereby place myself into Hell. Once again respecting my free will, God simply allows my natural consequences to occur.

BTW, I like Fr. Larry’s explanation of one mortal sin sending us to hell. Picture the man who goes up to the top of the Empire State Building, walks to the edge, and steps off. He is quite upset that he was killed, complaining, “that’s not fair, I only stepped off once.” In some matters, once is all it takes.
 
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ridesawhitehors:
I have had on a couple of occassions, instances where my priest has granted me dispensation from my sabbath obligations upon request because I was going to be in the mountains camping - or because I had rare engagements related to my work that required my attention.
He has always granted dispensation when I request it. Only asks that perhaps I spend time in prayer joining myself spiritually to the mass, or saying the rosary.
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White Horse, I think that having gone beforehand to your priest and receiving a dispensation fulfills your requirement.

Also it is my understanding that, when traveling, one is not obliged to go to Mass if one cannot reasonably get TO a Mass, i.e., you are 100 miles into a hiking trip, or more than an hour’s drive from the nearest Church or Chapel.

That said, to me, Mass is a privelege, not an obligation, though I will admit some Sunday mornings when the bed is really cozy and the world is really not, I might ever so briefly wish I were still Protestant… then I do the Catholic thing, and offer it up. 😉
 
There are three criteria for a mortal sin:
  1. Grave Matter (missing Mass is a grave matter)
  2. Knowledge that it is a grave matter (intentional ignorance and disagreement w/ the magisterium on what qualifies as a grave matter do not give you a pass on this one)
3.Willingly committing the sin in spite of knowledge. (Illness, caring for sick children and inability to get to Mass are acceptable reasons for not attending)

One last thing, while on vacation, if there is a Catholic Church in the area, you are obligated to attend. It takes minimal effort to find out the location and times of the Masses.
 
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Makerteacher:
That said, to me, Mass is a privelege, not an obligation, though I will admit some Sunday mornings when the bed is really cozy and the world is really not, I might ever so briefly wish I were still Protestant… then I do the Catholic thing, and offer it up. 😉
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Privilege? Yes, in that we come face to face in the Eucharist with our rise Lord Jesus. No. If “privilege” equals optional. Our Catholic Church says that attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is an obligatory law, this is the first precept (law) of the Church.
 
here the rest of the story…

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0111.html

bottom line…When a person negligently “bags Mass,” to go shopping, catch-up on work, sleep a few extra hours, attend a social event, or not interrupt vacation, the person is allowing something to take the place of God. Something becomes more valuable than the Holy Eucharist. Sadly, I have known families who could walk to the Church but choose not to attend Mass; ironically though, they send their children to the Catholic school. Yes, such behavior really is indicative of turning one’s back on the Lord and committing a mortal sin.

Peace! 👍
 
As davidv was speaking to MakerTeacher…
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davidv:
Privilege? Yes, in that we come face to face in the Eucharist with our rise Lord Jesus. No. If “privilege” equals optional.
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I think it is pretty clear that MakerTeacher meant it that way as well.
 
Skipping Mass IS a mortal sin. Commandment #3: “Keep the Sabbath day holy.” I was just confirmed 5/25/04, and the bishop said that one of the four ways to “block the Holy Spirit from coming to you” was missing Mass. Now, of course, when something is beyond your control (sick child, family emergency), it happens. Just pray a few extra times for a) that the emergency will be under control; and b) that God isn’t upset. And, if you seriously feel bad about it, you can always go to confession and be reconciled for it.
 
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davidv:
Privilege? Yes, in that we come face to face in the Eucharist with our rise Lord Jesus. No. If “privilege” equals optional. Our Catholic Church says that attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is an obligatory law, this is the first precept (law) of the Church.
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I did not mean it as an “optional” thing, but more as though to say, “I consider it an honor and a privelege.” Sorry if I did not make that clear. In no way is Mass optional. I just don;t see it as something I “have” to do, out of duty, but rather as something I “get” to do, a blessing for me.
 
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luckyirishguy14:
. And, if you seriously feel bad about it, you can always go to confession and be reconciled for it.
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No need to be. If for a serious reason you miss Mass the Church instructs “engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families”.

So if you miss Mass, spend time in prayer and your all good.
 
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