Sunday obligation and the flu

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Monica4316

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Hello everyone,

I always try to go to Mass on Sunday. Right now, I have the flu, or a cold, (I’m not sure how to tell the difference) but I feel really sick and had a fever recently. My mom is telling me to not go to Mass because I might get worse or infect people around me including the elderly. I began to get ready for Mass but I’m not sure if I should go or not. I’m sick enough that I would also not go anywhere else or go out with friends, in fact I’m cancelling something I had to do tomorrow. So I’m wondering if it would be a sin for me to miss Mass, just so I don’t infect others. I really want to go to Mass, I just don’t know if it would be a sin to go and then get someone else sick, and they might elderly, or a little child, etc. It seems to me like I’m not choosing not to go, but rather am prevented from going… I know it’s a sin if you freely choose not to go, but I really wish I could attend Mass. (I physically don’t feel like going anywhere, but in my intention I wish to go to Mass, I hope that still counts as having a good intention…)

If anyone could please let me know what the Church teaching is I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!! 🙂
 
Stay home!

Sickness is a legitimate excuse to miss Mass.

And then there’s the Golden Rule. You wouldn’t want someone sneezing and coughing and infecting everyone in the vicinity when you’re healthy, so don’t do it.

Also, a couple years ago during a flu outbreak, my Diocese suspended Communion under both species and shaking hands during the Sign of Peace, and made announcements that if you were sick to please stay home.
 
If you are sick enough that you wouldn’t go to work or school or go out with friends, then you are sick enough that you do not have the obligation to go to Mass.
 
thanks for the replies! yes I feel pretty sick right now… I don’t want to infect others though cause it could be dangerous for someone to get this flu.
 
Monica4316 said:
I know it’s a sin if you freely choose not to go, but I really wish I could attend Mass. (I physically don’t feel like going anywhere, but in my intention I wish to go to Mass, I hope that still counts as having a good intention…)
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I can definitely sympathize with you right now. I took a nasty spill early last week and missed out on Ash Wednesday Mass, and am now missing out on Sunday Mass as well. I can barely walk and can’t sit upright for more than a few minutes at a time (thank goodness for a comfy bed and my laptop), so 60 minutes in a hard pew wouldn’t be possible. I know it’s out of my hands a not a sin that I’m missing under these circumstances, but that doesn’t make it any less upsetting.
 
Gordon_Sims said:
I can definitely sympathize with you right now. I took a nasty spill early last week and missed out on Ash Wednesday Mass, and am now missing out on Sunday Mass as well. I can barely walk and can’t sit upright for more than a few minutes at a time (thank goodness for a comfy bed and my laptop), so 60 minutes in a hard pew wouldn’t be possible. I know it’s out of my hands a not a sin that I’m missing under these circumstances, but that doesn’t make it any less upsetting.
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I know I wish I could go to Mass too! 😦 Prayers for you to get better 🙂 it’s not fun at all being sick and then missing Mass because of it doesn’t help lol.
 
Monica4316 said:
I know I wish I could go to Mass too! 😦 Prayers for you to get better 🙂 it’s not fun at all being sick and then missing Mass because of it doesn’t help lol.
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Thanks, and same to you! I might try to watch Mass on EWTN later. I know it’s not the same, but at least it’s something. I was able to watch Cardinal Dolan’s Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday, which cheered me up a bit after missing out on seeing our 1-year-old get her ashes.
 
I think everyone has the flu this week, including me. However my parish is very small so I didn’t see how it could affect anyone since everyone in the Parish has to flu also.

But I wouldn’t worry, sickness is a legitimate reason not to go to Mass. Just stay home, rest, and maybe watch a video Mass on TV or the internet.

Hope you feel good soon! God Bless :signofcross::byzsoc:
 
I had to miss Mass last Sunday and felt bad about it, but I couldn’t even climb out of bed. I was in bed for more than 4 days.

I would not have gone to Church anyway because I knew I was contagious, and whatever is gong around this area is highly contagious. I think it is an act of charity to keep your germs to yourself–the one time you want to be selfish.🙂
 
I’m sneezing all the time so I might be contagious lol. A family member got sick from me too but thankfully got better.
 
It sounds like you should stay home if you are constantly sneezing. I work with young children so I have an idea what is contagious or not: If you have a fever and are coughing or sneezing you are probably contagious. Sneezing and blowing your nose spreads disease. Ear infections and stomach ailments usually aren’t. Pink-eye is very contagious before you put drops in your eyes.

But if you have these symptoms you shouldn’t go anyplace else either:sad_yes: 😃
 
Fever suggests worse than a common cold. Your duty to be “merciful” to others and not expose them to illness transcends your duty to attend Mass.

Since you have cancelled your other activities, I’d say you are perfectly right to miss this week.

God Bless, ICXC NIKA
 
I can empathize with the OP. Today is the first Mass I have missed in a very long time. Several co-workers and students have been sick in the last week or two and it finally caught up to me. I started coming down with it on Friday and woke up yesterday in full swing. ugh!

Hopefully all of us will feel better soon.

Peace,
 
Monica4316 said:
Hello everyone,

I always try to go to Mass on Sunday. Right now, I have the flu, or a cold, (I’m not sure how to tell the difference) but I feel really sick and had a fever recently. My mom is telling me to not go to Mass because I might get worse or infect people around me including the elderly. I began to get ready for Mass but I’m not sure if I should go or not. I’m sick enough that I would also not go anywhere else or go out with friends, in fact I’m cancelling something I had to do tomorrow. So I’m wondering if it would be a sin for me to miss Mass, just so I don’t infect others. I really want to go to Mass, I just don’t know if it would be a sin to go and then get someone else sick, and they might elderly, or a little child, etc. It seems to me like I’m not choosing not to go, but rather am prevented from going… I know it’s a sin if you freely choose not to go, but I really wish I could attend Mass. (I physically don’t feel like going anywhere, but in my intention I wish to go to Mass, I hope that still counts as having a good intention…)

If anyone could please let me know what the Church teaching is I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!! 🙂
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Every autumn my parish bulletin prints the following announcement: Cold and flu season is upon us once again. Please, if you have a fever or you cannot keep your droplets to yourself, please stay home.

Luna
 
Joan_M said:
If you are sick enough that you wouldn’t go to work or school or go out with friends, then you are sick enough that you do not have the obligation to go to Mass.
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That’s the general rule that I’ve heard. It’s a good one because you tend to know when you’d be too sick to go to work.
 
I’m in the same situation right now. I don’t get EWTN where I live, and I tried to watch another Catholic Mass aired in a different country. But I missed most of it because I didn’t know what time it aired. Should I still go to confession for this?
 
melimelomelissa said:
I’m in the same situation right now. I don’t get EWTN where I live, and I tried to watch another Catholic Mass aired in a different country. But I missed most of it because I didn’t know what time it aired. Should I still go to confession for this?
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No, because watching a televised Mass is irrelevant. It doesn’t fulfil the obligation, so missing watching one isn’t a sin.
 
melimelomelissa said:
I’m in the same situation right now. I don’t get EWTN where I live, and I tried to watch another Catholic Mass aired in a different country. But I missed most of it because I didn’t know what time it aired. Should I still go to confession for this?
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No.

Watching Mass on TV is a nice thing to do, but it does not fulfill the obligation for Mass and is not required.

If you are too sick to go to Mass you have not committed a sin. You have no obligation to watch Mass on TV.
 
I’m sick but not with flu and did make it, just with a cough and when am coughing the incense gets my nose going 😛

and kind of felt guilty ish in that being on the Altar I now sit right next to the priest as he’s moved his chair to ‘our’ side. (And I sit nearest the congregation so whenever he turns to talk to them its down my ear too: p though getting used to that I serve alternate weeks and he only moved it Christmas) Last year it didn’t matter when I sat there snuffling away to myself because we were all enough distance apart and wasn’t right under his nose. but I think I felt more guilty that he could hear me snuffling away to myself and I was trying to pretend I wasn’t there with a cold as such.

When you feverish, the service is no joy. best stay at home in the warm.
 
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