Sunday Obligation in the East

[ConstantineTG]

This is a little side tracked but can a Roman Catholic fulfill his obligation by going to a Vespers service at a Byzantine church? I invited my friend along one time with me and told him I was pretty sure it would count since it does for me. But he thought it only applied to me. Is it only for the Byzantine faithful?

Probably not

Canon 1248

1. 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.

I don’t think Vespers is the equivalent of Mass, only Divine Liturgy is.

 

[Aramis]

This is a little side tracked but can a Roman Catholic fulfill his obligation by going to a Vespers service at a Byzantine church? I invited my friend along one time with me and told him I was pretty sure it would count since it does for me. But he thought it only applied to me. Is it only for the Byzantine faithful?

Generally, no.

However, in cases where a Roman is unable to get to a mass or other Catholic Divine Worship Service within a reasonable distance and/or time, the obligation is dispensed with by the law itself. The law also commends attending a Liturgy of the Word if one is offered instead and no mass is reasonably close

Reasonable distance is tricky, tho’… almost always, your proper parish or any Catholic parish closer would be reasonable, but there are some places (Alaska, parts of the American West, Western Canada) where “reasonable” would exclude even your proper parish (such as a Ruthenian Catholic in Fairbanks or Nome - their proper parish is in Anchorage, but is defined as statewide - the current pastor would tell them to attend either the nearest orthodox or catholic parish, their choice; he’s said so in a sermon), or even any catholic parish at all (Dutch Harbor, Alaska; but there is an Orthodox parish, so you can at least get the Liturgy of the Word and participate in the Divine Liturgy, tho’ communion is officially not permitted to be given to a Catholic).

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

I found these articles from something pertaining to the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Can anyone verify for me the authenticity and what document(s) they are from? It was listed as being from the “Pastoral Guide”. How legit is that though?

*Art. 170. Although every Catholic may fulfill his obligation of assisting at the Divine Liturgy, Vespers or Matins on Sundays or holy days in any Catholic church, our faithful should as a rule attend their own parish church.

Art. 460. The celebration of the Canonical Hours, especially Matins and Vespers must be introduced where they have fallen into disuse in parishes, especially since the decision of the Holy See now allows these canonical services to satisfy the Sunday and holyday obligation of the faithful by their participation in them.*

 

[Volodymyr]

The Orthodox Church Canon for Sunday Liturgy:

(80th rule of 6th Ecumenical Council) Any one bishop, or priest, or deacon or any considered as clergy or lay person not have any important necessity, or obstacle to stay away from his church, and being in the city, for 3 Sundays in a row of three weeks, does not go to Ecclesial gathering, then this cleric will be dismissed (brought down) from clergy, and the Laymen excluded from the community.

This rule explained by Balsamon: either this one has no respect for the offering of divine actions of the prayer to God, or this one is not really a believe. For why else in the course of 20 days would he not want to be in church with Christians to have community with the faithful people of God.

 

[Cecilianus]

Do the Eastern Traditions not, for want of a better word, ‘grade’ sins? In the Latin Church I can commit as many venial sins as I like and I do not have to confess them. (I do actually confess venial sins but in the legalistic western tradition there’s no compunction to confess venial ones.) Of course, if I commit just one mortal sin I must confess and cannot take Holy Communion until I’ve confessed it. In the Eastern Tradition, are all sins confessed? There’s probably no obligation in the East, the eastern faithful probably wouldn’t even consider not doing it.

What I saw at the Roman parish that received me into full communion with the Pope was that everybody confessed all their sins - mortal or venial. The point is you’re not going to Hell for leaving a venial sin unconfessed - it can be forgiven through prayer and fasting. But you can’t remit a mortal sin while deliberately avoiding confession. Hence what you were taught about not “needing” to confess venial sins. But unless things are a lot worse in the rest of the Western Church than I’ve ever experienced, people do confess all their sins. Nobody ever pharisaized about whether they had to confess them - you go to confession because it’s a good spiritual practice. And yes, I confess all my sins as an Easterner now as well, as we all do.