When is missing Mass Ok

[tommyjoe]

I have been Catholic my whole life. Growing up there was no reason for missing mass. My parents would takes us to Mass regardless of weather or any other conditions. I have Epilepsy and will attend Mass without exception ( sometimes I forget about a Holiday) Last week I started to have a small seisure but went to Mass anyway. While at church I had a seisure that left me unconcious. Should I have staid home and missed Mass? I feel bad every time I miss Mass. Would this be considered a sin?

When on vacation I will do whatever I can to attend Mass. My wife says I will not go to Hell for missing Mass (not litteraly) and God will not consider it a sin. Would it be ok to sometimes miss Mass in that situation? She is not a cradle Catholic she converted when we got married. She does not understand my passion fo wanting to attend Mass whenever possible.

Sometimmes we are out late and we are too tired to attend Mass. Would this be a sin if we missed Mass in that situation?

Sometimes I miss Mass on Holydays, I just forget. Is that a sin?

 

[Kay_Cee]

I have been Catholic my whole life. Growing up there was no reason for missing mass. My parents would takes us to Mass regardless of weather or any other conditions. I have Epilepsy and will attend Mass without exception ( sometimes I forget about a Holiday) Last week I started to have a small seisure but went to Mass anyway. While at church I had a seisure that left me unconcious. Should I have staid home and missed Mass? I feel bad every time I miss Mass. Would this be considered a sin?

When on vacation I will do whatever I can to attend Mass. My wife says I will not go to Hell for missing Mass (not litteraly) and God will not consider it a sin. Would it be ok to sometimes miss Mass in that situation? She is not a cradle Catholic she converted when we got married. She does not understand my passion fo wanting to attend Mass whenever possible.

Sometimmes we are out late and we are too tired to attend Mass. Would this be a sin if we missed Mass in that situation?

Sometimes I miss Mass on Holydays, I just forget. Is that a sin?

First, let me remind you that a mortal sin has three conditions:

1. It must be grave matter (intentionally missing Mass is grave matter)
2. You must be aware it is grave
3. You must give full consent

If you have a legitimate reason for missing Mass (such as illness), you are not giving full consent to missing. You’re not giving any consent at all.

You should make every reasonable effort to go to Mass. This includes when you are on vacation. It is not a sin if you unintentionally forget a Holy Day (since you’re not giving consent), although you should make every reasonable effort to remember (like marking it on your calendar).

As for being too tired, if you are too tired to drive (that is, if you would be a danger on the road), you should stay home. However, you should plan your day so Mass is your priority, not other functions.

Here are some reasons besides illness that I’ve missed Mass:

Got stuck in traffic on my way to the church (vehicles both in front of and behind me at a complete stop) due to the Secret Service blocking the road. (I’m not kidding. This really happened. I didn’t know the President’s motorcade was going through there. I did get to see the President, though.) By the time I could move, Mass was over.

Was on vacation, looked up the Mass times for the local parish in the phone book. Went to the church only to find the Mass times had been changed, and there was no more Mass that day. Only church in the area.

Had a function to go to but planned to attend the Sunday evening Mass at a nearby parish. Arrived at church only to be greeted by a note on the door saying the Mass was canceled. Too late to go elsewhere.

In the middle of evacuating my home due to wildfires. The church was also in the evacuation zone. Smoke so thick it was like brown fog. Impossible to breathe outside. (Fortunately both the church and my home survived. Many in the neighborhood were not so lucky.)

You can see that in each case here, missing Mass was due to circumstances beyond my control. Although I had every intention of attending, I couldn’t. Therefore, it was not a sin.

Please remember that Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Make every reasonable effort to go to Mass, but if you honestly can’t make it, don’t sweat it.

 

[Sr_Sally]

I have been Catholic my whole life. Growing up there was no reason for missing mass. My parents would takes us to Mass regardless of weather or any other conditions. I have Epilepsy and will attend Mass without exception ( sometimes I forget about a Holiday) Last week I started to have a small seisure but went to Mass anyway. While at church I had a seisure that left me unconcious. Should I have staid home and missed Mass? I feel bad every time I miss Mass. Would this be considered a sin?

Certainly missing Mass because of an illness (especially one as serious as epilepsy) is not sinful. It is not your will to miss Mass in this instance.

When on vacation I will do whatever I can to attend Mass. My wife says I will not go to Hell for missing Mass (not litteraly) and God will not consider it a sin. Would it be ok to sometimes miss Mass in that situation? She is not a cradle Catholic she converted when we got married. She does not understand my passion fo wanting to attend Mass whenever possible.

It is usually pretty easy to get to Mass when you are on vacation. Check a website like masstimes.org before you leave and CALL the parish to be sure the Mass schedule is accurate. We have never had to miss Mass because of vacation–even when we go to the mountains for hiking. In fact the little teeny church in the nearby town is one of our favorites!

For your wife, remind her of all the graces we receive from attending Mass. If you find a convenient Mass time it shouldn’t be a hassle to attend even when you are out of town.

Sometimmes we are out late and we are too tired to attend Mass. Would this be a sin if we missed Mass in that situation?

This is really just a matter of scheduling. Find a nearby church that has a Saturday evening Mass and go before the late night event. Or find a later Sunday Mass–we often attend the 5:30pm Sunday evening Mass just because we like it.

Sometimes I miss Mass on Holydays, I just forget. Is that a sin?

Again, this is really just a matter of scheduling. Write the Holy Days of Obligation on your calendar ahead of time. They are mostly the same year to year so you can even do it in advance. Most parishes will have extra Masses on those days so you can go after work or even the night before in many cases.

It always helps to check the schedules of nearby parishes to see if another Mass time fits your schedule better.

 

[vee8]

When on vacation I will do whatever I can to attend Mass. My wife says I will not go to Hell for missing Mass (not litteraly) and God will not consider it a sin. Would it be ok to sometimes miss Mass in that situation? She is not a cradle Catholic she converted when we got married. She does not understand my passion fo wanting to attend Mass whenever possible.

Remind her of the third commandment!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments_in_Roman_Catholicism

from the CCC
scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c1a3.htm
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day.

I used to be really good at making up all kinds of excuses to God to miss Mass, and I had two long running favs. 1. I wasnt in a state of grace so I couldnt receive the Eucharist so why bother going. 2. The Mass is in Japanese and I didnt know what they were saying. Thankfully God is merciful and set me straight. He led me to a great church to go to confession often at, and a bilingual Mass book so I could stop my lame excuses and learn instead.. Now I collect Masses meaning that when Im on holiday I look forward to visiting new churches and attending Mass in the local language.