When late for Mass

[suezette]

Hello,
I would like to know, does it matter at what time one arrives during Mass. Is there a point when is is too late to be valid? For instance if one arrived after the readings, or the homily, would that still count. I always tend to think that if for some reason I arrive after the readings, then I am not fit to receive the body of Christ(when is it too late to receive holy communion). When would it be too late to even count that I attended Mass. I don’t know how better to ask/put this, but hope my question is clear.
It’s not that I’m planning to be late, but some times yes, I arrive late; and yesterday I felt like I was too late.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

The Church has no such definition as to what is “too late” to “count”.

If I ‘felt’ I were too late to share fully in the celebration of the Mass I would have refrained from receiving Communion. I would also examine my conscience to see if my lateness to a Sunday Mass was due to my own fault or was beyond my control. If it were truly beyond my control I would probably not go to Confession but if the lateness was due to my fault, such as I didn’t start out early enough to get there on time, I would attempt to attend a later Mass or confess the sin at my next weekly Confession.

My rule of thumb for myself validly attending a Mass is that I’m “too late” if I’ve missed the Penitential Rite. If I haven’t taken had the time to say “sorry” than I’m too late to eat at the Lord’s Table. In that case it would include saying “Lord Have Mercy” for showing up after the celebrant’s initial greeting.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As the previous person said, there is no formal rule on “how late” is “too late”. I do not like to be late for Mass, and unless I had a good excuse such as an illness of me or a family member or an unexpected traffic issue, I myself consider it a venial sin to be late for an obligated Mass. If I feel I am “too late” then in addition to confessing the venial sin I would myself attend a second Mass to make up for the one I was late for.

However, going late to me is preferable to missing entirely without a valid excuse (such as illness) as missing entirely may well be a mortal rather than venial sin, or so I’ve been told. I think the Lord looks at the effort you made to get there, even late, and takes that into account.

 

[tawny]

I remember being taught by the Nuns if you missed the Gospel, you missed Mass.

 

[joeybaggz]

I remember being taught by the Nuns if you missed the Gospel, you missed Mass.

Ditto! And I believe they taught that if you left before Communion, that was a mortal sin too! Ah, the good ole days!!

 

[Irishmom2]

I remember being taught by the Nuns if you missed the Gospel, you missed Mass.

That’s what my parents said too.

Personally, I don’t even like coming in after the priest has already come up the aisle, so…
I do not understand people that habitually show up late. Every single week. Just leave your house earlier!!

 

[CatholicFireman]

Me too. Then I heard (from Fr. Mitch Pacwa) not to worry about it for daily mass. I still think if you miss the Gospel you shouldn’t receive either. But that’s just me.

 

[midori]

We grew up with the rule of thumb that “If you arrive after the conclusion of the homily, you really shouldn’t go to Communion”. But it’s not legislated anywhere.

As far as “counting” goes, that’s rather between you and God-- how many of us are physically present from the opening bars of the entrance hymn, but our minds are a thousand miles away elsewhere? I think a lot of it gets down to intent. For example, I was on a road trip, used a Mass times website to find out when Mass was, and arrived about five minutes before Mass was supposed to start… only to find the Communion line about to get underway. Did I technically make Mass? Yes, I was physically present before the recessional. Was I really participating in it? Not at all. Was it intentional? I had relied on bad information.

Or-- I was camping out in the middle of nowhere several states away for a week with a group of people. We would be making the sixteen-hour drive home on Sunday, and I didn’t want my Sunday obligations to totally lose their morning because (a) I’d have the vehicle that they were trying to pack, and (b) I’d delay their start time until Mass had concluded. I had done my research before we left, and found there was a 4:00 Saturday vigil Mass about 20 minutes away that I could slip away to with minimal disruption to others. I showed up… and the parking lot was completely empty. Their website was out of date. I cried. I sat in the parking lot and said prayers. I made a spiritual communion. Did it count for my Sunday obligation? No, it wasn’t a replacement for it. But my heart was more in my prayers in that parking lot than it had been in many Masses.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

The question isn’t really one of timing but of intent. WHY are you late? A traffic jam or unavoidable mishap along the way is much different than I had to drag myself away from the football game on TV because ughhh we have to do this Mass thing.

I personally can’t stand being late anywhere, but it’s preferable to not at all. Recently, there was an accident blocking the road to Mass that would have made me 5 minutes late. I opted instead to go to a neighboring parish because I knew their Mass started 30 minutes later than ours and I would be early. Either decision would have been acceptable in the eyes of our obligation.

 

[Monica4316]

Hello,
I would like to know, does it matter at what time one arrives during Mass. Is there a point when is is too late to be valid? For instance if one arrived after the readings, or the homily, would that still count. I always tend to think that if for some reason I arrive after the readings, then I am not fit to receive the body of Christ(when is it too late to receive holy communion). When would it be too late to even count that I attended Mass. I don’t know how better to ask/put this, but hope my question is clear.
It’s not that I’m planning to be late, but some times yes, I arrive late; and yesterday I felt like I was too late.

Yes,there actually is a rule.

Traditionally, it would be arriving after the Offertory, although some have said after the Gospel reading. If a person arrived that late for Sunday Mass, they haven’t fulfilled their Sunday obligation, which means they can’t receive Communion cause they should confess this first.

If it’s for a daily Mass that’s not a day of obligation, it’s of course not like this, because it’s not a mortal sin to miss an ordinary daily Mass. I’ve received Communion in this situation before. However, someone told me it could be disrespectful and lacking in preparation. Also it depends on why a person is late and if it’s their fault or not… in my case, I was late because I was somewhere else in the city for Confession, so that wasn’t a deliberate choice and it was a good reason. However, I think it’s more respectful to receive the next day, if someone comes after the Gospel/Offertory.

 

[Monica4316]

The Church has no such definition as to what is “too late” to “count”.

If I ‘felt’ I were too late to share fully in the celebration of the Mass I would have refrained from receiving Communion. I would also examine my conscience to see if my lateness to a Sunday Mass was due to my own fault or was beyond my control. If it were truly beyond my control I would probably not go to Confession but if the lateness was due to my fault, such as I didn’t start out early enough to get there on time, I would attempt to attend a later Mass or confess the sin at my next weekly Confession.

My rule of thumb for myself validly attending a Mass is that I’m “too late” if I’ve missed the Penitential Rite. If I haven’t taken had the time to say “sorry” than I’m too late to eat at the Lord’s Table. In that case it would include saying “Lord Have Mercy” for showing up after the celebrant’s initial greeting.

I’ve been told there is a rule, which is after the Offertory (or the Gospel, depending on who you ask). The traditional answer seems to be the Offertory I think. From a certain point, a person cannot be said to have “been to Mass”.

If you arrive after the Confiteor, I don’t think the Church would say you can’t receive Communion… if it was being late for a valid reason of course. Being late could become sinful if it’s habitual, deliberate, or for an insufficient reason. (Caring for a sick relative, being stuck in traffic that you couldn’t foresee, etc, I think count as good reasons).

 

[Casilda]

Ask your priest, he is your spiritual guide in matters of faith. Our priest says you must arrive at least before the confession of faith, reciting the Creed (which in our Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy comes immediately after the homily.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I do not understand people that habitually show up late. Every single week. Just leave your house earlier!!

They are having issues getting themselves to go. Their showing up even late is a victory. Pray for them and be glad they made it. I was one of those people for a long time because of anxiety and other feelings I wasn’t sure how to handle.

Edited to add, Mass was also not the only gathering or activity for which I was habitually late.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve been told there is a rule, which is after the Offertory (or the Gospel, depending on who you ask). The traditional answer seems to be the Offertory I think. From a certain point, a person cannot be said to have “been to Mass”.

If you arrive after the Confiteor, I don’t think the Church would say you can’t receive Communion… if it was being late for a valid reason of course. Being late could become sinful if it’s habitual, deliberate, or for an insufficient reason. (Caring for a sick relative, being stuck in traffic that you couldn’t foresee, etc, I think count as good reasons).

This has been discussed on previous threads. While many of us were told growing up there was some rule, by nuns or whoever, there isn’t one at this time. I remember my mother and her friend sitting around the living room puzzling over this back in the 70s because they had heard or been taught several different rules.

 

[WJeffrey]

I have been told it is after the Penitential Act. A person should be sin free to be in full communion with God. (Venial and Mortal) If this is not the case, then why is the Penitential Act part of the Liturgy?

I am not sure if I am right or wrong, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Nelka]

I remember being taught by the Nuns if you missed the Gospel, you missed Mass.

Yes.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I have been told it is after the Penitential Act. A person should be sin free to be in full communion with God. (Venial and Mortal) If this is not the case, then why is the Penitential Act part of the Liturgy?

I am not sure if I am right or wrong, but it makes sense to me.

Good luck with that. If we all needed to be “sin free” in order to receive Communion, then nobody could go.
Seriously, no human is “sin free” except Jesus and His Mother, and cranking through the penitential rite, while it is good to acknowledge your sins before God and repent, does not make you magically sin free. You could easily commit several sins between that point in the Mass and marching up to Communion, for instance by getting impatient with the noisy kid in the next seat, deciding to be stingy with your collection donation, or allowing some distracting thought to creep into your head when you’re supposed to be concentrating on Mass.

 

[DarkLight]

They are having issues getting themselves to go. Their showing up even late is a victory. Pray for them and be glad they made it. I was one of those people for a long time because of anxiety and other feelings I wasn’t sure how to handle.

Edited to add, Mass was also not the only gathering or activity for which I was habitually late.

There’s also people like me who have other obligations around the same time. I try my best to carve out time for Mass, but it can be very hard in lower-end work to completely get away from Mass time. I’ve quite often been going directly from an overnight shift to Mass.

I’ve heard parents of small children have struggles as well - it’s just hard to round everyone up and get them out the door.

 

[Terra_Rosarum]

You have to be present for the Offertory, Consecration and Communion. These are the three essential parts of the Mass.

 

[WJeffrey]

Good luck with that. If we all needed to be “sin free” in order to receive Communion, then nobody could go.
Seriously, no human is “sin free” except Jesus and His Mother, and cranking through the penitential rite, while it is good to acknowledge your sins before God and repent, does not make you magically sin free. You could easily commit several sins between that point in the Mass and marching up to Communion, for instance by getting impatient with the noisy kid in the next seat, deciding to be stingy with your collection donation, or allowing some distracting thought to creep into your head when you’re supposed to be concentrating on Mass.

I can accept that. When I was informed that a person could not receive communion if they did not participate in the Penitential Act, I viewed (or reconciled it) it like Isaiah 6 where Isaiah viewed the Lord with unclean lips and the Seraphim gave him a coal to burn his lips and make him pure. I viewed the Penitential Act as effectively doing this for us so we can approach the Lord free of venial sin. Or, perhaps, I need to reread Isaiah 6.

If purification is not the point of the Penitential Act, then what is the reason it is included in the liturgy? A simple confession prior to mass removing mortal sin should be sufficient. Also, am I way off the mark?