Why Make It An Obligation?

[The_Wizard]

I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

 

[TrueLight]

I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

In Evangelical circles, it is expected that you will go to Church every Sunday unless sick, vacationing or some other good reason. Although it is not called a sin, members are admonished to “not forsake” :

"…the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25.

Furthermore, if one goes missing for a couple of Sundays, the calls start. Brothers and sisters call to see if one is okay. The implication is that the person has 'backslid" has gone back to their sinful lives or has grown lukewarm in the faith.

Having said all this, I don’t particularly like the term “obligation” because it makes it seem like something one is forced to do. It’s not an easy thing to explain to a Protestant and I’m still not sure how to do that.

 

[vsedriver]

ask your friend if he believes that the 10 Commandments are only the 10 Suggestions. We are COMMANDED to keep Holy the Lord’s Day. How does he do that? How does he keep it Holy and how does he know he is keeping it Holy? The Church says that to fulfill our obligation to keep the Lord’s Day Holy we must attend Mass.

 

[YoungTradCath]

I always find it interesting how some will complain and whine about whatever Church teaching, be it in the realm of faith, morals or anything really. No one, truly, no one is forced to go to Mass, so why complain about the “big bad Church making us do stuff?” I’m not advocating for any Catholic to stop going to Mass, but really, can one really complain about any Church teaching when assent to such teaching is completely one’s own prerogative?

There are many Catholics who moan and scream about any number of Catholic teachings, but they don’t apostatize. What this tells me is that being Catholic really does mean something to them. It tells me that they really do know they’re wrong, and that Christ is pulling these nominal Catholics to do what is right, but they’d rather take the easy way out and vocalize, but Christ still won’t give up on them.

Perhaps you can approach from this level: “You clearly value your Catholic faith even though you complain, precisely because you complain rather than apostatizing…”

 

[PJM]

=The Wizard;9269023]I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

Seems like a resonable question? Or is it?

What many seem to over look is that what the Catholic Church “mandates” is nearly always what God mandates.

This is a VERY BIG DEAL WITH GOD:

It is the Second Commandment: Exo. 20:
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other gods before me.”

"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day”

Exod.20: 8, 11 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

Exod.31: 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death.

WHY: God made us
God keeps us in existence

***There are 168 hours in a week: 168 divided into a 1 hour mass = 0.005923% of the week. Is that REALLY excessive? ***

Duet.5: 12, 15 “Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day”

**Even the man-Jesus Kept Holy this special day! **
Luke.4: 16 “And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read;”

PRAY for him: His “Theism” has become [as is common these days] “MEISM!”

God bless,
pat/PJM

 

[TrueLight]

Does anyone know if the word is also “obligation” in Latin or if it means something like “rule” or “precept”?

 

[YoungTradCath]

Does anyone know if the word is also “obligation” in Latin or if it means something like “rule” or “precept”?

Can. 1247 — Die dominica aliisque diebus festis de praecepto fideles obligatione tenentur Missam “participandi”; abstineant insuper ab illis operibus et negotiis quae cultum Deo reddendum, laetitiam diei Domini propriam, aut debitam mentis ac corporis relaxationem impediant.

vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/latin/documents/cic_liberIV_lt.html#pars3tit2

 

[cjmclark]

What is unfortunately lost in the whole “Mass as an obligation” issue is the fact that it shouldn’t have to be. Why would anyone look on the opportunity to partake in the Eucharist as an obligation to be avoided?

 

[po18guy]

I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

Since he may know only the bible, have him look at 1 Corinthians 11:25. Paul wrote that our Lord said “Do this, as often as you do it…” That is a command. It is a bare minimum.

The Church has no stick, and issues no beatings. Your friend is beating himself up with a stick by knowingly staying away form Christ - whose presence he apparentrly does not believe in. What he needs first is a lot of prayer.

 

[3DOCTORS]

I always find it interesting how some will complain and whine about whatever Church teaching, be it in the realm of faith, morals or anything really. No one, truly, no one is forced to go to Mass, so why complain about the “big bad Church making us do stuff?” I’m not advocating for any Catholic to stop going to Mass, but really, can one really complain about any Church teaching when assent to such teaching is completely one’s own prerogative?

There are many Catholics who moan and scream about any number of Catholic teachings, but they don’t apostatize. **What this tells me is that being Catholic really does mean something to them. It tells me that they really do know they’re wrong, and that Christ is pulling these nominal Catholics to do what is right, but they’d rather take the easy way out and vocalize, but Christ still won’t give up on them.

Perhaps you can approach from this level: “You clearly value your Catholic faith even though you complain, precisely because** you complain rather than apostatizing…”

Well put!

 

[maryjk]

What is unfortunately lost in the whole “Mass as an obligation” issue is the fact that it shouldn’t have to be. Why would anyone look on the opportunity to partake in the Eucharist as an obligation to be avoided?

It isn’t all or nothing. Just because someone may not understand why Mass attendance is an obligation doesn’t mean that they are trying to avoid Mass. Just if they miss once in a while, why is that a sin?

(Disclaimer: I attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I have missed Mass three times, in the past 12 months. Once I had just, hours before lost my mother, once my father was dying and once I was recovering from surgery.)

 

[YoungTradCath]

It isn’t all or nothing. Just because someone may not understand why Mass attendance is an obligation doesn’t mean that they are trying to avoid Mass. Just if they miss once in a while, why is that a sin?

(Disclaimer: I attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I have missed Mass three times, in the past 12 months. Once I had just, hours before lost my mother, once my father was dying and once I was recovering from surgery.)

It is a mortal sin if it is done with full knowledge and consent. If someone does not know that Mass is an obligation–and I’m betting there are, in this day and age, many Catholics who don’t–then obviously their knowledge AND consent are not full, therefore their complicity is zero, therefore they have not committed a mortal sin.

 

[RosalieM]

Many people can’t go to a daily mass during the week. I was told that weekend mass is of a higher caliber (I guess that’s because most people are expected to attend then.)
I would liken it to nourishing the soul. Most people are too busy working a job during the week to pray a lot, read the saints or scripture. A lot of free time is used to recuperate from stress with entertainment. People are pulled in to the secular society during their work week.
Being “obligated” to go to mass is pulling the soul back to where it can get its bearings, scrape off secular sludge, and thrive anew. This has to be repeated as long as the soul is on the earth with all the earth’s distractions. One could get lost.
So, it’s a commandment yes, a loving commandment for the good of the soul.

 

[cjmclark]

It isn’t all or nothing. Just because someone may not understand why Mass attendance is an obligation doesn’t mean that they are trying to avoid Mass. Just if they miss once in a while, why is that a sin?

And my point is that that shouldn’t even be an issue. They should want to go to Mass, and genuinely feel bad about missing it (whatever the reason), not worry about whether or not they’re getting their weekly “I’ve been a good girl/boy” check in the box (as so often seems to be the case in CAF posts that begin “Is it a sin if I…”).

 

[fred_conty]

I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

Ask him if, in one week, his prayers number more than the bottles of beer he drinks.

Or ask him if the one hour on Sunday is more than the time he spends on useless television in one week.

Just a couple of important practical questions.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

It isn’t all or nothing. Just because someone may not understand why Mass attendance is an obligation doesn’t mean that they are trying to avoid Mass. Just if they miss once in a while, why is that a sin?

(Disclaimer: I attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I have missed Mass three times, in the past 12 months. Once I had just, hours before lost my mother, once my father was dying and once I was recovering from surgery.)

The obligation is there for our benefit. It is also a converse rule. Mass is offered every day, but we are NOT obligated to go to daily Mass. So the rule also protects us from overzealousness.

In your case, missing those Masses was not at all the same as simply not bothering. Obviously if you can’t physically get to Mass, you have no obligation. In the case of your dying parents, you were fufilling your obligations as a Christian child. I’m sure when you mentioned that to your priest, he told you you were not obligated in those instances.

I will say a prayer for your parents, may God rest their souls.

 

[maryjk]

It is a mortal sin if it is done with full knowledge and consent.

Yes, I know. As I said, I attend every Sunday and Holy Day.

If someone does not know that Mass is an obligation–and I’m betting there are, in this day and age, many Catholics who don’t–then obviously their knowledge AND consent are not full, therefore their complicity is zero, therefore they have not committed a mortal sin.

Right. I know.

The question that people have, (Again, not me, I go every Sunday) is WHY is it an obligation? Of course we have “Keep the Sabbath Holy,” but does that mean that someone has to spend an hour, or two, in Church. WHY wouldn’t spending time with your family or children or in nature keeping the Sabbath holy? If going to church is what keeps the Sabbath holy, why not tell us that we have to be in church all day?

(Again, I attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I know I keep stating this but I also know that someone will pounce on me about attending Mass, if I don’t.)

 

[cjmclark]

Yes, I know. As I said, I attend every Sunday and Holy Day.
Right. I know.

The question that people have, (Again, not me, I go every Sunday) is WHY is it an obligation? Of course we have “Keep the Sabbath Holy,” but does that mean that someone has to spend an hour, or two, in Church. WHY wouldn’t spending time with your family or children or in nature keeping the Sabbath holy? If going to church is what keeps the Sabbath holy, why not tell us that we have to be in church all day?

(Again, I attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I know I keep stating this but I also know that someone will pounce on me about attending Mass, if I don’t.)

John 6:53-56

53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

And as we all remember from this past Sunday, John 15:1-8.

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
6 Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

We cannot truly remain in Christ and have Him remain in us without the Eucharist. We cannot have the Eucharist (in most cases) unless we attend Mass. That coupled with the commandment to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy provides a pretty compelling argument for Sunday Mass attendance.

 

[mick321]

I have a friend who, although born an raised Catholic, just can not come to terms with alot of what The Church teaches. One reason for this is he does not take the time to learn what and why The Church really teaches what it teaches. We both grow up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were poorly catechized. My journey has lead me to learn about The Church. And I have used my knowledge to answer some of his questions.

His latest problem with The Church is why does “The Church use a stick to beat people into going to mass on Sunday”. Why did The Church make it a sin not to go to mass on Sunday? He feels that without this “stick” half the Catholic would not go to mass on Sunday. It is only advisable that you should go to church on Sunday in the Protestant churches.

What can I say to him?

Say nothing.

The Church has changed many of its teachings since the '50’s. Indeed, many of the changes were made specifically to accommodate the demands of Catholics like your friend. The Mass is no exception. Catholics can now attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday. Fasting, abstinence, and penitential “requirements” have been relaxed. Regardless of which day the faithful choose to fulfill their Sunday “obligation”, they are now allowed to arrive late, receive the Eucharist, and leave early. It has never been easier to be a practicing Catholic.

And your friend is right. Without the “big stick” approach, many Catholics would not set foot in Church on most Sundays. Why should they? Look around your parish next Sunday. Where are all the men?

A pastor of souls has to offer something of genuine spiritual value. If he can do that, people will be charging the doors to get in. If not, he’s got no “game”. Relying on threats and coersion to compel Mass attendance is a temporary solution at best. Likewise, treating the Mass like a variety show will send the message that it’s merely entertainment. Both approaches are insulting to the truly faithful. Lose them and we’ve lost it all.

 

[hannajomar]

Mass as an obligation can be helpful to us.

This past Sunday, I did not FEEL like going to Mass. We drove home late from a day trip, and then got stuck in traffic and detoured twice, causing us to arrive home even later. When my alarm went off, I was not excited to jump out of bed, get dressed up, and skip off to Mass. I went out of obligation. I didn’t go begrudgingly, but I went because I’m supposed to. Obligations in our faith protect us from always acting based on our emotions, which often lead us astray. I agree that without the obligation many would just not go. But there is merit in obeying something you do not feel like doing. That is putting the Will of God before the will of myself.