If you got to Christmas Eve Mass on a Sunday does it count for your Sunday Sabbath obligation or do you have to go twice? I think that if you recieve the Eucharist on the Sunday than it counts but my father thinks otherwise. Please help!!!
2006-12-23 04:49:20 · 16 answers · asked by Kelsey 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
Catholics have go to Mass twice. Once for Sunday and once for Christmas.
Your choices:
Saturday evening and Sunday evening
Saturday evening and Monday
Sunday and Sunday evening
Sunday and Monday
Merry Christmas!
With love in Christ.
2006-12-23 13:34:04 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Eucharist means thanksgiving. God is coming to dinner. He is counting everytime you come with an open, loving and happy heart. In the Didache, written in the year 50 and possibly a directive of the apostolic council in Acts, speaks only of thanksgiving. The obligation to attend is like the obligation in the Gospels where a King invites people to a banquet yet none attend so he invites people off the street and honors them instead.
God isn't keeping count. It is very human to say "do I have to go twice?," but doesn't that mean you really didn't want to go? It is the intention which is more important than the deed.
I am a Catholic in the Byzantine side of the Church. For us, Sunday was "the Sunday before Christmas," and honored our holy fathers in the faith, the patriarches and the prophets and the old testament martyrs. Compline and divine liturgy for Christmas occur only after sundown. Your father is right, the Catholic Church still uses the Jewish calendar and days are reckoned sundown to sundown not midnight to midnight.
In Revelations 8, the fire is taken from the alter and spread over the world. The fathers teach that that fire is the eucharist. It is the foretaste of the wedding feast of the lamb in Revelations 19 and the new Jerusalem. It makes for a long day, but be grateful you have been offered salvation through Jesus Christ. I am sure the day was a lot longer for Mary who had to walk four days while pregnant to get to Bethlehem or Jesus who spent a day being executed on Good Friday. In perspective, a long day of Church isn't so long.
2006-12-27 01:59:44 · answer #2 · answered by OPM 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To properly fulfill both obligations you would need to go once for the sunday mass and once for the Christmas mass. As someone stated, you will be experiencing two different liturgies of the word. Christmas Eve (Sunday) will have readings related to Christmas, but they are not the Christmas readings. If you go again on Monday, you will hear a different set of readings, including the birth of Christ. You can see, then, that to fulfill the obligations for both sunday and Christmas you will need to go twice. But don't treat it like a chore! Enjoy the wonderful gift of the Mass and especially the Holy Eucharist!
2006-12-25 07:31:36 · answer #3 · answered by jimmytucks 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You must wait 4 hours between Eucharists ( don't ask me how I know that, I heard it somewhere in church.)
Since it's a high feast day, if you go to Midnight Mass, you have met your obligation. Usually the priest says the same homilie at all masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
2006-12-23 05:31:07 · answer #4 · answered by Flea© 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The dilemma is that Christmas is on a Monday.
Mass is celebrated between evening and Sunday the following day. Sunday's Mass starts on Saturday evening. Similar, a Monday Christmas Mass is celebrated on Christmas Eve and the following Monday. You church should have the same Mass schedule for both Sunday and Monday.
If you go to Mass only on Christmas Eve, you have missed Sunday's Mass on Sunday. If you have any doubts, ask you parish office, but your father is right.
2006-12-23 05:01:48 · answer #5 · answered by J. 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Dear,
YES, you should go twice to the mass today!
But note that are two different liturgies.
The mass at morning is the 4th Sunday of the Advent , and the evening mass is the Christmas Vigil.
You can receive the Eucharist on both of them, since are different liturgies.
(Sorry my english, it´s not my native language, I'm brazilian.)
2006-12-24 06:51:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am Episcopalian and I believe that going to Eucharist on Christmas Eve would be enough. The Episcopal Church used to believe that taking the bread and wine one day was all that you were entitled to. My Priest says now that is not the case. Catholics, on the other hand may have a different belief. However, if I felt moved to go to both services, I certainly would. And especially if you dad feels strongly about going, just go, it will make him happy and keep the peace. Merry Christmas.
2006-12-23 04:56:07 · answer #7 · answered by Charles & Elizabeth C 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Do you really think that God cares about these small technicalities? No matter what anyone says, the bible makes it clear that God simply wants your love and worship. Sunday is a day for worshiping God. Christmas eve mass is a service for celebrating the birth of Jesus. No one except yourself can decide what is right.
Is it really hard to give God two hours of you life for all that he has given you this year?
2006-12-23 05:40:09 · answer #8 · answered by jay p 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Every Sunday is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning you are required to go to Mass every Sunday. Christmas is a Holy Day of Obligation as well, but if you go to Christmas Eve Mass, it counts as your Sunday Holy Day of Obligation, and your Christmas Holy Day of Obligation. So Sunday would probably be the best day to go.
2006-12-23 05:03:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
According to my local diocese, If you attend Christmas Eve Mass on Sunday and receive the Eucharist then yes, your Sunday obligation is satisfied. But you're more than welcome to attend as many services as you like. Merry Christmas.
2006-12-23 04:54:59 · answer #10 · answered by olemisstasha 2 · 1⤊ 4⤋