If it is a mortal sin, does one have to confess to a priest before receiving Holy Communion again? What are the serious reasons by which you can miss Sunday Mass so that it is not a mortal sin? If you died suddenly after neglecting Mass for a flimsy reason would you die in mortal sin and thus go to hell?
2007-08-09 02:21:37 · 7 answers · asked by Pat 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"Remember the Lord's Day and keep it holy" most certainly IS in the Bible, so we are obliged to do this. All the Catholic Church asks of us is one hour on Sunday. It's not a difficult obligation to meet.
Mortal sins must be a serious matter, the person must know it's a sin, and the person must engage in the sin willingly. So, since refusing to worship the Lord is a serious matter and you know it's a sin, if you willfully miss Mass on Sunday or any other Holy Day of Obligation, it's a mortal sin.
Yes, you would need to confess to a priest before receiving Holy Communion again, but you do not need to confess before attending Mass again. So, say, you miss Mass on the first Sunday of the month because you feel like sleeping in and then go shopping instead of attending the later Mass in your area just 'cuz you don't want to bother with Mass that late in the day, you can't receive the Eucharist until you go to confession. But you can go to Mass the following Sunday and keep yourself from committing the same sin again, even if you haven't been to confession yet.
Serious reasons that allow for missing Mass might include: debilitating illness, tending to a loved one who is dying, getting into a car accident on the way to Mass or some other form of accident, being in an area where Mass is not available no matter how far you can reasonably travel in a day, giving birth to a child, etc.
When possible, receiving dispensation from a priest prior to missing Mass is preferable. Once I was forced to work on a Sunday and I thought the only Mass available to me meant walking a mile through a questionable neighborhood in L.A. in the early morning when it was still dark, so I got dispensation from my priest because it wouldn't have been safe. However, the schedule worked out such that I could walk safely to a parish when the sun was up, so I was able to attend after all. Another time, our kids were sick, so I went to earlier Mass while my husband stayed home, and he was going to a later Mass. But just as he was getting ready to leave, his dad called, stranded on the interstate with a broken-down vehicle. By the time my husband got to him, helped him tow the car to a shop for repair, and drove him home, there were no more Sunday Masses anywhere in the diocese. So he called a priest and the priest gave him dispensation because my husband was honoring his father and serving somebody in need, so that was an okay reason. He still needed dispensation, though.
The question about whether or not a person would go to hell for missing Mass for a flimsy reason can only be answered by God. God may see something in the person's heart that you and I cannot see, so it would be wrong for any of us to speculate.
However, we should all cultivate a love for going to Mass and worshiping the Lord (even if the priest is boring, the hymns are bad and the people are nosy/judgmental/stand-offish or whatever). We all have days when we just wish we didn't have to, and that's okay, too. We're only human. When my kids don't want to go to Mass, I tell them that God knows it's hard for them to make themselves go, but that means He understands it's more of a sacrifice when they feel that way and He is all the more happy with them for making themselves go for His sake.
In the Bible, this is called "the sacrifice of praise" and it's a very good thing to practice.
2007-08-09 02:50:06 · answer #1 · answered by sparki777 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Deliberately missing Mass on a Sunday or Holy day is a mortal sin because it disobeys the Third Commandment. "See that you keep my sabbath because it is a sign between you and me and your generation, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctify you" (Deut.5:12) It is not a meaningless rule imposed by the Catholic Church, it is a Commandment of God.
The Third Commandment (not, as has been pointed out by numerous commentators, the third 'recommendation or request') establishes the Sabbath as a day of rest and devotion to the Lord. This observance has been made since the earliest days of Jewish history, and is amplified in Catholic tradition with the sacrifice of Mass, the unbloody reenactment of the crucifixtion.
2007-08-09 02:51:31 · answer #2 · answered by Weston 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It is a mortal sin. Sunday is a day for the Lord. If you miss work on Monday for no good reason would your boss be upset with you? If you skipped your wedding day for no good reason would your bride/groom be upset with you? The Lord loves you and the greatest command the Lord gives us is we should love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. So yes, one needs to confess missing Holy Mass before receiving the eucharist. However, if you have the firm intent to go to confession, and you truly have a contrite heart for your sin, then if you die before confession the Lord of mercy whose compassion knows no bounds will forgive you. In all your ways aknowledge the Lord and he shall make straight your path. Proverbs 3: 5/6.
2007-08-09 02:57:17 · answer #3 · answered by Ryan W 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
No, I´m not a judge of anyone but I do know that a mortal sin has to be a grave one. Missing a sunday mass is by no means grave.
Example of a person "entitled" to miss the sunday mass is the sick, and those who care for them.
... and remember the compassion of Jesus:
"Poor sinners, they turn away from me" - sacred heart.
2007-08-10 16:47:16 · answer #4 · answered by the good guy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Typically, yes. But only God is the judge of anyone's true intent and culpability ... and their eternal destiny.
Sensible people apologize to God immediately, and then make prompt, good use of the great sacrament of reconciliation, when things like that occur.
2007-08-09 03:03:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Its not a sin in the bible, so I wouldn't be worried
remember Sunday is not the sabbath people
2007-08-09 02:24:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋
absolutely not, mass and Christianity have nothing to do with each other. Jesus said not to pray in public.
2007-08-09 02:28:05 · answer #7 · answered by sudonym x 6 · 2⤊ 4⤋