Why Must I Attend Sunday Mass?

Jesus said, "Do this in memory of me" (Lk. 22:19) at the Last Supper. The only way I can fulfill this command is by attending Mass.

Jesus said, "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" (Jn. 6:53). To have no "life within you" is to be without sanctifying grace, which is necessary for friendship with God, and ultimately, for salvation. May you receive the Eucharist (the flesh of Jesus) if you don't attend Sunday Mass regularly? No because:

It is a serious sin to miss Mass on Sundays or holy days. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass...The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to particpate 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. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

Thus, you cannot receive the Eucharist worthily if you don't attend Sunday Mass weekly, since being in grave sin means that you may not receive the sacraments. if you are in grave sin, you must go to confession before receiving the Eucharist again.

The third commandment is still in effect: "Keep holy the Lord's day." What could be holier than the Mass? The Mass sanctifies our Sundays and holy days.

"From the liturgy...especially from the Eucharist, grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain, and the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God to which all other activities of the Church are directed, as toward their end, are archieved with maximum effectiveness." (Vatican II)

"But I work on Sunday!" some say. For an occasional crisis, you can be excused from Sunday Mass, if you work from early morning until late at night Saturday and Sunday. But, in many places, early morning or evening Masses are available at nearby churches. Anyone who works every Sunday and does not need to in order to provide basic necessities such as food and clothing, should find a way to avoid Sunday work. Those who give themselves and their time to God first find that they are blessed, and need not work so hard. Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [food, drink, clothing] will be given you besides" (Mt 6:33).

"But I don't get anything out of it!" When a husband does what his wife wants rather than what he wants, does he get anything out of it? When we go to Mass we're not trying to get something, but to give back, because of all that Jesus did for us. Is one hour on Sunday too much to ask?

"But I'm a good person. I do many good works for my neighbor," you say? First, loving your neighbor is the second great commandment, not the first. The first is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind (Mt. 22:37). Also, as St. John Vianney said, "All good works put together are not equivalent to the sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the Holy Mass is the work of God."

Jesus died on the cross to make our salvation possible. The Mass is primarily the re-offering of this one great sacrifice of love. Can we say we love God if we won't even come to simply share in offering this holy sacrifice at least once a week?

If only we knew how many graces we receive from the Mass, how powerful an offering it is for our departed relatives in Purgatory, how pleasing it is to God, we would consider going to Mass every day! On the other hand, if only we knew how displeasing it is to God for us to miss Sunday Mass, we would move mountains in order to be there every Sunday, and never, never miss, except when sick, caring for the sick, or prevented by lack of transportation.

Finally, don't think that going to Mass every Sunday and holy day will guarantee your salvation. It won't. God expects much more: prayer, receiving the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, good works for others, etc. But intentionally missing Mass on Sunday or a holy day without a serious reason is to fall short of the minimum obligations of love. The eternal consequences of this are frightening, to say the least!

Sunday Mass is a Serious Obligation

Pope John Paul II

Angelus, August 9, 1998

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. In the recent Apostolic Letter Dies Domini on keeping Sunday holy, I wrote that the Eucharistic Assembly is the heart of the Day of the Lord. Therefore to observe Sunday properly, our first task is to take part in Holy Mass. This is a serious obligation, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church has recalled (n.2181), but, yet more important, it is a deep need which cannot but be felt by Christian souls.

The sacrifice made once and for all on Golgotha is renewed in every Eucharist, and the Church, uniting her sacrifice to that of the Lord, announces his death and proclaims his Resurrection as she awaits his coming. If this is true for Holy Mass celebrated on any day, it is especially true with regard to Sunday, since Sunday is particularly associated with the commemoration of Christ's Resurrection.

2. Sunday is the day when the whole community is called together; this is why it is also called dies Ecclesiae, the day of the Church.

On this day, the Christian assembly listens to the Word of God, proclaimed in abundance and with solemnity; thus in the first part of Mass there is a ture dialogue of the Lord with his people.

Then, through participation in one banquet, communion is deepened among those who are united in the Spirit of Christ. The Sunday Eucharist is thus the privileged place in which the Church manifests herself as a sacrament of unity, "sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among all men" (Lumen gentium, n. 1)

There is an urgent need for the Lord's disciples to offer this witness of fraternal unity in a world that is frequently fragmented, torn and scarred by outbreaks of division, violence and war.

3. May Mary most holy who was with the Apostles in prayer on the day of Pentecost, obtain for our Eucharistic assemblies the gift of effectively showing the presence of the risen Christ and of his Spirit. May her constant intercession ensure that the faithful live as "one heart and soul" (cf. Acts 4:32), ever ready to respond to anyone who asks them to account for the hope that is in them. (cf. 1 Pt 3:15).

Keeping Holy the Sabbath

The following is from Through the Catechism with Father Champlin - A Question-and-Answer Guide.

Q: What is the meaning of the word sabbath in the third commandment?

A: "Remember to keep holy the sabbath day" means, literally, to keep holy Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Faithful Jewish people today observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

The Sabbath has rich connections with events in the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures. It recalls the creation of the world. It recalls the deliverance of the Chosen People from pagan slavery in Egypt and the obligation of the liberated covenant that God made with us as we observe a day of praise and gratitude for the Lord's saving actions. It recalls the fact that God rested on the seventh day as a model for us to imitate.

Q: Why, then, do most Christians keep the sabbath on Sunday?

A: At the very beginning of the Christian era, the Church shifted this observance from Saturday to Sunday, basically for two reasons: Jesus rose on Easter Sunday, and the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles fifty days later, also a Sunday. It also sees in the celebration an understanding that Christ ushered in the new creation and fulfills the sabbath.

Q: Is Mass central to keeping Sunday holy?

A: Yes. There is a double dimension to the Sunday obligation - praising our God and resting from work. The Church, also from ancient times, has stated that the "Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and His Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life (CCC - 2177). Sunday is the feast day, the foremost holy day of obligation, and was for years the only celebration of the Church year. Every Sunday, therefore, is a little Easter.

Q: Do Catholics have an obligation to be present for Mass every Sunday?

A: Yes, or at an anticipated Mass on Saturday evening. Over the past thirty years, there has been some unclear teaching about the serious responsibility of Catholics to attend Sunday Mass each week and a generally lax approach among many Catholics in that regard. The Catechism gives clear teaching on this topic.

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 seirous reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin. (CCC -2181)

Q: How do we observe Sunday as a day of rest?

A: By avoiding unnecessary work and engaging in activities that will "recreate" us and all those with whom we are connected.

From Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Dictionary

Holy Days: Also called days of precept, holy days are feasts of such importance in the liturgical calendar, that attendance at Mass is required. The Code of Canon Law (cc. 1246-1248) discusses these, rightly beginning with Sunday, describing it as "the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost day of obligation in the universal Church" (Can. 1246). It then lists the following to be observed: Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Mary Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints. This list is the same as that given in the 1917 code, with the feast of the Circumcision eliminated in favor of the restored title for Jan. 1, Mary, Mother of God. The present code then states that "the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with the prior approval of the Holy See" (Can. 1246). The United States bishops decided not to make the feasts of St. Joseph and SS. Peter and Paul days of precept and transferred the Solemnities of the Epiphany and Corpus Christi to a Sunday.