Ask deacon mike

I recently received a letter concerning the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, the appropriateness of the televised Mass in terms of meeting the Sunday obligation and the dispensation to attend Mass in cases of extremely inclement weather. I want to begin by thanking the sender of this inquiry as this is a very timely topic. Once again I will lean on the writings of the Late Pope John Paul II in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Let me clarify what we mean by “obligation to attend Mass”. Paragraph 2180 states: On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass. While this statement is straightforward, it does need a little further explanation. It challenges us to ask why, why should we be obliged to attend Mass. Paragraph 1247 speaks to the importance of the faith when we accept baptism. Baptism is part of our initiation into the faith. From Baptism flow all other sacraments. The one who is baptized should dispose himself / herself to receive the gift of God in Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The key word here is “dispose”. When we accept the faith, when we commit ourselves to live the faith we assume the obligation to participate in the sacraments. As I tell our catechumen and candidates in the R.C.I.A. the obligation is not placed upon us by the Church but rather we place ourselves under this obligation when we accept the faith. This is the choice we make when we accept baptism.

The Mass offers us the opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus is present with us in the assembly of the people. He assures us: where two or three are gathered in My name, I am with you. (Mt. 18:20) Jesus is present to us in the proclamation of the scriptures and the homily that explains those scriptures to us. Jesus is present to us in Holy Communion. If we have committed our lives to Christ in baptism how could we not want to be in His presence at the Sunday Mass?

The obligation to attend Mass exists only in circumstances where it is possible for us to attend. However, if we make choices that conflict with or preclude our participation at Mass then we break this obligation. As paragraph 2181 states: Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin. The Church does not impose the sin upon us, we through our free will choose to not attend Mass and therefore we choose to sin.

However, if it is not possible for us to attend Mass due to illness, responsibilities to care for another, unsafe travel conditions or other factors that are out of our control we look to Paragraph 2181 where it says: . . .the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason. The examples given above constitute serious reasons for being excused from the obligation which we place upon ourselves to attend Mass. These are examples of situations that are out of our control or require the charitable care for another. I hope this gives you a clearer understanding of what it means to be obliged, how and why this obligation comes about and some examples of when the obligation is excused.

The writer of this letter also asks about the legality of the televised Mass to fulfill our Sunday obligation. In no way does the televised Mass fulfill our obligation to attend Holy Mass. It cannot. The Mass consists of two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Participating in a televised Mass does not afford us the opportunity to receive the Eucharist. Therefore, it does not satisfy the criteria for Mass.

However, if for some uncontrollable cause the person is unable to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion the person is still encouraged to participate in a Liturgy of the Word. Paragraph 2183 states: If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommend that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop. Let’s examine what this means.

Most every diocese sponsors a televised Mass for shut-ins or those who, for no reason of their own choosing, cannot attend Mass in Church. Again, we are not referring to those who choose not to attend Mass. We are referring to those who cannot attend. While this does not meet the criteria for obligation to attend Mass it does offer those who cannot attend an opportunity to hear the Sacred Scriptures and the homily and to pray with those in attendance at the site of the televised Mass and with those others in similar circumstances watching on TV. For those who cannot attend Mass our parish provides specially trained Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who can bring the Blessed Sacrament to the home.

During one of the recent snow storms the driving conditions were so dangerous that Cardinal Rigali advised those who could not get to Church without traveling on the icy roads to stay home and participate in the televised Mass. Again, this televised Mass did not fulfill the requirement for Mass attendance but at the same time due to the dangerous conditions our Archbishop dispensed this obligation for those who were prohibited from travel. This is well within his right as the chief pastor of our Church of Philadelphia. The Cardinal did not say to just ignore the Sunday obligation. He said that anyone who would need to travel on the highways that had been declared unsafe by the local highway department should stay home and participate in the prayers and hear the scripture proclaimed and explained on TV.

I realize that this explanation is brief and may very well raise more questions than it answers. But, I hope it brings some clarity to the subject. Again, I wish to thank the person who submitted this question.

If you have questions concerning the Church, the sacraments or parish life please feel free to contact me. I will answer in as timely a manner as I can. You can submit your questions by placing them in the Sunday collection basket, sending them to the rectory office or by e-mail at deaconmikefranks@verizon.net. Please make sure you mark the envelop “Ask Deacon Mike”. Your questions will be treated anonymously.

As we reach the mid point of Lent I pray that all of you are using these six weeks of Lent to examine your relationship with Our Lord and making the necessary adjustments to come closer to Our Blessed Savior. God bless you and as always, I love you all. Deacon Mike Franks.