I recently received a note from a parishioner
regarding the observance of Holy Days of Obligation. Specifically, the writer wanted to know why the rules of
obligation seem to vary around the country.
They closed their question by adding: I thought Church laws were supposed to be like the Ten
Commandments.
First of all let me explain
the conditions and purposes for Holy Days of Obligation. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines Holy Days
of Obligation as certain days throughout the liturgical year that are dedicated
to recalling important events connected with the life of Jesus Christ or
persons linked to Him. While Sunday is
the primary day of obligation there are other days to which canonical obligations
are attached. The practice of observing
these days dates back to the second century.
The feasts that were observed had special meaning to the individual
church (diocese) based on culture and preference of the people to the special
observance. While this is a broad
description if we read between the lines we can see several points.
1) Observed feasts were local feasts. In other words certain churches had particular devotions to John
the Baptist. So, they observed the date
of his birth or death as a special honor to him. At the same time other churches had special devotions to the
Blessed Mother. Therefore, they
observed days that were of significant in the life of Mary. It was not until the fifth century that the
Church began to observe the birth of Jesus with a Holy Day of Obligation. Even at that there was and still is some
division. The western churches observe
Jesus’ birth as Christmas on December 25.
The eastern churches observe the Manifestation of Jesus on the Epiphany
(January 6) with a Holy Day. The point
I am trying to make here is that it is up to the local dioceses or national
conference of bishops to decide which Holy Days of Obligation are observed and
if they should be observed with mandatory Mass attendance.
2) The Code of Cannon Law (compilation of all Church law of the
western Church) that was established in 1917 listed ten Holy Days of Obligation
for the Universal Church (all dioceses).
Pope John Paul II continued this list when he updated the code in 1983. Those days are: Christmas (Dec. 25), Epiphany (Jan. 6), Ascension (Thursday of 6th
week of Easter), Corpus Christi (Thursday after Trinity Sunday), Holy Mary
Mother of God (Jan. 1), Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), Assumption of Mary
(Aug. 15), St. Joseph (March 19), Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29) and All Saints
(Nov 1). Now here is the important part
that answers the question at hand: Conferences
of bishops have the authority to abolish or transfer certain holy day of
obligation with the approval of the Holy See (Rome). Consequently there is considerable diversity throughout the
Catholic Church regarding the number of days retained in a particular nation.
In the United States the National Conference of Bishops has given individual diocese the authority to remove the obligation from Mass (while still retaining the significance of the feast) or to move the holy day to the nearest Sunday so that more people can celebrate the feast. While this does lead to some confusion as to which days are days of obligation or which are not there is a fast rule that helps us know which days are days of obligation. Whichever diocese you happen to be in on a particular feast determines the obligation. Let’s say that it is All Souls day. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia may decree that that day is a Holy Day of Obligation. So if you are in the boundaries of the archdiocese you are bound to attend Mass. However, let’s say you are on vacation in Arizona and the bishop of Phoenix has removed the obligation to attend Mass. It is still a holy day. However, because you are in Phoenix that day you are not required to attend Mass.
It was never the intent of
the Church to make Holy Days and their observance “like the Ten
Commandments”. It is not the purpose of
the Church to institute laws on the same par as the commandments. It is the purpose of the Church to help us
observe the commandments. Holy Days are
given to us to help us stay focused on God’s love for us.
I would like to thank the
person who sent in this question and everyone else who has sent questions to
me. I urge you to keep these questions
coming. You can reach me by e-mail,
phone or by leaving a question in the collection basket or at the parish
office. God bless you and I love you
all. Deacon Mike.