What constitutes “serious reason” to miss Mass?

Evidently, when you should stay home from Mass on a Sunday or holy day of obligation is something a lot of Catholics wonder about.

What is the obligation?

Let’s begin by looking at what the Church says regarding the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. The Code of Canon Law states:

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass. They are also to abstain from such work or business that would inhibit the worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, or the due relaxation of mind and body (canon 1247).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reiterates this precept of the Church (CCC 2180), but gives the following proviso:

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 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 (CCC 2181, emphasis added).

Confusion sets in though at what constitutes “serious reason.” If you are in doubt regarding other serious reasons for missing Mass on a Sunday or holy day, I strongly urge you to talk to your pastor who has the authority to dispense you.

Health Reasons which constitutes a “serious reason” to miss Mass

 Am I contagious? Every year during cold and flu season, parish bulletins issue standard pleas to congregants to avoid the sign of peace and receiving the precious blood from the chalice when ill. But when you know you have an illness that is easily spread to other people, why would you go to a large gathering of people in the first place—especially when there may be people in that gathering who are not sick now, but whose health is fragile and who can easily fall seriously ill from someone else’s minor cold? Perhaps more pastors should be using the bulletin to tell people who are contagious to stay home.

Do I look ill? If you have red, watering eyes, a runny nose, or a recurring sneeze, people around you are going to assume you are contagious, whether you are or not. Even if what you have is a sinus infection or an allergic reaction, your appearance likely is going to worry all of the congregants who are seated near you. How well will they be able to concentrate on the Mass when they hear you blowing your nose or see you wiping your streaming eyes?

Can I sit through Mass? Without getting specific, there are certain medical conditions that may not be contagious, but that may require you to either walk around or visit the restroom frequently. Unless you know for certain you can sit near an exit or a restroom, your constant movement may cause distraction for others and should be considered when deciding whether to go to Mass.

Can I travel safely? Are you driving yourself, or riding with someone else? If you are driving yourself, are you taking medication that could cause you to become sleepy? Could your symptoms inhibit your driving ability? For example, constantly streaming eyes or a hacking cough that causes you to close your eyes may make you an unsafe driver.

Would I go to work?  A handy rule of thumb is; if I am ill enough that I would take a sick day from work, I was ill enough to stay home from Mass. If I am in doubt as to whether I would choose to take a sick day, I ask myself if my supervisor would send me home to convalesce because of my symptoms.

Keep in mind that the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not say that you must be “seriously ill” to have just reason to miss Mass. It says that illness (without qualification) constitutes a “serious reason” that justifies missing Mass on a Sunday or holy day.  One must make a decision concerning your good and the good of others and be at peace with your decision.

What about obligatory work, bad weather or the care of a sick person?  

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that a person may be excused from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass without sin for “serious reasons” including the care of infants (or any other sick person(s) who cannot be left alone).

We know, likewise, that God expects parents to provide for their families and that employment is a good thing. If work schedules are absolutely incompatible with attendance at Mass, God does not expect the impossible and it would not be a sin to miss Mass so long as the situation continues.

Another sufficient reason to miss Mass would be bad weather. If it would be dangerous to travel, for example due to a blizzard, hurricane, tornado, etc., there would be no sin in staying home. 

Another sufficient reason to miss Mass would be civil unrest or rioting in areas that you would need to be traveling through.

Suicide, Depression, and a ‘Crisis of Hope’:

Offering Real Help to Our Youth in Despair

It’s obvious that there is a crisis of hope underneath the persistent sadness and the consideration of ending one’s life. This is linked to a crisis of meaning, of the “why” of living, of what gives motivation to be able to change one's own circumstances for the better, not to mention change one’s environment and the world.

This crisis of hope is linked to a crisis of faith. Gen Z, those born between 1999 and 2015, are experiencing a rapid decline of faith in God. Since 2010, religious practice among high schoolers has dropped 27%. Thirteen percent now define as atheist and 16% as agnostic.

In his 2008 encyclical of Christian hope, Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict described hopelessness as St. Paul once did to the Christians in Ephesus, connecting those living “without hope” to those living “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Hope comes from recognizing, Pope Benedict said, that God is with us in the world, bringing good out of evil, bringing justice to victims, helping us find eternal meaning even in the most ordinary activities. The failure to transmit the faith effectively to younger generations, and the rise of secularism with its practical atheism spurring people to live as if God doesn’t exist, is doubtless abetting the crisis of our young.

Similarly, the multi-pronged crisis of the family has to be a contributing cause. The trauma of divorce, the absence of father figures, the loneliness that comes from fewer brothers and sisters leading the young to try to earn friends outside the home, the competition for love and attention against parents’ new boyfriends or girlfriends can all create a crisis in the sense of feeling genuinely and stably loved. Being unconditionally and firmly loved is the real source of joy, of what can provide hope in the midst of setbacks and contradictions.

Young persons’ perceptions of that love cannot be taken for granted, especially when they are struggling in authentic self-love while experiencing rapid changes within and around them.  

For the full article in the Catholic Register with the link below:

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/rising-suicide-rates-cdc-real-hope-landry

Abortion Regret

by Scarlen Valderaz

Article taken from The Patriotic Post on March 16, 2023

The pro-choice activists market abortion as a procedure that will lift every pregnant woman’s burden and empower her to live her “best life.” We see marketing campaigns such as “shout your abortion” on social media. Celebrities go on talk shows to tell the audience how abortion saved their life or allowed them to fulfill their career. To every pro-choice activist, life after an abortion is all sunshine and rainbows.

What the pro-choice activists don’t want to hear is that many women regret their abortion and have trouble coping with what they have done out of pressure or lack of information. It is inconvenient for pro-choice activists to listen to women who have become depressed or suicidal after the loss of their baby. This behavior does not fit the abortion industry’s narrative of abortion being healthcare or the right thing for a pregnant woman to do.

A simple Google search leads to pages of TikTok videos about women speaking of their abortion regret. Recently, a young woman went viral for posting about her abortion regret on social media. In her video, she says no one talks about how hard abortions are on women and how, at the time, she believed she was doing the right thing, but a month after her abortion she hates herself. She goes on to say that she had all the means in the world to care for her baby on her own, but she felt an abortion would benefit her and those around her.

This woman’s heartbreaking testimony would be inconvenient to pro-choice activists like Jane Fonda, who recently called for the murder of pro-life politicians on the show “The View.” When Fonda was given the opportunity to backtrack on her statement, she refused clarity. This rhetoric is common among pro-choice activists and has led to actual attacks toward pro-life activists and pregnancy resource centers. The vile attitude and actions of pro-choice activists may be leading to women keeping their abortion regret to themselves. A woman hurt by abortion may decide it is best to keep her regret to herself rather than face the angry pro-choice mob.

The reality of abortion is dark and leaves women hurt and ashamed while abortion facilities continue to profit. Abortion is a lucrative industry preying on misinformed or desperate women. Those who judge a woman who has had an abortion rather than come alongside that woman with compassion and love also perpetuate the hurt and shame she feels.

One of the best places a woman experiencing abortion regret could be is a local pregnancy resource center. Pregnancy resource centers outnumber Planned Parenthoods, and their services are usually free. These centers are equipped and trained to help a mother in any stage of motherhood, including abortion regret. Most pregnancy resource centers operate solely on donations and volunteers. If you have a pregnancy resource center near you, consider volunteering your time or donating funds to help it provide important lifesaving services.