From Father's Desk

Is it a mortal sin to miss Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?
In this age of Catholic laxity, many have lost sight of the fact that it is a grave (i.e., mortal) sin to skip Mass on Sunday or a holy day of obligation when one is able to attend.

A mortal sin breaks our relationship with God, and generally must be confessed and absolved in the confessional. The Church teaches that we have an obligation to attend a Sunday Mass (Saturday evening is considered a Sunday Mass). If we fail in that obligation, we could be guilty of a mortal sin.

Sloth is the main culprit when missing Mass becomes a mortal sin. If we are simply too lazy, or disinterested, to get to Mass, then we are committing a mortal sin. If you miss Mass because you have to work, then you are not guilty of a mortal sin. This is, in part, why we have so many Masses at different times on a weekend.

If you miss Mass because you are ill, you are not guilty of a mortal sin. And, really, if you are coughing and hacking, please, please stay home. If you are traveling, you are encouraged to find a Mass to attend, but are not under the obligation. If you are non ambulatory, and going to Mass would place you at high risk for a fall, you are not obligated to go.

Each Sunday, we gather together as a Church with hearts filled with joy to worship Almighty God. We remember and profess our faith once again in the mystery of our salvation: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, suffered, died, and rose for our salvation. The saving actions of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday coalesce in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Vatican Council II asserted, “For it is the liturgy through which, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, ‘the work of our redemption is accomplished,’ and it is through the liturgy, especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true church” (#2).

No one should simply think of attending Mass as fulfilling an obligation.  To attend Mass is a privilege, and any faithful Catholic should want to attend Mass.  Our perspective should not be, “I have got to do this”; rather, we should think, “I get to do this.”