-
-
Featured Article
-
Aug
27
Fun, Faith Filled Facts #9: Missing Sunday mass is a Mortal Sin? and so is…..
Posted By Geneviève | Filed Under Catechism, Geneviève Matthews
Fun, Faith Filled Facts #9: Missing Sunday mass is a MORTAL Sin? and so is….
Yep, that’s right. Missing Sunday mass (in other words, not fulfilling your Sunday obligation) is a Mortal Sin.
Somehow amidst my Catholic upbringing and my 8 years of Catholic school, I missed (forgot) that fact.
Even more interesting is the fact that it somehow eluded my awareness well into my “re-version” (the period when Catholics who did not sway from the Catholic faith to another faith become like new converts and rediscover their Catholic faith.) Sometimes I think it was due to the theory that God reveals a little bit of the truth at a time in our faith journey so that we don’t become overwhelmed. Other times reality taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that it was probably due more to the fact that I was in denial. I didn’t want to admit to myself that something as simple as not fulfilling my obligation to participate in mass would send me to hell.
But it’s true.
The Catechism states that :
2192 “Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church” (CIC, can. 1246 § 1). “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1247).
It’s number 3 in the 10 Commandments:
1.) I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
2.) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3.) Remember to keep holy the LORD’s day.
4.) Honor your father and mother.
5.) You shall not kill.
6.) You shall not commit adultery
7.) You shall not steal.
8.) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.) You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10.) You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
So what IS a “mortal sin”? and how is it sooo effective in getting someone to hell?
The Catechism
1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
(Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.)
Basically, a Mortal sin is breaking any of the 10 Commandments.
Fr. Larry Richards gives a talk where he likens missing mass like jumping off a cliff. People complain that missing mass once is a mortal act on their soul (aka mortal sin….in other words, it kills their soul). Fr. Larry says, “Well, what if, once, JUST ONCE, you jump off a cliff…..ahhhhhhhhhhh…. ahhhhhhhhhh….. ahhhhhhhh…. SPLAT! You’re dead. Even though you only did it once. The same thing happens to your soul.”
So even though someone might only miss mass once, it’s a mortal sin and it requires one to receive the sacrament of reconciliation from an ordained priest to heal their soul, ESPECIALLY PRIOR TO ONE RECEIVING COMMUNION.
The Catechism states:
1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation
and
1037 God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”:
It is a bit more complicated. (God gives us some consideration, just in case we are misinformed and do know understand the ramifications of our actions. Thank goodness!)
The Catechism states:
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
Not only do we need to attend mass on Sundays, but in order to fulfill the third Commandment,
The Catechism states:
2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.
I dare say that most cultural Catholics (those who are Catholic merely in upbringing not in practice) don’t know that missing Sunday mass is a MORTAL sin. Why else would Catholic churches be so empty? If the thousands of fallen away Catholics (in New York City alone) knew that merely missing mass on Sunday separates them from God and sends them on the fast track to hell, they certainly would think twice before missing mass.
I have empathy for those who do not acknowledge, as I used to, that missing mass is a Mortal Sin. But now that I’ve heard Fr. Larry’s description, when I hear someone say that they don’t go to mass every Sunday I hear a quiet distant “…….ahhhhhhhhhhh………ahhhhhhhhhhhhh……..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh SPLAT.” I wince and say a prayer for their soul.
God loves you. Don’t miss mass on Sunday. It hurts Him AND you.
By the way:
Here’s a list of OTHER Mortal Sins that need to be confessed
SINS THAT NEED TO BE CONFESSED
Abortion
Adultery
All use of illegal drugs
Any dealing with occult, IE. Ouija boards
Artificial Birth Control
Blasphemy: disrespect toward God or toward His Holy Name.
Breaking promises deliberately
Bringing dishonor to family, school, community, or the Church.
Calumny: telling lies about another.
Despair: To believe that God will refuse to forgive you
Destruction of other people’s property
Detraction: Telling an unkind truth about another
Disobedience toward parents/teachers
Drunkenness, including any drinking under the age of 21
Excessive materialism
Gluttony: eating or drinking to excess
Gossip: talking about others
Hatred
Homosexual actions
Impure thoughts
Indifference to good or evil
Ingratitude
Intentional violation of school rules
Jealousy
Laziness
Lying
Malice: The deliberate choice of evil
Masturbation: impure actions with yourself
Missing Mass on any Sunday or Holyday
Murder
NOT PRAYING EVERYDAY
Not giving to the poor and the Church
Premarital sex, including oral sex, intercourse, impure touching of another
Presumption: Sinning and saying God MUST forgive me.
Pride
Prostitution
Reckless driving that endangers you, passengers, or others
Rudeness
Selfishness
Stealing
Superstition
Unjustified anger
Using others for your own personal gain
Watching or looking at pornographic material
To obtain this list in a PDF, get info about Fr. Larry Richards, or hear his homilies go to http://www.thereasonforourhope.org/
Comments
3 Responses to “Fun, Faith Filled Facts #9: Missing Sunday mass is a Mortal Sin? and so is…..”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thank you for this post Geneviève, i am aware of the 3rd commandment and that missing mass is a sin but never connected the two in the same way that the article did. This is an eye-opener for me.
Well done, Genevieve! However, I would like a little clarification on your ending list of “Mortal” sins. Though certainly deeply sinful, not all of those strike me as ones regarding such grave matter that they would be considered mortal. Also, keep in mind that we can really only judge whether a particular sin is of “grave matter”–only one third of the conditions necessary for a sin to be a mortal sin.
I have to take issue with “Drinking under the age of 21″ of itself being a mortal sin. If Drunkenness is a mortal sin and the person is old enough to know right from wrong, then it is a sin and the age qualifier is not necessary. But if a 20 year old has a glass of wine at dinner I don’t think just because the government says the legal age is 21 he is commiting a mortal sin. Mortal sins are not dependent on the laws of man. Otherwise drinking under 21 is a sin today but if the age is lowered (and recently some college presidents urged states to lower the legal age) the action is suddenly not a sin? The legal age to drink is lower than 21 in some other countries and it used to be lower in the US. Does that mean whether a 20 year old having a drink is a mortal sin depends on the changing statutes of a particular jurisdiction? Of course, I am discussing having a drink or drinks without drunkeness.