Q: Today I missed a morning Sunday Mass due to being up all night. I want to go to 6 p.m. Mass but will have to leave right after communion (which I don’t like to do), but I need to get to my birthday party dinner that my daughter is having for me. Would this be OK or should I just miss Mass and go to confession as soon as possible? — D.H.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:
Ideally, no one should never leave Mass right after communion. The Mass ends with the final blessing.
I hope that you went to that 6 p.m. Mass and that you stayed for the whole thing. The birthday party can wait.
More troubling is your question about skipping Mass and going to confession later.
To deliberately choose to gravely offend God while presuming on his mercy is, to put it mildly, lamentable. Not to mention dangerous.
At the very least, failing to give God proper worship, especially on your birthday, is no way to treat the one who gave you the gift of life.