{"id":153414,"date":"2022-07-01T09:30:09","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T13:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-isnt-mass-attendance-an-unnecessary-burden\/"},"modified":"2024-10-22T15:00:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T19:00:10","slug":"ask-a-priest-isnt-mass-attendance-an-unnecessary-burden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-isnt-mass-attendance-an-unnecessary-burden\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ask a Priest: Isn\u2019t Mass Attendance an Unnecessary Burden?”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Q: In Acts of the Apostles 15:28-29, the decision handed down by the apostles, presbyters and the Holy Spirit was to not lay any unnecessary burdens on the Gentiles. Yet the Church has added to the list given here. In particular I am referring to making Mass attendance on Sundays and holy days of obligation required. Unless there is a serious reason for missing, the Church says it is a mortal sin. How is this not an unnecessary added burden? \u2013 R.D.<\/address>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC<\/em><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0The “unnecessary burdens” in the case in Acts 15 refer to the 600-plus rules that the Pharisees had prescribed as ways to faithfully observe the Mosaic law. These rules include circumcision, dietary laws and ritual purifications.<\/p>\n

When non-Jews started coming into the Church some Christians from a Jewish background expected the new converts to follow all the strictures that Jesus had not explicitly criticized. All this led to the Council of Jerusalem recalled in Acts and a radically simplified list of requirements.<\/p>\n

Of particular interest to new converts was circumcision, a painful rite of initiation into the Jewish faith for males. St. Paul says in Colossians 2:11-12 that baptism is the new circumcision. Hence, circumcision in the New Covenant is no longer needed — and thus an unnecessary burden.<\/p>\n

Attendance at Mass on Sundays and holy days is in another realm. Remembering the Lord\u2019s Day and keeping it holy was one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God himself on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20<\/a>:1-17).<\/p>\n

Like the Jews, the Christians continued this tradition of observing the Lord\u2019s Day (though on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection).<\/p>\n

The early Christians continued to attend Temple services in addition to their own gathering to celebrate the Eucharist. \u201cAnd day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts\u201d (Acts 2:46). Sacred Tradition in the Church says that \u201cbreaking bread\u201d refers to the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

John had the visions he wrote down in the Book of Revelation on the \u201cLord\u2019s day\u201d (see Revelation 1<\/a>:10). So, from Scripture we see that remembering the Lord\u2019s Day and keeping it holy was not considered one of the \u201cburdens\u201d to be lifted for non-Jewish Christians; it was simply the continuation of a longstanding tradition for Jews and Christians alike.<\/p>\n

We in the Church are called to worship as a community; it’s at Mass where we celebrate the Eucharist, which Jesus explicitly told us to “do this in memory of me\u201d (Luke 22:19).<\/p>\n

The word Eucharist means thanksgiving.<\/em> It’s certainly fitting that we give thanks to God for everything that he has given us: our life, our family, our health, our intelligence, our free will.<\/p>\n

Such a display of thanksgiving is hardly unnecessary. One of the sadder things in life is to see displays of ingratitude<\/em> in people.<\/p>\n

And does it really seem like a burden that we are asked to dedicate an hour for Mass each week? Obviously, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just Sunday Mass. Daily prayer and frequent recourse to the sacraments are the least we can do for such a great and loving God.<\/p>\n

In any case, Jesus gave authority to the Church to make certain rules. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven\u201d (Matthew 16:19). And the same Spirit who guided the apostles in Acts 15 is guiding the successors to the apostles (that is, the Pope and bishops) today.<\/p>\n

Mass is the greatest expression of our common faith and worship as Catholics. For a Catholic not to attend Mass is a bit like a family member who never shows up at mealtime. The moment family members start seeing mealtime together as an unnecessary burden is a sign that the family is disintegrating.<\/p>\n

The Mass is far beyond a meal. It is \u201cthe primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit,\u201d as the Second Vatican Council said in its constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium<\/a> (No. 14).<\/p>\n

It’s there that Jesus feeds us with the Word as well as his own body and blood.<\/p>\n

Some reading that can help you understand the Lord\u2019s Day better would be St. John Paul II\u2019s Dominicae Cenae<\/a> or Pope Benedict XVI\u2019s Sacramentum Caritatis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Church’s rules aren’t meant to make life miserable. They are designed to help us grow in the faith and to get to heaven.<\/p>\n

If we aspire to make it to heaven, we would be wise not to let pass by the great graces offered at Mass.<\/p>\n

Keep learning more with <\/span>Ask a Priest<\/a><\/p>\n

Got a question? Need an answer?<\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s secular world throws curve balls at us all the time. AskACatholicPriest is a Q&A feature that anyone can use. Just type your question HERE<\/a>\u00a0and you will get a personal response back from one of our priests at RCSpirituality. You can ask about anything \u2013 liturgy, prayer, moral questions, current events\u2026 Our goal is simply to provide a trustworthy forum for dependable Catholic guidance and information. So go ahead and ask your question\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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