Children And Going To Mass

[Lil Red]

okay, so if you miss most of Mass because you are handling an unruly child, does it really count as going to Mass?

[Cam42]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1295225208' post='2200852']
okay, so if you miss most of Mass because you are handling an unruly child, does it really count as going to Mass?
[/quote]


Short answer no.

Simply being in the building while Holy Mass is going on does not constitute assisting at Holy Mass. One assists at Holy Mass, by engaging in participatio actuosa. In English, by actually participating from the interior. If you have to handle an unruly child, you have not been able to do that and should find a Mass to assist at in which you can actually participate.

Let's not forget that participatio activa (active participation) exteriorly is not the key. If you go to Mass, do all the movements, but do not engage your soul to the Sacrifice, you haven't fulfilled your obligation. However, if you go and do nothing but participate actually (participatio actuosa) with your soul uniting to the sacrifice without saying a word, then you have.

I will offer this caveat though, it is not up to any one person, other than yourself to determine if you've actually participated. So, I would never say to someone that they have not participated actually, unless they affirmed it themselves and were looking for clarification.

So, one should use his judgment and decide for himself if he has done so. If you're not sure, go to your confessor and ask.