Fulfilling Sunday Obligation

[Philomena]

Hi,

I have been teaching Sunday School at my Church for a little more than a month and I am wondering whether I have, during those Sunday's fulfilled my Sunday Obligation. The program takes place during the Mass and not after it. It usually ends at about the beginning or about five minutes after the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I do hear the Gospel (although it is slightly simplified for the kids who are 6-7yo) but not any other parts of the Liturgy of the Word. I only have two weeks of teaching left, but I am really worried now that I haven't fulfilled my obligation for those Sundays and that I need to go to confession.

Thanks.

Maria

[cappie]

Talk it out with the Pastor.

On the face of it, if you are participating by leading in a children's Liturgy of the Word then you would be attending Mass.

However if you are not then I would say you should go to Mass at another time.
It's really important to be there for the whole Mass.

This was an answer given by Bishop Manning the Bishop of Parramatta (Australia) to a question about coming late for Mass:

Taking part in Sunday Mass is not only an important obligation, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (n. 1389), but first and foremost a profound need of every member of the faithful. Those who deliberately fail in the obligation, of course, commit a grave sin. However, we have to be careful in apportioning sin to their actions, for we rarely know their motivation or circumstances.

Firstly, it is important that they be at Mass. Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini said: "It is crucially important that all the faithful should be convinced that they cannot live their faith or share fully in the life of the Christian community unless they take part regularly in the Sunday Eucharistic Assembly." (n. 81)

The Second Vatican Council called the Sunday Mass the "summit and the font" from which we derive our strength to live our lives and make our world a better place.

I imagine if people had this understanding, this same sense of obligation and love of God, they would always be on time for Mass, participate as well as they could in the prayers and the hymns and would stay after Mass to make a good, sincere thanksgiving.

At the same time, they should be thinking about how they are going to pass on the "Good News" in the following week.

Because attendance at the Sunday Mass is so important for our spiritual good, I can only wonder why people would quibble whether it is an obligation or not.

However, is only for a very good reason that people would be excused from the Sunday obligation. It boils down to this: if you can attend Sunday Mass you must attend Sunday Mass. If you can't, and you have a good reason, then you don't have to do the impossible.

In the past there were distinctions made about being present for the Offertory, Consecration and Communion and if you were there for those three you satisfied the Sunday obligation.

Today, it is much more simple; you have an obligation to attend the Sunday Mass. If you want to start quibbling about being there for important parts, have a good talk to your Confessor - your soul needs it.

Some of the reasons that would excuse from the Sunday obligation are: sickness, distance, or having to care for the children. It is logical to assume that if any of those take away the obligation to attend Sunday Mass entirely, they would also be a legitimate reason for arriving late, or leaving early.

But, it does not mean that the same people are excused for coming late every Sunday, they might be obligated to do a course in child management.