How Late Is Too Late

[fearundercontrol]

How late can you show up to Mass and still fulfill your Sunday obligation?

[cappie]

Questions Bishops are asked
By Bishop Kevin Manning, Bishop of Parramatta Australia in Catholic Outlook, August 2005

Attendance at Sunday Mass

Question:
For reasons of respect, both for God and neighbour, I was always taught to be early for Mass and I have trained my children to do the same. However, latecomers to Mass have become a major irritant to me.

I feel I would be better off not going to Mass than to have antipathy towards them. And it always seems to be the same ones who come late. Surely, they are committing sin by their attitude to the Sunday obligation, if not from a lack of charity, at least disrespect to the Mass. Is their situation sinful?

Answer:
I sense your frustration and would lose my reputation as a kind and gentle Bishop if I was to elaborate my own feelings towards those who insensitively come late to Mass and disturb the Christian assembly, without regard for God, or fellow worshipper.


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. Photo: Hamilton Lund.

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.

To summarise: one day, we are all going to be judged and made to answer for our conduct. I imagine the question of Sunday Mass attendance would be less concerned with attendance, non-attendance, or lateness, than it will be whether we really believed, understood and loved the Eucharist to the point that we would never, in any way, show disrespect to this great Mystery.

Early Christian martyrs thought it important enough to die to ensure their attendance at Mass, far be it from us to use the excuse that we are tired, clock less, or unable to discipline children as a reason for non- or partial attendance at the Eucharistic Sacrifice