EXCUSES FOR NOT GOING TO MASS. This is #2 of my 5-part miniseries on the excuses used by some people for not fulfilling the obligation to attend weekly Mass. I gleamed these from the www.catholiclink.org website, which offers timely insight into the challenges faced by the Catholic Church these days.
Reason #4: I can’t receive Holy Communion, so why bother going to Mass. Receiving Holy Communion is the highpoint of Mass, so all who cannot receive should do all they can to rectify their situation. Go to Confession; seek an annulment; let the Church validate your Marriage; become Catholic through the OCIA. However, joining a worshiping community, hearing God’s word, meeting other Catholics, etc., are all great reasons to go to Mass even if you cannot receive Holy Communion. Or simply go to ‘give thanks,’ which is what the word ‘Eucharist’ means: it is the Great Thanksgiving!
Those who cannot receive should pray anoration that became quite common when no one could receive during COVID; it is accredited to Saint Alphonsus Liguori: “My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.”
Reason #5: Going to Mass with my kids is like being in a wrestling match. They make noise, climb all over me, and can’t sit still. Why even bother? Somehow my parents took their five children to Mass each week – and took five kids home each week! Jesus was not joking when He said, “Let the children come to me.” [Mark 10:14] If anyone scorns you because your child gets unruly, remember: Jesus became indignant and rebuked those who tried to drive the kids away! When kids go ballistic or get ‘temporarily possessed,’ take a ’time-out’ or go home early. Sit up front so the child can see; no kid wants to look at other peoples’ backsides! Join our Children’s Liturgy of the Word team!
Sometimes the simplest rewards work: make ‘Mass Time’ ‘Family’ Time. Have a special meal before/after; provide age-appropriate holy books for them to read or color; praise good behaviors; let them come with you for Holy Communion to receive a blessing. Encourage them to join CLOW, the Children’s Choir, Altar Servers,
Epiphany Pageant, Passion Play and every kidcentered event. As Scripture says: “Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.” [Proverbs 22:6] By doing so, you will be doing them, yourselves, our world and our God a great favor! [Just don’t forget to take them home with you after Mass!]
Reason #6: I don’t like going to Mass. Welcome to Life 101. Most of what we must do we do not like to do: make beds, cook and clean, take out garbage, get gas, go to work or school, pay bills, cut the grass, shovel snow, change diapers; the list goes on and on and on! Imagine what our world – and we ourselves – would be like if we only did what we like to do! I wish this excuse was only used by children, but I do not think any of us truly ever becomes a grown-up!
If we do not like going to Mass because we do not understand its meaning or purpose, reread Reason #3: The Mass is so boring in last week’s article. A sign of true maturity is our willingness to see beyond our limited vision and accept what many have come to believe is invaluable; to trust what countless others have found helpful, if not essential: that the public communal celebration of their Faith is for our own good.
Many scientific studies have shown that our spiritual health has a tremendous impact and irreplaceable effect on our psychological, emotional and physical health. Besides, the purpose of holy Mass, the Sacraments and other Rites is not to entertain us or ‘make us feel good.’ They are encounters with Christ and His Church! Our presence also has an impact on our family and friends – and even strangers – for when they see us making the effort to publicly express our Faith, they are more likely to join in communal worship. Next week: even more so-called ‘excuses’ for missing Mass.
With God’s love and my prayers,
Very Rev. Michael J. Kreder, VF, KCHS