Do you HAVE to go to mass?

Do you have to go to mass every week to be a Catholic? My husband said you do and you have to take communion once a week or else you are going to hell, or purgatory, or something really awful like that. Are these really rules? If so, where did they come from? What happens if you don't?

You do have to go to Mass every week unless you are really sick. It states this in the 3rd commandment, " Though shall keep the sabbath holy". You do have to take communion unless you have a mortal sin. If you do not have a mortal sin, and do not partake in the Eucharist, then you are denying Christ. I learned all this in my Catechism. If you do not go to Mass and you are perfectly able, then you are breaking a commandment directly and commit a mortal sin. If you have no mortal sin and deny Christ in the Eucharist, you are commiting a mortal sin. So your husband is correct. Its hard to accept, i know. But when you do, you feel better.

Well, shucks, i can't compete with SOGFPP, wow, what a great article

Well, I read the article and all, but I still don't understand. I was always taught that you just keep the sabbath day holy in your own way by doing good deeds and resting from your work. I mean, didn't Jesus rebuke the Pharisees for setting up laws about what you HAD to do on the Sabbath or what you couldn't do? And well, technically speaking Friday evening to Saturday evening is the Sabbath day, not Sunday, right? So I'm not trying to start a debate, but I really don't get this doctrine.

I understand how the early Christians who were being persecuted had to have some method of finding out who was a Christian and devoted or not, but that isn't the case at all here and now.
I understand how we are supposed to have communion whenever we meet in the name of the Lord, but why does that have to be on a given day and time? Wouldn't it be just as Biblical to meet other Christians and take communion once a month, or twice a week?

johnnys4life said:

And well, technically speaking Friday evening to Saturday evening is the Sabbath day, not Sunday, right?

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When Christ came, he reseructed on sunday, and this was the change form when the sabbath was. Christians celebrate the sabbath on Sunday, because that is when Christ came back alive. The Jews still celebrate the sabbath on saturday because they don't believe that Jesus was the messiah (Jewscout, correct me if im wrong).

My priest has given several great, real-life reasons (real-life as in, not based completely on scripture)

- A church is first and foremost a community. That was what it was created as. Think about your group of friends - you're a small community with similarities. That is, ideally, what a church should be. If you have a movie date, etc with one of your friends, you keep it. No "well I don't feel like going" Similarly, it's your date with God.

- This was actually in an article somewhere, I can't recall where, so I'll summarize: "My wife fixes dinner for me every day, without exception. Sometimes I thank her for a really great meal. Sometimes I complain because I don't like it. Oftentimes I forget to thank her when, really, I should. Church is just like that. It's your 'spiritual meal' The fact is, regardless of whether I'm appreciative, without my dinner every night, I would starve. Church is your spiritual meal, and without it, you would starve spiritually - whether you realize you appreciate it or not!"

- Sometimes the times when you need church the most is when you don't feel like going. Church is designated 'God time' or 'peace time' People need to spend time focusing on God. It's like going to the gym. Maybe you take walks sometimes anyway, but you've got to have that designated gym time regardless.

Just my thoughts, and my priest's. Hope they help

hmm...some good answers, but I still don't know...

I guess my problem is that I'm trying to find out the Catholic faith and my husband is a die-hard Protestant and pretty opposed to Catholicism so I get a lot from his side but not a lot from the other. So I have to research everything on my own, which is why I have so many questions.

johnnys4life said:

hmm...some good answers, but I still don't know...

I guess my problem is that I'm trying to find out the Catholic faith and my husband is a die-hard Protestant and pretty opposed to Catholicism so I get a lot from his side but not a lot from the other. So I have to research everything on my own, which is why I have so many questions.

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First and foremost... to understand the Mass, you must understand that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. To attend Sunday Mass (in my opinion) has less to do with keeping the Sabbath or other traditions, but more to do with being physically united with the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, truly present under the appearance of the bread and wine.

The Mass is an action of thanksgiving to God. The greek words eucharistein and eulogein recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim - especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption, and sanctification.

The Mass, Sunday or any day, is quite simply the source and summit of Christian life. It is why I am a Catholic. Period. You can find a "relationship" in another Church, you can lead a "good Christian" life in another Church, you can find salvation in another Church, but you simply CAN NOT become one with Christ physically ANYWHERE else. Our entire way of thinking is based on this physical Sacrament..... our thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.

Once a person comes to know this.... to understand this..... to want this in their life.... to be united with Christ in a way NEVER before experienced.... to be without the Eucharist is agony. It is quite simply painful..... sorry to be dramatic, but it's the truth. When I miss Mass (yes.... it's happens.... I'm a sinner too!) I feel a longing that I can hardly describe. I miss Him..... I miss Christ....... and I long to be physically one with Him soon.

That is why we go to Mass...... not because of law..... not because of Commandments,



..... because of LOVE.

Scott

That is why we go to Mass...... not because of law..... not because of Commandments,
..... because of LOVE.

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That was truly beutiful. And i believe you're right. It doesn't happen to me exactly the same way but when i'm in mass i feel so peaceful so full of the holy spirit. It's really hard to describe but you are very right!!!

Thank you. Very good answers. This has been a really difficult question for me because so much is said all the time about how Catholicism is too pharisaical, and they use the point about how you HAVE to go to mass as evidence, because you're adding laws on top of laws like the Pharisees did with the Sabbath. But then I see you're point, you're doing it out of love and not just because the church says you have to. And when you turn it the other way around, a lot of people feel like they don't have to go to church at all so they don't. It takes a lot of discipline to get up early on a weekend day, even if you do have the love of Christ in your heart, and especially if you have a baby that wakes you up in the night. I confess I hardly ever make it to church. I feel really bad about that.

You can go to Mass on saturday night after 5 o'clock as well. Or if you live in a parish that is somewhat large, they sometimes have Mass al late as 11 A.M. on sundays. Personally i always go to the 11 o'clock one because i cant drive yet, and my Mom goes then, and thats my only way to get there.

We have a tri parish community with one priest. Saturday 5:00pm in Wallace, Saturday 7pm in Kellogg, Sunday 8am in Kellogg, Sunday 11am in Wallace and 6pm in Mullan. The thing is is that throughout the three parishes there is only 230 families, if that. This makes the youth mass complicated for us youth groupies!
I go to mass every weekend, somtimes twice, and then some daily masses.

Well no I believe the purpose of Church is to try to understand God and God's message. Church is just a building. In my opinion as long as you try to regularly contemplate faith and draw your own interperations, one does not have to go to church. One dosen't have to eat a host to accept God but simply open up your heart. The injestion of the host is symbolic for accepting God but one dosen't have to eat the host to accept God.

Frostbitten205 said:

Church is just a building.

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Not true, well, a church is a building, but "The Church" is the people.

You do not have to go to church to be one with God in fact this is what Jesus says about Churches

It is written, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED THE HOUSE OF PRAYER; but ye have made it a DEN OF THIEVS

Nice article Sogfpp, thanks.

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