Is It Really a Mortal Sin to Skip Sunday Mass?

These Last Days News - November 3, 2014

"Do not desert My Church. Do not judge it by the man who has stood there in ignorance or in pride and changed it until it will almost be unrecognizable. I am still with you, My children. Do not leave. You must stay and fight. In this manner, My children, shall the sheep be separated from the goats. It is a form of cleansing." – Jesus, July 15, 1977

The New Theological Movement reported on October 21, 2014:

Pope Innocent XI has condemned the following proposition: "The precept of keeping Holy Days is not obligatory under pain of mortal sin, aside from scandal, if contempt is absent." (4 March 1679)

Thus, it is the teaching of the Catholic Church, that it is always a mortal sin intentionally to skip Mass on Sunday or on a Holy Day without a serious reason. Catholics are obligated to attend Mass either on Sunday itself, or on the Saturday evening before.

Let us consider the proof of this precept, and show the falsity of the contrary opinion that it is enough usually to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, and that skipping only one Sunday here or there is merely a venial sin.
The authority of St Alphonsus

The doctor of moral theology and patron of confessors, St Alphonsus Liguori, states simply (quoting Pope Innocent XI) that the precept of attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days (as well as abstaining from unnecessary servile work) binds under pain of mortal sin.

The reader can find his treatment of this in Theologia Moralis, Tomus Primus, 263ff.

According to the current law of the Church, this obligation is fulfilled by attending Mass any time from the preceding evening until midnight of the day – thus, a Saturday evening Mass (whether for the Sunday or for the Saturday, or a wedding Mass, etc) will fulfill the Sunday obligation.

This is, however, a positive precept, rather than a negative one. This is significant since there can be no exceptions to negative precepts – there is never a case when a man is permitted to commit adultery or to lie, for example. However, a man may be excused from positive precepts for a serious cause.

Therefore, there are certainly circumstances which would excuse a man from attending Sunday Mass – as the obligation is grave, only a grave cause could excuse. However, certain grave circumstances do exist.

In this article, however, we will not consider the various exceptions to the law, but rather the basic obligation of the law.

We only point out that we have used the phrase "skip" Sunday Mass, rather than "miss" – thereby we indicate the difference between missing Mass for a grave reason (e.g. being in the ER at the hospital) and skipping Mass for no good reason (e.g. simply sleeping in).

The obvious bad will in those who say skipping Sunday Mass is not a grave sin

Note that those who advocate for the opposite opinion (namely, that it is only a venial sin to skip Sunday Mass on occasion) fail to quote a single Church document or even the opinion of any saint to support their impious claim. We can see here the bad will of such persons, who promote their own opinion and the vanity of the world in the place of the true doctrine presented by our Holy Mother the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies that attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is a precept of the Church (cf CCC 2180) which precepts are given to maintain the bare minimum of moral rectitude (cf CCC 2041, "the very necessary minimum").

Again, "The faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit grave sin." (CCC 2181)

Again, the Baltimore Catechism: "Holydays of obligation are special feasts of the Church on which we are bound, under pain of mortal sin, to hear Mass and to keep from servile or bodily labors when it can be done without great loss or inconvenience. Whoever, on account of their circumstances, cannot give up work on holydays of obligation should make every effort to hear Mass and should also explain in confession the necessity of working on holydays." (No 3, q.1244)

Therefore, whosoever should rashly and with such great hubris dare to assert and even to teach others that occasionally skipping Sunday Mass or Holy Days for no grave reason is not a mortal sin, is rightly to be held in contempt by all and should know himself to be guilty of spiritual murder as leading others into sin, himself having certainly committed grave sin by his impious utterance.

This especially holds for priests.

What makes "grave matter" to be a "mortal sin"?

A sin is mortal if it is grave matter, and committed freely and knowingly.

Clearly, skipping Sunday Mass is grave matter. However, we will not here discuss when a person may or may not have sufficient knowledge or freedom for the sin to be mortal – that is better done in the confessional with a devout and traditional priest.

It is good here to recall that the Catechism teaches that "anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Communion." (CCC 1385)

[please note, I have made a correction to the above section to make it more clear that "grave sin" means "mortal sin", and that the distinction is between objectively "grave matter" and "mortal/grave/serious sin" -- thanks to Kevin L who helped to point out this error]

Why is it a mortal sin to skip Mass on Sunday?

The great St John Paul II states, “The Code of Canon Law of 1917 for the first time gathered this tradition into a universal law. The present Code reiterates this, saying that ‘on Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to attend Mass’. This legislation has normally been understood as entailing a grave obligation: this is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and it is easy to understand why if we keep in mind how vital Sunday is for the Christian life.” (Dies Domini, 47)

Here, the Saintly Pontiff indicates why it is that the Church obliges the faithful to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days under pain of mortal sin: Mass attendance is truly necessary for the Christian life. Participating in Sunday worship is of such great value and necessity to the soul, that the Church holds the faithful bound to this participation by a grave obligation.

We must admit that the following of this precept is of the greatest advantage to the Christian soul which will quickly perish without the helps of common worship, orthodox preaching, and the grace derived from the Sacrament of the Altar.

Furthermore, we must stress that it is the primary duty of the creature to honor his Creator. If God had commanded that every day should be given wholly to him, he would have been within his rights – for the whole man, together with all his time and energies, belongs entirely to God. However, God is most generous in demanding (through his Church) only Sundays and a very few other days which must be given to divine worship. It is such a small demand in his part, and those who fail to do even this little amount are guilty of an extreme boldness.

There can be no doubt that those who fail in this most basic duty of man have failed to fulfill even the bare minimum of what is required of any decent human being – therefore, it is good and right that the Church should hold the faithful bound to the observance of Sundays and Holy Days under pain of mortal sin.

"Pastors, those who have in their care Our sheep, you must stop now these changes that you seek in novelty, for they are destroying the young souls and scattering Our sheep.
"I repeat, My children, the great Council in Rome of Vatican II, the promises were great, but satan sat among you and he played you like the chess board.” – Our Lady of the Roses, August 5, 1976

"My children, long ago I warned you from Fatima, I warned you through many voice-boxes throughout your world that the time will come when you will embark upon a stormy sea, and it shall be bishop against bishop and cardinal against cardinal, and satan shall set himself in your midst." - Our Lady of the Roses, November 20, 1976

"How I warned and warned that satan would enter into the highest realms of the hierarchy in Rome. The Third Secret, My child, is that satan would enter into My Son's Church." - Our Lady of the Roses, May 13, 1978

"As I warned you in the past and you did not listen, unless you prayed more, did more penance, sacrifice, communism would go throughout your world, ravishing nations, destroying your Faith, entering into the highest places of My Son's House. Can you deny what is happening now in your world? Remove the blindness from your eyes and look!" - Our Lady of the Roses, March 18, 1977

"I gave Lucy the Revelation as a temporary secret—as I revealed [the Third Secret] to you on two occasions. Make a concerted effort to bring its entirety to Our children on earth. The hierarchy have not listened to My counsel—thirty-two years lost in indecision and fear of exposure. The Faith is shattered for many." - Our Lady of the Roses, April 29, 1992

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These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995:

YOU WILL STOP EXPERIMENTING
"My child and My children, I come once more with an urgent and pleading message to the hierarchy in the Church, My Church upon earth. I want you to know now that We look upon you and find many that do not fall into grace. They are falling out of grace and misleading many of Our sheep.
     "Therefore, I warn you now as your God: You will stop your intricacies within My Church. You will stop experimenting. I gave you the rules to follow many years ago, two thousand years approximately. And why now, two thousand years later, do you deem it necessary to change My Church upon earth? I, your God, say to you, you will be judged accordingly. You will return My Church to its former glory, and in that manner you will have more vocations and more entering the seminaries, and not fleeing from them as they hear the heresies and all other innovations that are going on within My Church. This is My last and final word to My clergy: Change now or suffer a just punishment and banishment." - Jesus, June 18, 1986

RETURN TO YOUR TRADITIONAL RITES
”I send to My clergy, those whom I have given the grace to represent Heaven upon earth, this warning: You must now return to your traditional rites! You must restore My House from its crumbling exterior and rotting interior. You must rebuild what you seek to destroy--now!
     "Many who call themselves My chosen ones have set themselves to destroy from within. Your actions have not gone by unnoticed by the Eternal Father. Error, deception, deceit, in the guise of sanctity and piousness! You are unmasked before the Eternal Father. You shall start little by little and repair the foundation, or you shall be within and destroy.
     "I look upon all manner of abominations being committed in My House. Do you think you will go much longer without chastisement? Awaken from your slumber, My clergy! You deceive no one!” - Jesus, November 22, 1975

CHANGING THE CONSTRUCTION
“You will not bring about a conversion of those who are presently apostate by compromising your Faith or changing the construction of the exterior lines of My Church; and by that I mean the physical appearance and the manner in which you conduct the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
     “Many are giving My Body in a manner that can only be called blasphemy. Many are accepting My Body in the Eucharist in a manner that defames the Divinity, and also promotes unholiness, paganism, and impurity of heart and actions during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” - Jesus, May 26, 1979

CHANGES MUST BE STOPPED AND REVERSED
"There is no excuse accepted now by the Eternal Father among the clergy, who now offend the Eternal Father by misleading the children of God upon earth. The experimentation and changes must be stopped and reversed! There is no other course.” – Our Lady, August 4, 1979

“RESTORE MY HOUSE!”
"My Mother has given you My way. It is a simple road that must be followed. The rules have been given to you that must not be changed, as you cater to the basic carnal nature of man, a generation that has fallen! You will not make changes within My House, for you have dispersed My sheep. You will restore My House to its former glory. Strip you hearts of your pride! Recognize your errors and restore My House!
     "I say this to you for your Creator, as your God: Restore My House, or I shall come down and restore it Myself with a firm hand! And shall you stand before Me, O pastors, and say that your teachings have been pure in My sight? I shall take you and spit you out as spittle into the fires of eternal damnation! Vermin that came out of the flowers!” – Jesus, December 28, 1976

STOP CHANGE AND NOVELTY
"My child and My children, make it known to all that the road to Heaven was never easy, but you can make it much easier upon yourselves and your families if you follow the rules, if you follow the Commandments from the Eternal Father. The changes that We see taking place in My House and upon earth are not good, for many, many souls are falling into hell. And a great measure of responsibility now is with those who have been called to the holy orders, who have given themselves to represent Me upon earth. Shall I say that I have found many Judases now within My House? Cannot this situation be changed?
     "There is only one way that this can be stopped, this evil that has seeped into My House and into the hearts of all mankind. You must stop now your seeking for change and novelty. You must restore My Church to its former glory. Admit your error. Do not conceal this with pride and arrogance.
     "Remember there was the time when it was necessary to cast Luciel and his followers from Heaven--Lucifer, who now goads you on to hell with him, upon earth. He had to be cast from Heaven because he, too, became prideful and arrogant, seeking to make himself another living god. This cannot be done. You cannot be above your Creator.” – Jesus, September 7, 1978

DO NOT ACCEPT
"My children, you must retain Tradition; you must retain a firm foundation of your faith by keeping all of the good publications. Do not accept the changes that have been made by satan to seduce your souls.” – Jesus, November 19, 1977

INDOCTRINATED
Veronica - The books are being changed to cover the evil being perpetrated now. The young are being indoctrinated to accept changes which will take away Tradition and even doctrine. Our Lady said we must all pray a constant vigilance of prayer. It has a great power over the demons. – November 19, 1977

NOT FROM HOLY SPIRIT
"I must, My child, make it known at this time that you must go back in the immediate years and bring the knowledge to mankind that these changes, the changes that have given bad fruits, have not been given to you through the Holy Spirit and through your Vicar, Pope Paul VI. It is the web of satan reaching out. Many are now, My child, puppets. The strings are being pulled by Benelli, Villot, and Casaroli and their followers.” – Our Lady, September 27, 1975

YOU HAVE STRAYED
"O My children, how far you have strayed from the truth! The knowledge given to you by your prophets were written down in truth to guide you, but now you change the words to suit your basic carnal human natures. Go back and read, My children, the true words of your prophets. But do not accept changes in the Book, for these changes have been promoted by satan. Heresy, O mournful heresy, whatever shall become of you!
     "Parents, I caution you anew to guard the souls of your children by your teaching and example. You cannot save your children's souls by giving them to false teachers and the world, for the world has now been given to satan.” – Our Lady, June 5, 1976

“WE DO NOT CONDONE VARIATIONS AND CHANGES"
"It has grieved Me much in the past, as it grieves Me now, that mankind is making changes to My words. I assure you, My children and pastors within My houses, My Church upon earth, there is no necessity to change My words. Heaven, hell, purgatory, and especially, My children, the word 'hell' must be retained in your prayers.
     "Repeat, My child, the confessional prayer.
     O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I confess to all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because I love Thee, my God, Who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
     "Yes, My child, We do not condone variations and changes. It is the enemies of your God that have set themselves to promote change upon My words. The word of your God is eternal and must not be changed.” – Jesus, February 10, 1977

ONLY SATAN SEEKS CHANGE
"We ask--the Eternal Father speaks, and demands that all bishops in the houses of God throughout your world must turn back to prayer. They must turn back from the road they have chosen, a road filled with error, corruption, and sin. Man will not make changes in the House of God to please the basic carnal nature of mankind! But man in the House of God--the leaders, the clergy chosen by the Eternal Father, shall turn man from his path of destruction and bring him into the House of God. This he will not accomplish by lowering the rule or standards. Man must change his ways and follow the ways of God.
     "You are, My children, living in the era of Antichrist. Recognize the signs of your times, and you will not fall into error. Read the Book, My children. You read books of corruption and vile debauchery. Restore the truth in your heart, into your children and homes. Open the good Book, the Bible, and read it in your homes.
     "My Son has already set up the rule for the houses throughout the world, the churches. They are written in the Book of love and life, the Bible. Read and learn, and follow the truth!
     "There is no time or change in Heaven. The Father never changes. It is only satan who seeks change to disturb, corrupt, and degrade. Satan roams wherever there is darkness of spirit. He will debase mankind in a manner so foul that you will know that no human could conceive of such vileness of sin.” – Our Lady, March 22, 1975

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Fatimagate
http://www.tldm.org/FatimaGate.htm

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