It is disturbing to see how many Catholics no longer take their Sunday obligation seriously. Perhaps the temporary dispensation during the Covid pandemic lessened the binding force of the obligation, but Catholics need to understand that missing Sunday Mass without legitimate reason is grave matter. Weekend camping trips, baseball tournaments, parties or vacations are not normally acceptable excuses. Those who are casual about Mass attendance are not likely to be regulars in the confessional either. I am not being judgmental about others. I am simply criticizing this attitude and behavior.
Even some devout Catholics seem to believe God would not send anyone to hell for skipping Mass one Sunday or eating meat on a Friday. They forget the entire fall of mankind happened when someone took a bite of fruit! When Jesus established His Church on Peter and the other apostles, He gave them the authority to bind and loose. Whatever discipline they deemed appropriate on earth would be bound in heaven. While these may seem likely minor offenses, the grave matter is due to willfully disobeying a commandment bound by the Church Christ authorized to rule in these matters.
Those who take their obligations lightly also risk adding scandal to their sin. If my Catholic neighbor can skip Mass for a couple of weeks in the summer and still go to Communion when he returns, I should be able to miss with my family while we are on vacation. Our behaviors can influence those around us. We are all one body and when one part of the body ails spiritually, it affects the spiritual health of others.
On a cautionary note, we should not assume our neighbor has ignored his Sunday obligation just because we haven’t seen him in Church for a few weeks. He may have a legitimate reason for not being there or may have attended Mass at another parish. Catholic Churches exist all over the world. Unless we are vacationing on some extremely remote area or on another planet, it should not be too difficult to find a Catholic Church not far away.
