Why Go to Mass On Sunday?

Most Rev. Michael Sheehan
Archbishop of Santa Fe
Founding Bishop of the Diocese of Lubbock

    Recently, during a flight back home, a young man sitting next to me noticed that I was wearing the black suit and roman collar of a Catholic cleric. He told me that he, too, was a Catholic but that he usually did not go to mass on Sunday. The subsequent conversation we had still bothers me. No doubt, Sunday mass attendance has dropped over the past 20 years. "Why go to mass?" people ask.

Spiritual Hunger

     First of all, we go to mass because we are spiritually hungry. We go to receive the help we need to live the Christian life. We hear God's word in the Scriptures and we are nourished by the Lord's Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

     Many parishioners are dealing with problems in their lives; health problems; difficulties in their jobs or at school; troubles in their marriages and families; temptation to misuse sex, alcohol and drugs; crises of faith. We need God's help to keep going in life. To live as Jesus and His church call us to live...

     Active participation at the Eucharist is rewarded by God's grace and help. I doubt if anyone ever gave up Sunday Mass in order to become a better person.

Holy Obedience

     Secondly, the Third Commandment tells us to "keep holy the Sabbath Day." Since earliest times , in keeping with the spirit of this commandment, Christians have observed Sunday as a day of worship and rest in order to honor the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We have a serious responsibility to worship the God who has created us and given us everything we have.



     By participating in the Mass we are honoring him and recognizing our need for a Savior in our lives. The church teaches that Catholics have a serious obligation to participate in Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. Willingly disobeying this percept is seriously sinful.

     Such a rule can be helpful to us weak human beings; and reverent obedience of such a role can bring wonderful blessings to our lives.

Christian Community

     Thirdly, by participating in Sunday Eucharist we become a part of the Christian Community where we live or where we happen to be. We cannot live as Christians just by ourselves. We are, rather, called to enter into relationships with others on our Christian journey through this life to the Father.

     Ideally, the Sunday celebration will be a warm and welcoming one. A gathering in which we feel at home with brothers and sisters; all seeking God's strength and guidance.

     Active involvement in a broad range of parish activities, beginning with Mass, gives great meaning to our lives. The Christian community provides opportunities for deep , sustaining friendships.

Other Benefits

     There are many perks that come with Sunday Mass attendance. Some report a sense of self-esteem and a "good feeling." knowing they are doing the "right thing"; others treasure seeing their friends and being with them both at Mass and later in the hospitality room; teenagers know that, normally, it makes their parents "happy" when they go to Sunday Mass.

     Being in the habit of regular Mass attendance brings with it a spiritual discipline that helps an individual throughout the rest of the week.

     One young woman stationed in Germany with the army said - with tears in her eyes - that going to Mass helped her to be spiritually united with her family, knowing they, too, were at Mass many miles away in Missouri.

A Privilege

     Growing up in Texarkana, my brothers, sisters and I would not have even dreamed of missing Sunday Mass. It was a positive and helpful part of our lives. In our more secularized 1990s, the Mass should still be a strong sign of our Catholicity, an anchor to hold on to so that the spiritual values will not be overcome by the materialistic ones.

     Having Sunday Mass available is a privilege we often take for granted. There are some places - even in our own diocese - where there is no Sunday Mass because there is a shortage of priests. Be grateful, then, and take advantage of the privilege of the Eucharist celebrated in your area.

     Are there reasons for not going to Mass? Of course. If one is sick and unable to go, there is no obligation. If someone is traveling and there is no Mass available that traveler has the possibility of an excuse. (If Mass is important, however, we will look for a way to find one.) If it is necessary to work during the day on Sunday perhaps an evening mass is available. A priest or another religious leader might provide an alternative suggestion.

Basic Catholicism

     Some say they don't go to Mass because "they don't get anything out of it." Try putting more into it! Like singing, listening, praying, tithing, responding. The church is continually attempting to improve the Sunday celebrations; but everyone must take part in the effort.

     Another critic might not like the priest celebrant or deacon. Please remember that we go for God not for the priest. At Mass Jesus Christ is present, no matter who presides or shares a ministry.

     Someone else wants to sleep late. Perhaps a later Mass can be found - or the necessary sacrifice to be there can just be made. One priest advises his people that "you can't belong to an organization if you don't go to the meetings!"

     How about those who go once in a while or who skip now and then without any reason? What that shows is a half-hearted commitment and a faith that is in danger of being lost altogether. Fidelity to every Sunday Eucharist is important.

     In the long run, fidelity to Sunday Eucharist is the bare minimum to being a good Catholic. Much more is needed if we are to allow our faith to be an intimate part of our lives.

Central To Life

     The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy issued by the Second Vatican Council makes it clear that Mass is central to our lives. It is the summit toward which all our activities point, it is the source from which all our blessings flow.

     I feel sad for that young man on the plane and all others like him. A Catholic who doesn't participate in Mass every Sunday is a Catholic whose spiritual hunger is not being filled.