By Father Robert Kinast

Editor’s note: This is the first of three articles on Mass obligations in preparation for a poll to be taken in the archdiocese on the subject.

It said so right there in the catechism; we heard it in the classroom and from the pulpit: Catholics are obliged to go to Mass on Sunday and all holy days of obligation. Nothing could be simpler; well, nothing could be clearer. And now in the wake of “reform” this obligation is going the way of all the Church’s laws and regulations—out.

So runs the thought of the average Mr. Chris Catholic. It’s not quite that way, of course. The obligation to participate in the eucharistic liturgy on designated days is not out; it is under consideration. And the reconsideration is based upon an understanding of the people who are supposed to honor this obligation. It comes out like this: In an age when law and order prevailed, when people tend to follow directions, when life patterns were very clearly established, the presence of an obligation to attend Mass on holy days was an appropriate part of the times. Today, we are much more independent and make many more decisions on our own, mainly because we have many more, things to decide about. To remain part of our times, the concept of obligation needs to be replaced by a more appropriate one, like personal responsibility. This means that as mature Catholics, we are expected make our own decisions about things on the basis of a proper understanding of the whole matter. (E.g., we are now expected to decide for ourselves about forms of penance based on fasting and abstinence.)

In practice, this means that properly informed Catholics should be able to grasp the purpose of the holy days (the subject of the next articles), to know when there is a justifiable reason that excuses them, to realize that in such a case there is no need to confess it as a sin, and to be aware and take advantage of the widened flexibility in Mass scheduling that allows busy American weekday people a chance to participate in the liturgy on these days.

Obligation as the simple compliance to a rule about getting to Mass on holy days is being replaced by an emphasis on the obligation to live a meaningful liturgical life and to see how participation in the liturgy on holy days contributes to that life. It is a new kind of obligation, one of personal responsibility, and is not only in tune with the times, but with the basic gospel exhortation that we live and worship according to the spirit in freedom as the new people of God.