Our Obligation

Recently my archdiocese announced that due to the decline in coronavirus cases, it is lifting the general dispensation from the obligation of Catholics to attend Mass. Dispensation still applies to the ill, the homebound, and those with serious underlying health conditions. Other archdioceses are doing the same.

Therefore, our obligation to attend Mass in person is on the return. Of course, attending Mass does so much more than fulfill our obligation. We (priests, deacons, lectors, altar servers, Eucharistic Ministers, choir and congregation) encounter the True Presence of Christ in the Word and the Eucharist.

At Mass, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Savior comes to us. In Christ’s words: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” [John 6:54]. What an incentive this is to love the Mass and to savor the fruits of Holy Communion!

Obliging Love

Perhaps as we contemplate our obligation, we see in the Mass that our Lord’s obligation to us is one rooted in love. By our Lord’s love for each of us, He gives us the miracle of changing bread and wine into His Body and Blood for our salvation! “By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him” [CCC 1394].

Rooting ourselves in our Lord roots our obligation in love. Do we accept this divine offer of love from Christ? We say we do from the moment we make the Sign of the Cross during the Introductory Rite. An expression of faith, when we cross ourselves, we renew our baptismal promise, rejecting sin and Satan. The Sign of the Cross reminds us we are children of God. We pledge ourselves—we obligate ourselves—to God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

Do we mean it? We say we do through our prayers of faith, penance, praise, and thanksgiving during Mass. Therefore, when we fulfill our obligation, we pledge to share the greatest love we will ever receive. Don’t be afraid; the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist teach us how to experience the intimacy of the Trinitarian life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ lives within our body and mind, heart and soul. Truly, the Kingdom of God opens to us if we open ourselves.

Our Mission

The Mass instills loving graces within us to carry us through our joys, works and sorrows so that we may enter into the glory of God’s kingdom. Let us be open to its healing power. The Mass helps us to see the holy purpose of our lives in every circumstance. We see that all lives are redeemable even in the final hour. Therefore, let us rejoice in renewing our obligation and let us pray for our fellow parishioners who cannot attend Mass in person.

Consider this: The word “Mass” is derived from the Latin word missa. This comes from missio—the root word of “mission.” The Mass gives us the mission to go in peace to love and serve our Lord. Doing so, we partake in the redemption and salvation for ourselves and our world. Thanks be to God!