Q:
Is
missing Mass a mortal sin? I usually go once or twice a month, which is
a lot more than I can say for most of of my friends, but I still feel a
lot of guilt inside! Will I go straight to Hell when I die?!!
-L.
A:
You feel
guilt inside?
Well that's because you're Catholic. If you didn't feel guilty at all
times I'd start doubting if you were really Catholic.
And
yes, it is a mortal sin to
miss Mass with
no excuse (it's different if you're ill, there's no church nearby,
etc...). But because you go more often than your friends, don't worry
about it. Faith is all about just being better than your friends.
Anyway, why do we go to
church on Sunday?
Because each Sunday Mass is a "mini-Easter"...
because the Church is a family... because the Mass is the source and
summit
of the Christian life... because Jesus said "Do this in memory of
me"... and most importantly:
If people didn't get
together on Sunday, how else would we take up the collection? It's all
about money with us.
But we shouldn't take a
minimalist approach when
it comes to faith. We shouldn't try to do the least possible
without
going to hell. For instance, if a husband was always trying to do the minimum
possible with his wife without her divorcing him, it wouldn't be a
healthy
relationship. Same with God. We should want to receive the
Eucharist,
to pray with others (you know that "Church" stuff)...not because we'd
feel
guilty if we didn't. But because it's the right thing to do.
I'm not saying I always
look forward to going
to church all the time either - but it's about deepening our
relationship
with God.
Hopefully we go to Mass not
just to avoid
hell. We go because it's a foretaste of Heaven.
