Articles of the Month
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When you don't
want to go to Mass
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      Sometimes, single Catholics may not want to go to Mass.  What do you do when you're confronted with this type of temptation?  Well, we all know that the only way we are excused from going to Mass is when we are ill or sick.  Some Catholics are not taught that Mass is an obligation and not a choice.  We are obligated to go to Mass each and every weekend whether we like it or not.  This is the plain truth.  If Catholics do not go to Mass, it is a serious mortal sin and a violation of the Third Commandment, "Remember to keep the Sabbath day, to keep it holy".   You can read more about it here in the Vatican website.
     One of the reasons why we are obligated to go to Mass is to praise and give honor  to God.  God gives us six days to do whatever we need to do but we must thank, praise and honor God on the Sabbath day.  It is not enough just to say thank you to God by yourself but we must praise and honor God in community with the rest of the congregation because we are part of the Holy Catholic Church. 
     Also, we must participate in the Holy Mass because it is there that we are able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  We cannot receive Christ at home.  It is only through the Mass that Jesus is truly present where we can receive Him sacramentally.  Why is it that in many Catholic churches, there are not very many single Catholics there?  There can be many reasons but one of the reasons is that they place other things as priority over the attendance of Mass and perhaps don't feel that it is worth their time to get up and spend an hour in Church.  It is extremely important for the life of each person's soul that Catholics go to Mass.  Without the Eucharist, Jesus states that a person does not have life within them if they do not eat His Body and drink His Blood (John 6:53).   
     So, the next time you find yourself feeling like you don't want to go to Mass, it is important that you push yourself to go to Mass anyway. Otherwise, you will find yourself having to go to Confession that next weekend.  Why do you want to rack up more sins for yourself?  It is vitally important for your soul that you receive Jesus every week in order to feed your soul and to sustain you for the weeks, months and years ahead. Jesus promised that if you receive Him in Holy Communion, He will raise you up on the last day.  If you do not receive Him, you will not be raised up.  If you never go to Mass, you will create a division between you and God and if you continue to persist in not going to Mass and die, you can be eternally condemned to Hell.  
     Many priests do not talk about these types of things to Catholics at the pulpit but Hell is a real consequence of not attending Mass.  Therefore, please take care of your soul by going to Mass every weekend for the rest of your life, unless you are really sick or ill.  May God continue to bless you and your loved ones and do not give in to temptations and feelings of not wanting to go to Mass from now on.