When is it ‘bad’ to attend mass? Is it possible?
There is never a religious act that God is tied to as though He cannot but respond to the act. God is a free being and judges the hearts of all who serve him. No matter how vile a person may appear, he could be God’s favorite and vice versa.
Now, If you want to know if it can ever be wrong to attend a Sunday mass, the answer is obviously no. However, it could be wrong to abandon some very absolutely necessary charitable deed for the sake of the Mass.
When one abandons someone in need of help, especially when we have an obligation towards those people, we have failed to observe the commandment of love.
Let’s say you live alone with your mother, and she’s very ill and cannot take care of herself. Do you know it could be sinful to abandon her by herself because you want to go to Mass? We have to consider our immediate situation to understand what God wants from us here and now.
You could spring for a caregiver, even if it is an hour or two so you can attend Mass, or get a relative to help as well. However, let’s say it’s a sudden thing, on a Sunday morning, someone in your care falls dangerously ill, God requires you to stay and take care of them.
God considers situations, your abilities, and limitations. He understands you wish to be with him at Mass. But if you have a sick person or are sick yourself and incapable of moving, you can stay. But if you are contagious, you MUST stay back for the sake of others.
I think this is the only situation I’d say it could be ‘bad’ to attend Mass since we’d be ignoring a lot, and we run even the risk of losing a life. So when the stakes are that high, we should consider saving lives first.
If you can think of other scenarios, add them below for the benefit of the inquirer.
