Cafeteria Catholics - Come NEXT Week, Please!

Those of you who have heard of the "Easter Obligation" and believe that you, as a Catholic, are supposed to attend Mass at least once per year and if it be once per year that it be on Easter Sunday - are sorrily mistaken! Once per year you pack our pews with hypocrisy - and you're only fooling yourselves! It is the OBLIGATION of EVERY Catholic, under the penalty of MORTAL SIN to attend Mass on ALL Sundays AND Holy Days of Obligation. If you're NOT attending EVERY Sunday AND Holy Day, then you're in mortal sin - I certainly HOPE you do not approach the altar and receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord in the Eucharist! To do so only INCREASES your SIN - IF you have not first gone through the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) and SINCERELY confessed your sins AND sincerely resolved "to ammend my life and sin no more," (from the Act of Contrition, do you remember that?) meaning that you have resolved to NOT avoid Mass on Sundays anymore, and that you WILL be there EVERY Sunday AND on Holy Days of Obligation. IF you have done this, I welcome you back with open arms and unending rejoicing! IF you show this year with no intention of being there next week - why bother? You're NOT a practicing Catholic anymore - so who are you really fooling here?

What you've likely confused here is the requirement that every Catholic must participate in the Eucharist at least once during the Eastertide. Eastertide begins with the First Mass of Easter (during Easter Vigil) and ends at Pentecost. ONCE during that time you MUST participate in the Eucharist, and to do so if you have ANY mortal sin on your soul (like not attending Mass every Sunday and Holy Day) then you must FIRST participate in the Sacrament of Penance (Confession/Reconcilliation). So, if you have not gone to confession yet - why bother showing up for Mass this ONE TIME? You are morally forbidden from receiving the Eucharist and this "one time" attendance does NOT fulfill ANY requirement of Catholicism if it is only this "one time" per year. The requirement to participate in Eucharist at least once per year does NOT excuse anyone from attending Mass EVERY Sunday! What it REALLY is, is a requirement to get to Confession at least once per year! You still MUST attend Mass EVERY Sunday, even if you're in mortal sin - you just cannot receive the Eucharist until you've reconciled through the Sacrament of Penance. Again, IF your confession is valid, so is your contrition, and if you didn't MEAN IT when you resolved to ammend your life, then your confession is not valid and you still should NOT receive the Eucharist.

So, if you THINK that you MUST merely attend Mass once per year - the "law" you've misunderstood gives you from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost. Do the rest of us a favor, don't hypocritically fill our pews on Easter Sunday! Come NEXT WEEK so my family and I actually have a place to sit on Easter - OK? While you're at it, try studying your Faith a little - and come to the realization that this once a year gig is NOT fulfilling ANYTHING. If that's ALL you're going to do - don't bother, you're just wasting your time and occupying space. Now again I repeat, if you're going to ammend your life and truly be sitting next to me next week and EVERY week, I welcome you back with open arms! I rejoice with the angels in heaven! If our churches were filled EVERY week, like they will be this Easter Sunday (tomorrow) then we'll be opening more churches (again) and having more Masses every Sunday to accomodate - THIS WE WELCOME!

In JMJ,
Scott
http://www.americancatholictruthsociety.com