Out of Time....

Depending which source you seek online, only 41%-20% of Catholics attend Mass weekly. (I’ve heard in recent sermons the number is close to 20-25% locally.) Years ago, I took an informal survey with co-workers and friends why they opted out of Mass attendance. In future ramblings, I will explore this topic in greater depth, based on those responses. For now, we will explore one excuse I was commonly given:

“I don’t have the time to go to Mass.”

Time. Each day we are given 24 hours. In a week we are given 168 hours. A typical Sunday Mass takes approximately one hour, plus extra time to dress, travel to/from the church, etc. Let’s say the whole Mass-prep, Mass-travel (to/from) and Mass-attendance takes three hours total (and that’s being generous).

Given the fact that we have 168 hours weekly….a gift from God our Creator, is it truly that much of a burden to find 1-3 hours of the 168 to come to give thanks and worship? How many hours a week do we spend on entertainment: watching TV, searching the internet, playing computer games, chatting on Facebook, watching sports, attending concerts, eating out, shopping, going to the movies? Which one of these activities takes higher priority than God in our weekly time allotment?

Let’s start by considering the Ten Commandments and what they say about worship:

Commandment number 3: Keep Holy the Sabbath Day.

Check out the Catholic Catechism and Canon Law on the Sabbath. It explains why attendance and participation at Mass every Sunday and on the six Holy Days of Obligation (January 1st: Holy Mother of God, 40 days after Easter: Ascension Thursday, August 15th: Assumption of Mary, November 1st: All Saints Day, December 8th: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 25th: The Nativity of our Lord, Christmas) is necessary.

Once upon a time, stores were not open on Sundays. Certain Christian employers, such as Hobby Lobby, still close on Sundays, thus allowing their employees time to spend in worship and with family.

Keeping holy the Sabbath is a way that we attend Mass and abstain from unnecessary labor. What example are we giving our neighbor when skip Mass and spend the afternoon doing yard work? (We are called to be beacons of light and to evangelize our faith. Do our actions do this on a regular basis?) Granted there will be times when family/work/health commitments require that the only time we can do certain labor falls on the Sabbath. But should we make this the routine? Is it not possible to mow the lawn on Saturday afternoon in lieu of Sunday?

Commandment number 1: I Am the Lord Your God, You Shall Have No Strange Gods Before Me.

By placing other events/excuses/actions in higher priority than Mass attendance we are honoring false gods. It saddens me that many youth sports are now scheduled for Sunday mornings. Is soccer really more critical than Mass attendance? Is the late night Saturday social gathering causing you to miss Mass on Sunday mornings? Is the office demanding your attention every weekend?

Once a non-Catholic friend expressed her amazement to me that Catholics have so many Mass options available on weekends: Saturday night vigils, multiple times Sunday morning and in some locations Sunday afternoon. The website http://www.masstimes.org even helps you locate Churches/Mass times when traveling for work or pleasure.

168 hours per week. What can you do to find the time to make God a priority in a wee portion of all of those hours available to you? We wonder why the morals of our country are sliding downhill. Could there be a connection between a weekly 20-25% Mass attendance by ‘practicing’ Catholics? Is there a way that we can better honor the first and third commandments? Is there a better way we can shine as a beacon of faith to our neighbors and co-workers?