We saved you a seat: Obligation to attend Mass reinstated

For centuries, the Catholic Church has had in place an obligation for Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Importantly, the Church specifies that the elderly, sick, those with pre-existing health conditions or other vulnerable people are always dispensed from this Mass obligation. In some instances, the bishop or pastor may “lift the obligation” among the faithful during severe weather, for instance, and most recently, during the COVID pandemic. 

As Catholics, we are invited by God to gather together in community, and participate fully in the Sunday Eucharist, which is the “source and summit of the Christian life.”
 

“Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” Catechism 2182

Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama offers this reminder that the obligation to attend Mass is also an invitation to return to our churches and renew ourselves in receiving God’s love through the Eucharist.
 
“The doors of our churches are wide open,” said Bishop Luis. “Now let us open our hearts, embracing each other in community and fully embracing the gift of God’s love with an open and joyful heart.”