Hi, Pam —

Thanks for your question.

Yes, it is a mortal sin to miss Sunday Mass, unless there are extraordinary circumstances, such as:

• being too sick to attend Mass
• being hospitalized
• or due to a prolonged illness

Your pastor should be able to help you determine whether you have a good reason.

Sunday Mass is an obligation, not an option. It is the one day of the week that Jesus asks us to renew our baptismal covenant with Him.

This is what is meant by the third commandment: Thou shall keep the Lord's Day holy.

The Catechism says:

CCC 2177. "The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. 'Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.'[CIC, can. 1246 # 1.]

You said:
Can one go to a daily mass to make up for it or must it be forgiven in confession?

No, it must be mentioned in Confession.

Daily Mass does not substitute for our Sunday obligation.

A mini-sermonette from Mike:

I was visiting my teenage nephews one Saturday and somehow the topic of going to Mass came up.

One of them made the comment, "Mass is boring!"

I replied, "Sometimes it's boring to me too!"

He was a little surprised by my answer, but I elaborated that although the sermon a priest gives may be boring, the KEY reason I go, beside obeying the commandments of the Church, is to receive the Blessed Sacrament. It is through receiving the Blessed Sacrament that I will be able to make better moral decisions for the rest of the week.

Is your life chaotic and are you interested in making better moral decisions?
Consider joining the Church...today!!

Do you have a priest at your Church who gives boring sermons?
Pray for him...daily!!

Mike