Avoiding Catholic guilt: One Mass won’t cut it

If you happen to be Catholic, like me, you’re really putting the “Mass” in Christmas this year.

One Mass today to cover both your weekly obligation and Christmas isn’t going to suffice.

With Christmas tomorrow — on a Monday — Catholics are expected to attend two Masses: one for the fourth Sunday of Advent and one for Christmas. And, no, attending midnight Mass as a loophole for both days isn’t going to work. (I asked.)

“It’s not a two-for-one” says Shawn Hallman, office manager for the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Little Rock. “You must observe each individually.”

That is assuming we’re consistent Catholics. There are a few different kinds of us out there. And I’ve been all of them at one time or another.

There are the every-day Catholics. Admittedly, I have yet to reach this milestone, but my grandmothers did, and I’m praying for some generational blessings.

There are the every-weekplus-every-holy-day-of-obligation Catholics. I’m currently in this category.

There are the mostly-every-week-plus-most-holydays-of-obligation Catholics (who participate in occasional extra credit services and Bible study to try and make up for those rare lapses). OK, I confess I’m really in this category; I admit to being “home-churched” a couple Sundays per year.

There are the Lenten Catholics that get really righteous between Ash Wednesday and Easter — returning to Mass and giving up all kinds of habits. And then giving up the Mass habit right after the 46-day period. That was me much of my adult life.

There are twice-a-year Catholics who go on Easter and Christmas. That was me when home from college and my parents insisted that I go.

And there are the completely lapsed maybe once-ayear Catholics who might go on Easter or Christmas. That was me post-college when my parents could no longer insist that I go, but I didn’t want to risk missing brunch/dinner/ presents after, so I just went along.

Though I truly enjoy going to Mass at this stage in my life, I must admit I did, for a second, feel an impish sort of glee that maybe only one Mass (and one dress-up outfit) would suffice this holy weekend when I initially saw the December calendar.

But I was snapped out of that quickly.

According to a February newsletter by the U. S. Conference of Bishops Committee on Divine Worship: “When consecutive obligations occur on Saturday-Sunday or Sunday-Monday, the faithful must attend Mass twice to fulfill two separate obligations.”

And, no, admittedly I don’t regularly read the bishops’ newsletters. I got that from a Dec. 6 story from America The Jesuit Review, “the leading provider of editorial content for thinking Catholics and those who want to know what Catholics are thinking” (americamagazine.org).

And, no, admittedly I don’t regularly read that either.

I only found it when I — hanging head in humiliation — Googled: “do Catholics have to go to church twice with Christmas on Monday?”

Their article title answered my question perfectly: “Yes, you have to go to Mass twice this Christmas (Sunday and Monday).”

Oh. For. Shame.

If I didn’t already feel enough Catholic guilt for asking the question, I soon would. The bishops had a bit more to say on the subject.

Quoting from the same America The Jesuit Review story again: “The divine worship committee also holds out hope that Catholics would want to go to Mass two days in a row, saying: ‘It would be hoped, of course, that Catholics foster a love for the sacred liturgy and hold a desire to celebrate the holy days as fully as is reasonably possible.’”

In other words, it’s not that we have to go to Mass twice. We get to go to Mass twice.

And we’ll get to in years to come as well. Says the story: “The bishops’ committee also has looked ahead to when this will happen again. In the next 12 years, Christmas will fall either on a Saturday or a Monday four times.”

It’s just as well.

I clearly need all the extra Masses I can get.

Merry Christmas!