CLICK HERE to search Mass times near you!
Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us about attending Mass, and why we need to put forth a reasonable effort to attend ever Sunday, which is one of the five precepts of the faith: The following is from the Catechism, paragraphs 2177, 2178, 2180:
The Sunday EucharistThe 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.”
“Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints.”
This practice of the Christian assembly dates from the beginnings of the apostolic age. The Letter to the Hebrews minds the faithful “not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage one another.”"Tradition preserves the memory of an ever-timely exhortation:Come to Church early, approach the Lord, and confessyour sins, repent in prayer. . . . Be present at the sacred anddivine liturgy, conclude its prayer and do not leave beforethe dismissal. . . . We have often said: “This day is given toyou for prayer and rest. This is the day that the Lord hasmade, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” “The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."
The Sunday Obligation
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin."
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.