Dear Father: Recently a friend told me that if a Catholic is on vacation then it’s OK to miss Sunday Mass, especially because we didn’t have to go to Mass during COVID times. That’s not what I learned growing up, but things change. Has this changed in the Church like so many other things? – S.P.

Dear S.P.: Sunday Mass, but also Mass on Holy Days of Obligation, is the highest form of worship that we can give God. Thus, one of the Church’s five precepts, something that has not changed over the years, insists that we go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation and refrain from doing servile work on the Lord’s Day. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2042) explains that we are to sanctify the day “commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days.”

The precepts of the Church are positive laws to help us. They guarantee, the Catechism says, that we meet the very minimum standards for the salvation of our souls through prayer, the moral life and growing in love of God and neighbor (No. 2041). As such, they are morally binding.

The moral obligation is not a matter of laying another law on the backs of Christians but to protect us from going astray. The Church’s one concern for each of us is that we attain heaven and live with God eternally. Thus, this precept to worship God on Sundays and Holy Days is like a spiritual GPS route given by the Church, our Mother, to get us to heaven the fastest and most direct way. She wants to protect us from unnecessary detours, or worse, going in the wrong direction, away from heaven and God.

To deliberately miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is like driving in the wrong direction, away from our intended destination. When we are going to an enjoyable leisure activity, such as a vacation, we all want to get there by the fastest and most direct route. We wouldn’t think of wasting time going in the opposite direction. 

Just as it is folly to travel away from our vacation spot, it is the greatest folly to head away from the ultimate place of rest with God in heaven.

Another way to view the precepts of the Church, including the necessity to worship God at Mass on Sundays, is to see them as a protection, such as when a mother tells her children to do their homework or to spend time with the family. 

These “obligations” may seem restrictive to a rebellious child, but the wise parent knows that these rules for life lead to full human flourishing. So, too, is the Church’s insistence that we worship God in a particular way so as to flourish fully.

Seen in this light, we begin to understand the morally binding nature of the precept of the Church to go to Mass. To deliberately disobey this precept is to harm oneself, and thereby dishonor God. It is tantamount to saying that one has better things to do than to love and worship God. It means that one places something or someone (including oneself) in first place, ahead of God. And that is a most serious matter. 

This is why a person who has deliberately missed an obligatory Mass, that is, deliberately avoided the necessary worship of God, must confess the matter in the sacrament of penance and avoid approaching Holy Communion until having made use of confession.

When I was a child and we went on vacation, I remember vividly how my parents would search for a Catholic church and find out the Sunday Mass times. There was no internet; there were no cellphones. It required a bit of effort on the part of my parents. Sometimes we had to drive a distance to get to Mass. But Mass was the priority above all else. What an experience it was to see different groups of Catholics worshiping God!

Returning to your question, it is not OK to miss Mass on Sundays or Holy Days, even on vacation. Every Catholic who is traveling has the duty to learn where the nearest church is and what the Mass times are. One exception might be if one is traveling in a country where Mass isn’t available. One should then approach one’s parish priest to explain the situation. He will offer counsel about what to do in lieu of going to Mass.

Finally, there is a fantastic website to help you find Catholic Masses as well as confession schedules: masstimes.org. The U.S. bishops also have an online directory for finding churches. Social media is another place to look for assistance in finding churches and sacramental schedules.