I struggle with Reconciliation/Confession sometimes. Now don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of times in my life where I have drastically needed to reveal my sins to a priest and to God. Heck, I think at least once per week I say things to Elise that require me to apologize to her and reveal my sorrow to God. But there are also times when I am not sure that I really have anything to confess. I know that small sins, venial sins, are forgiven when we go through the Penitential Rite during Mass. So it is really mortal sins (those that are serious, that we know are wrong, but we do them anyway) that must take center stage in the confessional. Basically, offenses against the Ten Commandments. Then again, Reconciliation is a sacrament. And like all sacraments, they supply grace. They give us the tools that allow us to act in ways that move us towards God and away from sin and the devil. So, I can at times be lost as to what to confess and what is merely superfluous. The term “scrupulosity” comes to mind. Scrupulosity is feeling extreme guilt or fear about normal thoughts, doubts, or actions.
One area in which I am uncertain about whether an action is truly a mortal sin or is it scrupulosity is attending Sunday Mass. Now I am not saying that we do not have an obligation, AND and opportunity, when it comes to Mass attendance on every Sunday and all holidays of obligation/opportunity. The Bible and the Church are clear that God commands us to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Separate from the secular activities that occupy much of our lives. It is a chance to refresh, to learn, and to establish relationships with family, friends and strangers. But there are times when Mass attendance can be difficult. As Catholics, we are fortunate to be able to attend Mass at many available times throughout a weekend as well as there often being several churches in our regions that offer a variety of Mass times.
It is when I am away on trips, particularly motorcycle tours, where the difficulty arises. Out of necessity, my tours and trips often span at least one weekend. The Alaska trip I just returned from took 5 weeks to complete. Meaning 5 Sundays that I needed to find a Church and a Church that had masses that coincided with the schedule we were on. I have to say, there is much joy for me in attending churches often in small towns with a small congregation in the middle of nowhere. But there are times when I just can’t make it. We get in late in the day on Saturday and leave early in the morning on Sunday. Or there is no church where we stop for the night. And I have an obligation to the clients who are riding with me. I would say I make Mass about 75% of the time when I am on rides. My friend who helps me guide is awesome at filling in so I can make mass.
In today’s Gospel we have the story of Jesus and His disciples walking through a field of grain on a Sabbath day and they are picking grain and eating it because they are hungry. Now this is an activity that was forbidden by the rules imposed by the religious authorities in Jesus’ day. The original intent was to encourage and clarify the importance of worship of God and communion with each other. So when they confront Jesus and His disciples over this infraction of Sabbath Law, Jesus responds by proclaiming that the Son of Man (Jesus) is the Lord of the Sabbath. That the Sabbath was created as a life-giving gift for humanity—a time for relationship, mercy, and communion with God—rather than a rigid burden enforced by legalistic control. And hunger is one example that supersedes the legalistic boundaries created by man. Elsewhere in this chapter we see Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. He asks those in attendance if it is better to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath. After he cures the man, the Pharisees reacted condemning the action. Now Jesus obviously could have cured the man at any time other than on the Sabbath. But He had a point to make. Forcing the Pharisees and others to view the Sabbath as it is…a gift to humanity. One that we do not ignore or take for granted but we also recognize that there are times when good can be done while putting aside the obligation if that good makes observation through Mass attendance impossible.
On those motorcycle rides I hope that I model faith to my clients when I make Mass attendance and worship of God come before riding motorcycles. But I also recognize that there are times when putting their needs aside for my own can sometimes seem selfish when they get pushed aside. The Sabbath is a gift. One that includes us worshipping and receiving God in His house. It also is a time for building relationships. And when we physically cannot make Mass…make the Sabbath a time for that relationship building to take center stage.
