Is it a sin to leave Mass early?

Sister Rejane  
This Random Nun Clip is brought to you by A Nun's Life Mministry.

Sister Maxine  
Lou is in Minnesota, and she writes, "A friend of mine who has studied theology says that when a lot of people leave Mass right after Communion, it's a sign that some updating about the Mass is needed for parishioners. Is that true? And if it is, why?" Very compelling question.

Sister Shannon  
I think it is too. It kind of made me smile, the first time I read it. I had an image of those who hung to the back of church and made sure they got a copy of the bulletin to have proof positive to their families that they had indeed attended. But they slipped out the minute they received Communion.

Sister Maxine  
It also gave me sort of like a throwback. When I was a kid, I do remember seeing what we have since called the post-Communion attrition rate. And generally--for those who may not be familiar with this--what would happen is, people might even come in late to Mass. They'd be there and then they'd go up to Communion. And usually, you know, if somebody had their coats on--

Sister Shannon  
You'd know they were going out the door.

Sister Maxine  
Yeah--not accusing anybody or anything. So they go up to Communion, and then instead of returning back to their pew, and then waiting for everybody to return their pew, and then going to the conclusion of the Mass, out the door. And yes, usually they did grab a bullet and along the way. But there was there was some purpose some reasoning behind that.

Sister Shannon  
Yes. So prior to the Second Vatican Council, in the Baltimore Catechism, it was taught very clearly to all of us as Catholics, what were the principal parts of the Mass. In order for them you to be able to validly claim that you had attended Mass, which was an obligation on Sunday--

Sister Maxine  
And it came with consequences if you didn't.

Sister Shannon  
Right. Mortal sin, if you missed Mass. You had to be present for the offertory, the consecration, and Communion. You did not have to be present for the reading of the word. So often people came in late. They might make it in time for the Gospel, they might miss the first reading, it just depended. And once they had received Communion, they were finished, essentially. They did not have to stay for the final prayers, the closing song. And so people got kind of lax, I think, about that, in terms of being able to claim that they had been to Mass even though they hadn't fully participated.

Sister Maxine  
That was sort of a letter of the law approach.

Sister Shannon  
It was.

Sister Maxine  
And the consequences of not following the letter of the law were substantial. But I think, for the understanding of people as to what the purpose of the Mass is-- Like Lou here in Minnesota: maybe it's a sign that parishioners need to be encouraged. If she is seeing the post-Communion attrition happening, it could be a sign that the parishioners need to be encouraged to look at this a little bit different.

Sister Shannon  
Maybe there's not necessarily an update of the Mass itself, that needs to be changed, but perhaps the education of the individuals who participate in liturgy.

Sister Maxine  
Yeah, because it kind of makes me sad to think that the parishioners would forego the full experience of the Mass in the community.

Sister Shannon  
It would be like being invited to a very lovely dinner, sit down at the table, eat your meal, set down your fork, and walk out the door. That's not the kind way or the gracious way that we would treat others who have invited us to dinner, right? We would have some chat after dinner, we would be glad to have seen everyone, we would have our goodbyes, maybe a hug out the door. But not just an abrupt finish and leave.

Sister Maxine  
That would be like going to a family dinner if you really didn't want to be there. You had to show up to save face. And so you do the bare minimum and then you leave, and you miss out on the richness of relationships.

Sister Shannon  
So I think the great wisdom of the Second Vatican Council really helped us to understand the power of the connection between the spoken word from the scriptures and the Eucharistic experience of Communion. So we began to talk about the Mass as having two principal parts, right. It's important to be present to hear the initial reading and to participate in the response to the reading and then to listen to the Gospel and to hear the teaching that comes from the pulpit. And then to offer the gifts, to seriously offer the gifts at offertory time. It's not just about collecting money at collection time, but it's bringing the bread and wine to the altar so the priest can prepare it so all can partake in the meal. And then sharing that meal with one another. And receiving that final blessing from the host who is the presider that offers us the blessing.

Sister Maxine  
And going forth together, hopefully renewed or encouraged. And going forth together after all of this.

Sister Shannon  
At the Second Vatican Council, they brought the scriptures into the council room and enthroned them in the center for the entire conversation, which had not been done previously. So they venerated the power of the word. At the Second Vatican Council they also designed what we call the lectionary, to ensure that everyone heard all the major readings from the Scripture in the course of a three-year sequence. So there are certain readings during Lent, certain readings during Advent. But in addition to that, there are three cycles of reading so that every three years we've heard essentially all of the scriptures. The Anglicans accepted the lectionary, the Lutherans accepted the lectionary. There was such power in its organization, and its preparation. And then they saw the word helping us to unfold the significance of receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus in the consecration. So the Mass was updated, Lou, in a powerful way, but what sometimes is lacking is people's education on its significance.

Sister Maxine  
Yeah, and I think as more theologians have come into our midst--certainly, Shannon, you're one of them--that that can help with that kind of education. I agree, it's a reflection that maybe some of that kind of understanding about the Scripture, how it can enrich your faith life, how the Mass all works together. And for folks who are serious about deepening that relationship with God, using some theological resources, even beyond the readings of the Mass, to develop a bigger understanding of, of the role of scripture in our life.

Sister Shannon  
I'm not sure what the person intended, who shared with you that there needed to be some updating in the Mass. But there might be, behind that, the sense that maybe the priest isn't an engaging speaker, or that the songs that are selected, the liturgist isn't that good. And so if we would have more engaging music, or a better homily, people would stay for the whole thing, or we had doughnuts after church, then maybe people would hang around for the coffee and the doughnuts. But if that's the case, then it loses the sense of what I contribute to the liturgy and expects that when I come, I'm going to be entertained by others. Mass is what we make of it. I think we bring ourselves, we bring our needs, we bring our joy, we bring our sense of fraternity with one another into that experience of the Mass. And I want to stay for the whole party.

Sister Maxine  
You make a good point. You know, there may be things that are not to our particular liking. But that's not the reason we're there. Really. You know, I have to just reflect for a moment--like at my mom's funeral. There's a lot of great-grandkids. And they were trying so hard to be good that you could see, partway through, the struggle was being lost.

Sister Shannon  
Wiggly and tired.

Sister Maxine  
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And so, of course, the adults, whose very last nerve might have been frayed, they take the kid to go out and, and calm down. So all of these factors, you know. When you look at the Mass, I found that when kids do that, I feel bad for the parents, but I also celebrate the life of the child there. And so you know, when you look at this, and you look at the Mass, and all that it can do for you, and all that you can do for it. You know, whatever happens in there is you bring your whole self to it.

Sister Shannon  
That's right. And I think that it's good for us to recognize in our neighbors that maybe sometimes somebody doesn't feel good. They leave a little bit early. They're concerned about something that's going on at home and they need to rush but they don't want to miss Mass, so they might leave a few minutes early. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

Sister Maxine  
Yeah, people whose work schedules--you know, they might be doing good just to get there for 10 minutes. You know, that is very true. So for Lou and for all of us, that's a good thing to keep in mind.

Sister Shannon  
This was a good conversation. Thanks for that question, Lou. I think it's important for us to recognize the power of the liturgy and its significance in our lives.

Sister Maxine  
And it sounds like you show up, Lou, and you're present to the Mass, and we encourage you and everybody with you to keep doing that.

Sister Rejane  
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This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.