What if I Can’t Get to Sunday Mass?

by Alexis Ries | December 11, 2025

'Tis the season for bad weather, colds, the flu, and every illness in-between. So, how is a faithful Catholic to keep their Sunday Mass obligations when it feels like Mother Nature is doing everything possible to sabotage it?

Understanding the Sunday Mass Obligation

The Church is very clear that it is grave matter to miss Mass on Sunday or any other holy day of obligation, and if freely done with knowledge of one’s obligation, is mortally sinful. This obligation is clearly outlined in the both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in canon law.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"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 (CCC 2181)."

Canon 1247 also outlines this same point:

"On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass; they are also to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord's Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body."

However, there are three components to a mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge, and full consent of the will. So, how do these teachings apply when you want to go to Mass but are being prevented by outside factors? This is when it's time discern your "full consent of the will" aka is your true intention just that you don't want to go to Mass, or are you genuinely unable to attend?

Grave Causes that Prevent Participation

While Canon 1247 outlines the obligation, it is followed by Canon 1248 which outlines what to do if celebration of the Eucharist is impossible.

"2. If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the liturgy of the word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families."

This implies that there are grave causes that excuse a person from the Sunday obligation without requiring a dispensation from the local pastor or bishop. Missing Mass is still a grave matter, but the obligation is not binding when it become morally or physically impossible to attend Mass.

Examples of Grave Causes that Excuse Mass Attendance:

• Personal sickness or the care of the sick. If you or someone in your home is ill and contagious, it is good courtesy to stay home to prevent the spread of infection and to allow for the sick person to rest and recover. A good guideline is daycare rules - has the person had a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea in the past 24 hours? Stay home. Depending on where you live, it might be possible for other members of the family to take turns caring for the sick person so that the healthy people in the family may attend Mass (example: Mom goes to 8:00 AM Mass and Dad goes to 10:30 AM Mass).
• Being temporarily or permanently homebound. If you found yourself with limited mobility or homebound this is considered a legitimate reason to be excused from the Sunday Mass obligation. This includes those who are temporarily homebound due to recovering from a major surgery or medical event (like childbirth) and those who are permanently homebound. In this case, contact your parish to to see if a priest or Eucharistic Minister can bring you the Eucharist (many parishes have specific homebound ministry programs!)
• Unsafe travel conditions. Whether it be winter blizzards dumping 8-10 inches of snow overnight or a sudden summer rainstorm causing flash floods, there are times when the weather makes it unsafe to travel anywhere - including to Mass. Since the weather doesn't plan itself around our Sunday Mass times, it's important to use prudential judgement when determining if it is safe for your family to make it to - and from - Mass.
• Lack of transportation. You started your morning with the intention of going to Mass, but now that you're out the door you've found that your car won't start - or worse you car breaks down on the way to Mass. While you may be able to phone a friend for a ride, if you were on your way to the one Sunday Mass available it may be difficult to get your car fixed or towed in the 20 minutes before Mass starts.

What to Do When You Can't Attend Mass

If you have the grave cause needed to excuse yourself from attending Mass, that doesn't mean you should just kick up your feet and call it good on Jesus for the day. There are still plenty of ways to incorporate prayer and elements of the Liturgy into your Sunday at home.

• Look up and read the Sunday Readings at usccb.org. If there are multiple people at home, take 5-10 minutes to reflect together on the readings and what God may be saying to you.
• Find a livestream Mass online. While this doesn't fulfill the Sunday obligation, it still offers spiritual nourishment. Many parishes offer livestream Masses that are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. You can also find online Masses from Sundays with Ascension and EWTN. Sundays with Ascension offers Sunday Mass with Fr. Mike Schmitz  on YouTube. EWTN offers daily Mass and readings on their TV channel, YouTube, and at ewtn.com.
• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours. This formal liturgy of the Church can be done at home (and laity are generally encouraged to participate in it!) There are tons of online resources available to start learning this type of prayer. You can visit divineoffice.org or download an app like iBreviary, Laudate, Amen, and Hallow (all available for iOS and Android).

The Bottom Line

The Church calls us to attend Mass not for her own good but for ours. When we attend Mass, we aren't just "checking a box"; we are participating in what Pope Paul VI called "the most perfect form of prayer." It is the well-spring from which we draw life by reflecting on the Word and receiving Jesus himself in the Eucharist. Who would want to miss that?