Obliged to go to Church?!

The words ‘Holyday of Obligation’ are so familiar to Catholics that they trip off the tongue without our stopping to think: why is the Church actually obliging me to go to mass? Such is the age of personal freedom and lack of personal discipline and obedience, that the very word ‘obligation’ more often than not meets with something of a flicker of rebellion.

The tradition of going to Church every Sunday is very much based on the Ten Commandments given to Moses and stresses the importance of having one day of rest, taking that day as an opportunity to focus on priority: God, family, community, praise and worship. As God gave Moses the Ten Commandments he told him that they were the blueprint for a happy and successful society: follow these rules and all will be well.

The Church has imposed rules upon its members based on the Ten Commandments. These rules and regulations are there because God is fully aware of humanity’s natural weaknesses: he knows that without rules and regulations humanity will always be in danger of running riot, morally.

All the rules and regulations given to us have been laid down in the spirit of Love, not to constrain us but to protect us, and there are some very specific days which the Church sees as particularly important in terms of keeping humanity on track, and the Church emphasises these days in God’s name. These days are the Holydays of Obligation.

In any one Liturgical year (beginning with the first Sunday in Advent and ending with the Feast of Christ the King, just before Advent) there are no less than seven Holydays of Obligation. They are: The Epiphany, The Ascension, Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul, The Assumption, All Saints and Christmas Day.

Let’s take a look at each of them, asking ourselves: Why is this important? What is it asking of me and what is it offering to me?

In The Epiphany we meet the Magi, the Three Wise Men, who have been stargazers for some time and who are now joined in their conviction that this new star will lead them to a new King. They are united in their following of the Light. Why is this important to me, here and now? It is important because the significance for us is that they were not Israelites, they were not members of God’s chosen people: they were, like us, outsiders. They therefore represent all members of the rest of humanity who search for the Christ. The kings searched and they found; they knocked and the door was opened to them; they believed in their search and were rewarded. This day is therefore asking me: am I actively following the light, i.e. searching for Jesus (i.e. love, truth, honesty, integrity, goodness, etc) in my day-to-day life? How am I searching? Do I read the gospels regularly enough? Am I neglectful of my prayer life? Do I allow myself, by my actions and words, to be a means of reflecting the Light into the world around me? But what is this Holyday offering me? Hope! It is a reminder that when Jesus opened his arms on the cross, he opened his arms to the community beyond his own, Jewish, community: I am included in God’s family, as I recognise him as my Father, he recognises me as his own and beloved child.

In the Ascension we see the Lord leaving the earth for the last time, promising us that he has to return to heaven in order that the Holy Spirit can be sent into the world. This is important to us on a number of levels. On a human level it is a reminder that in life we are bound to encounter loss: we cannot hold on to those whom we love because, ultimately, they belong to God. On a spiritual level it is a reminder that the Holy Spirit – he who is so strong, so perfect, so wise, so steadfast – is promised to us. As a direct result of the Ascension, the Spirit was poured out upon the world, and continues to be poured out into the world and into hearts who invite him and are willing to receive Him. This should cause us to ask of ourselves: do I acknowledge the gift of the Spirit in my life? Do I seek Him and His guidance out? This feast offers us the opportunity to turn to the Spirit afresh, inviting him into our lives that we may become the person that God so urgently wants us to be.

In the feast of Corpus Christi we remember that, despite Jesus leaving the world 2,000 years ago, he is still with us! All those people who flocked to him whilst he was still alive came to him and found their healing. Corpus Christi reminds us that we, too, can come to him, truly and fully present as he is in the Eucharist at Mass, to search for our own healing. It obviously challenges us to think more carefully and deeply about our attitude to Mass and to the Eucharist, and encourages us to have faith in Jesus still truly present amongst us. As I walk up the aisle at Communion time, I imagine the warm Middle Eastern dust under my feet, the hot desert sun on my face, the din of the crowd and …. Jesus, the great healer, waiting for me, to meet my need and the needs of those I carry with me. Corpus Christi is a celebration of Jesus still amongst us to heal and strengthen us. I cannot think of a more powerful, loving and intimate gift to each of us than this, the personal, gentle and healing touch of the Lord in the form of bread.

In June we remember Saints Peter and Paul. This may seem a strange choice for obliging us to go to church. But if we reflect that without these two men there would be no Church, then it is not surprising that we are asked to gather together to officially recognise their work and great personal sacrifice. This Holyday asks us to question our own attitude as to how we join in the work of the original apostles in proclaiming the Gospel. For instance, I know how uncomfortable it is possible to feel in talking about faith and being open with others about our relationship with God. But, imagine what the Church would have been like if Peter and Paul had failed to be open about their faith! The faith cannot be carried on from one generation to the next without people who are open about faith. Therefore, if we call ourselves believers and followers of Christ then we, too, are on a mission. The best way we can be open about faith is in the way we live. Indeed, one of my favourite quotes from St Francis is this: “Preach the Gospel with your whole life. If necessary, use words”. One of the most important aspects of this Holyday is that it is a good reminder that God chooses weak, unlikely and surprising characters to carry out his work. This, in itself, should fill us with encouragement and hope.

In the Feast of The Assumption we celebrate the fact that Mary was taken up into Heaven both in soul and in body. She is the forerunner of all who believe and have faith: she was the first disciple and believer who welcomed Jesus into her life and whose life was transformed by her “Yes”. We are taught that at the Final Judgement our corrupt bodies will be transformed into glorious copies of Our Lord’s and that those who have been faithful in serving the Lord in their lifetime will be rewarded by the fullest possible resurrection. What does it ask of us? It asks us to consider how fully we have given our own ‘Yes’ and whether or not we have allowed that ‘yes’ to transform our lives. It asks us to question how faithful we have been. This Holyday reminds us, of course, that as baptised children of God, we have the promise of resurrection and an eternity spent in the company of the saints and angels.

Which brings us to the Feast of All Saints. Is this a feast we can relate to? Yes, absolutely! Of course, primarily, this is a day which celebrates all those who have gone before us who have gained Heaven due to the witness of their lives. BUT, this is also a day which celebrates all Christians. St Paul regularly in his letters refers to the followers of Christ as ‘saints’. It is therefore a day when we celebrate the fact that God asks all of us to strive to know, love and serve him to the best of our ability – that is what a saint is. Regardless of our background we are all called to love God and each other. If we can do that, then the feast of All Saints is for us. Well, that raises the obvious questions, and challenges us to look at just how far we are prepared to go to know, love and serve God. Do I know God? If not, why not? How do I express my love for him? How am I serving him in my day to day life?

I’ll bet you didn’t know that Christmas Day was a Holyday of Obligation. Of course, Midnight Mass has something of a reputation anyway for dragging even the most reluctant church-goer out into the cold night air, unable to resist the annual ritual of being in church on Christmas Eve. Of all the Holydays of Obligation this is the one most likely to attract churchgoers and with good reason, though we have to be careful to divorce ourselves from the commercialisation of this Feast and to go to church to sincerely celebrate the appearance upon this earth of Him who created all things. It is a miracle, probably, too deep for humanity to completely and fully comprehend, but a miracle truly deserving of obliging Christians to gather together in a spirit of worship, praise and thanksgiving.

All of these Holydays of Obligation are invitations to do that: to praise and to give thanks. If I were to list here all the things we need to praise about God and all the things we need to thank him for, there isn’t enough paper in the world to do it, neither would there be sufficient words or time. Holydays of Obligation present us with small but important opportunities to express our thanks and to ask ourselves questions about how we are doing in our own journey towards God.