Section — Gury-Ballerini, Compendium of Moral Theology (8th ed., 1884)
§ II. On the Causes Excusing from Mass
- Any moderately grave cause excuses from hearing Mass, or one which involves a certain moderate inconvenience or damage in the goods of soul or body, either one's own or a neighbor's. This is clear from common interpretation and custom, which is the best interpreter of laws. - Thus commonly. - St. Alphonsus, n. 324.
Resolves. - 1. The sick, the infirm, the convalescent, for whom it is harmful to go outside, are excused. Likewise those who must guard the sick. - St. Alphonsus, n. 325.
- Travelers are excused, for whom no place occurs where they may be present at the Sacrifice, or who cannot interrupt the journey because public coachmen, or companions of the road without whom the journey would not be free from inconveniences or danger, refuse to stop.
- Those are excused who guard a flock or a house, or who must prepare food, or perform similar necessary things; if nevertheless several Sacrifices are held, all, insofar as it can be done, ought to hear Mass successively. - St. Alphonsus, n. 326.
- Mothers and nurses are excused, who have no one to whom they may leave little children, nor can they lead them to church without great disturbance of those present. If there are only two spouses, they will conveniently be able to be present at the Sacrifice by alternate turns. - St. Alphonsus, ibid. 1.
1 ** St. Alphonsus adds (lib. 3, n. 330): "Widows are excused by reason of mourning, and also daughters and sisters." As regards the space of time, he adds that it is not to be extended up to a month, since St. Charles permitted only a month. Yet he adds that if there were another custom in some place, it would not be condemned as a grave sin. And rightly; for if the reason of excusing is custom, this ought to be valid in the same way for a month as for a longer time. This one thing is obscure: why he restricts the excuse to the limits of grave sin. For if such a custom truly flourishes, it does not appear why it would not excuse even from light fault.
- Often those are excused who are distant far from the church, so that they cannot approach it without great difficulty, especially in the wintertime.
- Servants are excused if they cannot omit their service without grave detriment to the master, or if they are prohibited by him and cannot easily find another master. Yet they ought diligently to take care that they remove the impediments, if they can. - Thus commonly. - St. Alphonsus, n. 327. - Reuter, n. 288.
- Questions. - Q. 1. What distance excuses from Mass?
Resp. It cannot be assigned absolutely, but must be determined from the circumstances of persons, places, and times. But regularly a distance of three miles excuses, or a walking journey of one hour and a quarter, and even something less, if it were raining or snowing, or if another cause were present. - St. Alphonsus, n. 329; Hom. apost., n. 41.
- Q. 2. Whether a sick person is excused from Mass in doubt whether the inconvenience is grave enough?
Resp. In this case one must stand by the counsel of a doctor, Superior, Pastor, Confessor, or another prudent man. Indeed a sick person can also acquiesce in his own judgment, if he judges prudently in this way. But what if, after counsel has been sought, he still remains doubtful? - Absolutely he is not bound to Mass, because, while the danger of grave damage stands, it must be judged that mother Church does not oblige. - Thus St. Alphonsus says very probably, n. 325. - In practice it is safer that a dispensation be sought, if it can easily be sought.
Q. 3. Whether the occasion of making a notable profit excuses?
Resp. It is affirmed probably, because the precepts of the Church do not oblige with a very grave inconvenience, as is clear from what was said in the Treatise on Laws, n. 100. But profit of this sort ought to be extraordinary. - St. Alphonsus, n. 332. - Elbel, n. 368. - See Cases, n. 347 and following.