§ I. On Those Things Which Are Required For Hearing Mass Rightly

Three things are required: 1° presence of body; 2° attention of mind; 3° due place.

A moral and continuous presence of body is required.

399. • I. Moral, namely, one must be present where Mass is taking place, so that he can be said to be one from the number of those assisting and offering the Sacrifice; but for this it suffices that he be in a place from which he can follow Mass as to the principal parts, whether by seeing, or by hearing, or by attending to the signs of the others assisting.

II. Continuous, that is, persevering from the beginning to the end of Mass, so that he sins gravely who omits a notable part of it, and venially who omits a slight part, unless a just cause excuses him.

You will resolve. - 1° He validly assists at Mass who, although he neither sees the priest nor hears the words, distinguishes the parts of the Mass by the sound of the bell, by the chant of the choir, by the movements of those assisting, to whom he is morally joined, although he is outside the Church, in which he cannot be contained because of the crowd. Likewise he who stands behind the altar, behind a column, or behind a wall, provided he can advert to the principal parts of the Mass.

2° Likewise, not improbably, he who is in a neighboring house, from which through a window he sees the altar, although a road intervenes, provided that the space between the Church and the place in which he is be small. But otherwise if a great space intervenes, as is more commonly taught.

3° He who remains a great distance away does not assist at Mass, although he sees the church, the altar, the crowd, because in common use he cannot be said morally to hear and to be present. According to Lugo and others, a space of thirty paces from the crowd assisting does not seem so great that it impedes someone from being present at Mass; yet St. Alphonsus¹ does not admit this.

400. Questions. - Quaer. 1° What omission is to be reckoned grave or light in Mass?

Resp. It cannot easily be determined; for although according to all, a third part of Mass is notable, nevertheless it is not established what the third part is, since a notable part ought not to be judged only from duration. Yet according to the common opinion these things seem able to be established.

1° It is grave to omit everything up to the Offertory inclusively, or up to the oblation of the bread exclusively. But certainly it is light to omit everything up to the Epistle exclusively, and more probably even inclusively; indeed probably also, according to St. Alphonsus,² up to the Gospel inclusively, although the Holy Doctor holds the opposite opinion as more probable. The reason for these things is that what precedes does not properly pertain to the Sacrifice, but is only as it were preparation for it. - Lugo, etc.

2° According to all, it is grave to omit all things before the Gospel and at the same time all things after Communion; but not to omit only those things which follow Communion, indeed not even to omit all things before the Epistle and all things after Communion. - Lacroix,¹ St. Alphonsus.²

3° The omission of the Canon from the Consecration up to the Pater exclusively must be held grave, because it is a notable part in duration and dignity. But the omission of the Offertory, that is, of all things which are done from Dominus vobiscum after the Creed up to the Preface, is reckoned light; for in this broader sense³ the Offertory comes here; - likewise the omission of the Creed, because it is not a regular part of Mass.⁴ But the Gospel of St. John at the end more probably is not a part of the Mass, because before it the people are already dismissed by the blessing.

4° It is grave to omit the Consecration and Communion; indeed even the Consecration alone, because it is the most worthy part, in which, at least principally, the nature of the Sacrifice consists. Nay more, more probably and more commonly it is held that it is grave not to be present at even one Consecration or Communion alone, because the essence of the Sacrifice more probably consists in both the Consecration and in Communion, and St. Alphonsus practically adheres to this opinion.⁵

401. • Quaer. 2° Does he satisfy the precept who hears two half Masses from different priests, either simultaneously or successively?

Resp. 1° Negatively, if he hears them simultaneously. The reason is drawn from the interpretation of the common law, which is confirmed by Proposition 53 condemned by Innocent XI (p. XVII).

Resp. 2° But affirmatively, probably, if successively, if the Consecration and Communion are found in the same Mass, after another Mass has previously been heard up to the Consecration. Yet that without a just cause is at least venial.

Quaer. 3° Must he hear the remaining things who arrives after the Consecration at the last part of Mass?

Resp. Affirmatively, very probably, because the opinion is also sufficiently probable that the essence of the Sacrifice consists in the Consumption, and this opinion must be held in practice also for another reason, namely this, that a notable part of the ceremony prescribed by the Church can be heard.¹

Quaer. 4° Is he who omits a light part of Mass bound under light sin to supply it, if he can?

Resp. Affirmatively, more probably, because he is bound to hear an entire Mass; except if there is question of a very slight part. - Thus St. Alphonsus,² the Salmanticenses against others. For the rest, a sufficiently light reason can exempt from this obligation of supplying.

402. • Attention to Mass is distinguished as twofold: 1° internal, by which someone actually adverts and applies his mind to those things which are being done by the priest; 2° external, which consists in avoiding any external action which impedes the application of the mind, for example to converse, paint, ... etc.

But internal attention is threefold: 1° one to the words or actions of the priest; 2° another to the sense of the words or mysteries; 3° another to God Himself through prayers or pious meditations.

Principles. - I. For hearing Mass validly there is altogether required at least external attention; because in no way can he be said to be present at Mass who posits actions incompatible with internal attention; indeed he impudently mocks God and the Church. - Thus all.

II. Some internal attention is required besides, and at least the will of hearing Mass; because this is entirely required so that the hearing or presence may be human, moral, and religious from its object. - Suarez.⁴

III. But any internal attention from the three just explained suffices. The reason is that by any one of them the mind is sufficiently applied to the divine worship which is intended through the Sacrifice.

IV. No vocal prayer is absolutely required; because religious assistance honors God, and nothing else is prescribed.¹ - Yet in practice the faithful, especially the uninstructed, must be persuaded to recite some prayers, especially the customary prayers for the hearing of Mass, or the rosary of the most blessed Virgin, lest they be exposed to too many distractions.

403. Questions. - Quaer. 1° For fulfilling this precept, is internal attention required under grave sin?

Resp. The matter is very doubtful. The FIRST OPINION, from St. Alphonsus more common and more probable, affirms. For an act by which God is worshiped is prescribed by the Church; but God cannot be worshiped by mere physical presence; therefore.... Therefore the Church, by directly prescribing the external act of hearing Mass, seems to prescribe indirectly attention, at least some, as a condition without which the formal external act would not consist. - Thus St. Thomas, Billuart, Elbel, the Salmanticenses, and not a few others.

The SECOND OPINION denies. The reason is that assistance with voluntary attention, even merely external, is a sufficiently religious act, and it is not established that anything else is prescribed by the Church. - Thus Lugo, with many others, and St. Alphonsus² does not judge it improbable.

For the rest, in practice there does not appear so great a difference between each opinion. For according to the prior opinion, attention in a remiss degree altogether suffices, namely to the principal parts of Mass; but according to the later, there is required: 1° a pious movement of soul, or a true intention of honoring God; 2° such attention that the one assisting at Mass can render an account to himself that he is really assisting at Mass, and consequently that he adverts at least confusedly to its principal parts. Hence the faithful are not easily to be accused of grave fault because of defect of sufficient attention in Mass, but rather are lovingly to be exhorted to direct the mind piously and diligently to the divine Mysteries. For, says St. Alphonsus,³ after Elbel, Sporer, and Tamburini, no one ought to be anxious because of a scruple of attention not furnished, because it suffices to have had the general intention of worshiping God.

404. • Quaer. 2° Does he satisfy the precept who confesses sins during the time of Mass?

Resp. Negatively, both because he posits an action which impedes internal attention, since one confessing cannot be a witness of those things which are being done; and because he does not assist as one exhibiting worship, but as a guilty person. Nevertheless he is excused if the Confession is either easy and brief, since this does not impede continuous presence, or necessary, lest he remain for some time in mortal sin; for if a grave temporal inconvenience excuses from this precept, a fortiori a spiritual one will excuse.¹

Quaer. 3° Does a cleric reciting the Breviary during the time of Mass satisfy the precept of the Church?

Resp. Affirmatively. The reason is that recitation of the divine Office does not impede someone from being able to be present at the Sacrifice of Mass and to exhibit moral presence to it. - Thus commonly.² (See n. 134.)

405. You will resolve. - 1° Those ministering at Mass satisfy the precept; for they attend sufficiently by exhibiting their ministry, by which they actually cooperate with the Sacrifice. The same must be said of sacristans, musicians, organists, drummers, etc.; because their acts are referred to the worship of God, and do not impede the necessary attention to those things which are done at the altar.³

2° Those who collect alms satisfy, provided they attend to the Mass at least confusedly;⁴ but if they foresee that they cannot furnish this attention, let them hear another Mass, if they conveniently can.

3° Those who examine conscience during the time of Mass, so that they may confess, fulfill sacramental penance, or even make a prayer owed by whatever title, satisfy; because by these the mind is directed to God, and from elsewhere two precepts can be satisfied at the same time, if the things prescribed can be furnished at the same time. - Thus commonly. - Likewise those who read some spiritual book, but not sacred histories with the mind of learning the style.⁵

4° Those also satisfy who are distracted involuntarily, even during the whole time of the Sacrifice, unless they are so carried away by alien thoughts that they in no way attend; for then they satisfy no more than those who sleep involuntarily through a notable part of Mass, although they are excused from sin. Thus commonly. But one dozing sometimes during Mass satisfies, or at least does not offend gravely, provided in some way he adverts to that which is being done.

5° Those also satisfy as to the substance, or are excused from grave fault, who voluntarily are distracted, even during the whole time of Mass, provided they at the same time attend; for this sometimes can happen if the distractions are not so vehement, since a man can think about several things at the same time. - Reuter.²

6° But they by no means satisfy who through a notable part of Mass converse about a serious thing (or even about a light thing, but in such a way that external attention is impeded), or attentively consider images, survey with their eyes the furnishings of the church, read inscriptions or other profane things, meditate on sciences, paint, or perform other similar things, unless these are done interruptedly, or in such a way that they do not altogether impede attention.³

406. • Omitting those things which theologians hand down concerning private oratories, it suffices to note these two things for these provinces.

1° The precept is satisfied wherever by force of the Faculties (n. 1329. q. 3°) it is licit to celebrate.

2° The priest who otherwise could not hear Mass is bound, on Sundays and feasts of precept, to use the privilege of celebrating on a portable altar which is customarily conceded to priests in these provinces, provided nevertheless that he is able reverently to undertake so great an office in those adjuncts of things in which it happens that he is placed. For the rest, if on a journey he is living alone among non-Catholics, he is not bound to celebrate, since the reverence due to the Sacrifice can scarcely be observed.⁴