Ask Ellen: Do I HAVE to?

Ask Ellen If the Bible doesn't say we have to go to church(if I remember right) or it is a sin, why does the Catholic Church trump it by saying it is a sin if we don't? Lisa, ME

Thanks for your interesting question, Lisa. I think I need to answer it on two levels. The first is to address what it means to be Catholic. As Catholics, we believe in the authority of Scripture and Tradition. This is different from most Protestant denominations who believe in the authority of Scripture alone. Since we recognize the authority of Tradition, we believe that the Church has the ability (with the guidance of the Holy Spirit) to make the rules. One of these rules is that all Catholics attend Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday. The Church has this rule for our own good. Many have said, “I don’t need to go to Church on Sunday. I keep the Sabbath my own way.” But you don’t. You miss the opportunity to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and you miss the opportunity to worship among family, your Catholic brother and sisters.

When we search Scripture for verses we like, to back up our own position, we run the risk of missing the whole story. The Old Testament may not clearly state that we must go to Church on Sunday. But it sure was implied. No devout Jew would need that to be written. They kept Sabbath and they kept it well. We read of it in Numbers. When they physically had a Temple, they were there on the Sabbath. We need to dig deeper to realize that was simply their way of life.

The New Testament contains many references to Christians observing the Sabbath together in the Eucharist. Paul urges us not to “forsake the assembly.” He means, “Get your butt to Mass.”

This is why Tradition is a beautiful and essential aspect of our faith. Our Church Fathers studied this. They knew that this was just plain obvious to the original readers. In their wisdom, the Fathers knew that it wouldn’t be to us. So they defined it for us. The third Commandment is “Keep holy the Sabbath.” A Jew intuitively knew what that meant. Thanks to the Catholic Church so do we!