In today’s world, people work longer hours, spend more time online, and take fewer vacation days than ever before. Our schedules get so full, it is understandable how some people feel they don’t have time to go to church. Some got out of the practice of attending Mass for whatever reason and have not yet found their way back. In this article, I would like to offer a variety of good reasons to come to Mass.

A matter of justice

I believe the most important reason to attend church is because it is a matter of justice — God deserves our worship and our thanks. God created and sustains all that exists, and God gives us 168 hours of life every week. The least we can do is to give him back one or two hours of worship each week in church. Weekly church attendance is actually an expectation of God. In the Ten Commandments, God tells us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Ex 20:8). In our faith tradition, this includes attending Mass every Sunday and holy day.

Example of Jesus

As Christians, our desire is to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He had the practice of participating in the regular worship of his faith community at the weekly Sabbath service in his local synagogue. Thus, if we follow his example, we will also participate in the regular worship of our faith community, the community founded by Jesus himself — the Catholic Church.

Do this

Furthermore, a person who believes in Jesus seeks to follow the commands that Jesus gives. At the Last Supper, when Jesus offered bread and wine in the first Eucharist, identifying them with his own body and blood, he commanded his followers, “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). To participate in Mass is simply to follow this instruction of Jesus. To skip Mass is to ignore his instruction.

What really happens

When we realize what is taking place in every Catholic Mass, we have a deeper appreciation for why it is important to be there. The Mass is actually a direct, bodily encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the flesh. Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist in a more powerful way than in anything else we do. What we are receiving in Communion in our Mass is the true presence of Jesus Christ himself.

The bread and wine really are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. It’s not just a symbol. Our Mass is more than just a memorial of a past event of the Last Supper. It's more than just a community meal of fellowship. It's also a participation in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ. In the Eucharist, we participate in and apply the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to our needs today. The more we appreciate this profound truth, the more committed we will be to coming and receiving him.

Balanced life

There is more to life than work. Attending church helps us to strike a healthier balance between work and life. It gives us a chance to step off the treadmill of our work routine and simply be. Without the need to perform, produce, or accomplish tasks, we can just bask in the presence of God, who accepts each one of us unconditionally. It strengthens us to face the stresses and struggles of life. It gives us a sense of purpose and meaning. It helps us to put our pains in their proper perspective. It reminds us of our ultimate goal of eternal life in heaven. Just as God rested on the seventh day after all the work he had done in creating the world (Gn 2:2), we imitate God in our observance of Sunday as a day of rest and prayer.

Our work schedules sometimes make it very difficult to get to church. In the pursuit of profit in a highly competitive environment, employers often ignore the basic human right to practice one’s religion. I have a high regard for those companies who respect their employees’ desire to go to church. This is good for people’s wellbeing, and it is good for the family.

Prayer

The Mass is an encounter with Jesus Christ. Coming to Mass opens ourselves up to union with God and the entire communion of saints. Our participation in the Eucharist gathers us more and more into the body of Christ. It transforms us spiritually. It helps us to let go of our self pity and our tendency to ask, “Why me?” It helps us to count our blessings in gratitude to God. It helps us to examine our conscience, ask for God’s forgiveness, and forgive ourselves. It reminds us of the importance of forgiving one another. The Mass also includes prayer of praise, where we simply glorify the greatness of God. Every Mass is also an opportunity to express our prayers of petition. Coming to Mass reminds me that I need God, and that God is on my side.

Networking

Attending church provides a social support network. At church we can meet people and form new friendships. All sorts of helpful connections happen when we take part in a community. It gives us a break from the loneliness and isolation that are rampant in contemporary life. We have a chance to converse with other people who are sincerely trying to be good. My best friends in this world are people I met in church. I have known many married couples who met one another at church. The common bond of shared faith provides a much more trustworthy basis for marriage than the mere physical attractiveness of meeting a stranger at a bar.

Family unity

Going to church helps spouses to connect better with one another. In our faith tradition, we say that a couple that prays together stays together. This was certainly true for my parents. They went to church together every Sunday and holy day, and their Christian marriage lasted almost 70 years before my father passed away. Shared beliefs and values help to reinforce the bond of matrimony.

Those in need

Going to church puts us in a position to learn about opportunities to volunteer in good causes to serve our community and help those in need. At Mass we regularly hear about situations that need helpers, such as a family whose house burned down, a person who lost their job, someone in the hospital who could use some encouragement, or perhaps a group that is planning a medical mission trip to a developing country.

Mutual encouragement

When we come to the church for Mass, we strengthen those around us in their journey of faith. We are not there just for ourselves. Our presence at Mass provides support and encouragement for the faith commitment of the others who are gathered there.

Singing

Singing together in prayerful song lifts our heart to God and feeds our soul. St. Augustine of Hippo said, “The one who sings prays twice.” What he meant was that, besides praying the words of the song, the very use of our voice in singing is itself an act of love for God. Music has a way of opening our hearts to God. If we will look at the words of the congregational hymns and try to sing along prayerfully, there will be some words that will occasionally connect to our hearts in a powerful way.

Scripture

The three-year Sunday lectionary cycle gives us the opportunity to encounter God’s holy word from all parts of the Bible, not just the parts we are personally familiar with or comfortable with. God is actually present to us in the proclamation of his word in the liturgy. Each one of us will have a more powerful experience of his word proclaimed in Mass if we will read and reflect on the Mass readings at home beforehand.

Don’t blame God

Sometimes we stay away from church because we are mad at God. When life gets hard and this world is unfair to us, it is easy to blame God. However, God never promised us a rose garden. He never promised that life will be easy. God is with us in our pain, healing us and giving us strength. In fact, going to church helps us to find God’s presence and guidance in our times of struggle. It helps us to learn from our experience and to practice healthy coping skills when life gets difficult.

Travel

It is good to get out of town sometimes for vacation, visits to friends and family, or just a change of pace. Weekend schedules are sometimes very full of activities, such as out-of-town travel for sports competitions. I have found it to be enlightening and enjoyable to discover the Catholic churches in places where I travel. There is a very handy resource for finding Mass times in our travels. Just look up masstimes.org. Many parishes have Masses on Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday evening, making it more feasible to attend a Mass when we are traveling.

The struggle to get ready

We all know how hard it can be to get everybody on the same page, get dressed, get the children ready, get in the car, and get on the way to Mass. It is even more difficult when some of the family members are resistant to going. I have found that the families who go to church consistently are the ones who teach their children that it is simply a non-negotiable and it is a part of our identity as believers.

Sunday obligation

The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a helpful explanation of the Sunday obligation at numbers 2174–2188. It also makes it clear that we do not have an obligation to attend Mass if a serious reason makes it physically or morally impossible (for example, if we are ill, or we are taking care of an infant or someone who is ill or homebound, or if our travel makes it impossible, or if no Mass is available, or we don’t have sufficient mobility or transportation). In those circumstances, missing Mass is not a sin.

Conclusion

My days are very full of an amazing variety of interactions with people, but the most important thing I do each day is the Mass. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the entire Christian life (Lumen Gentium, no.11). This means that all our activity is ultimately directed toward the Eucharist, and all we do flows from the Eucharist like water flowing from a spring. The more you understand what is really happening in the Mass, the more motivated you will be to come and participate in it.

The more you truly appreciate Jesus Christ, the more you will want to be united with him in the Eucharist. His words in the Gospel of John summarize the great value incoming to Mass: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. … Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (Jn 6:53-57).