Years ago, Cardinal James A. Hickey, archbishop of Washington, had a clock on his desk on which the engraved plate read, “Spiritual Alarm Clock.” Those words were in reference to the perspective he provided when the U.S. bishops discussed putting aside the obligation to attend Mass on holy days of obligation when those days fell on Saturdays and Mondays.
The cardinal advocated for retaining the obligation even when those days fell on Saturdays or Mondays. He viewed them as a spiritual alarm clock. He felt strongly that if we started making exceptions, it might diminish the fervor in the key aspect of holy days, which is to awaken us spiritually.
The U.S. bishops voted in 1991 to remove the obligation to attend Mass when the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Jan. 1), the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15), and All Saints (Nov. 1) fell on a Saturday or Monday.
The obligation to attend Mass on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 8) and Christmas remained. The Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops approved the bishops’ decision, which went into effect Jan. 1, 1993.
In 1999, Pope John Paul II gave the provinces (geographic groupings of dioceses) permission to observe the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus on the Seventh Sunday of Easter rather than on the Thursday prior to it.
This year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary fell on the Second Sunday of Advent. Liturgically, celebration of the latter took precedent. The holy day observance was transferred to Monday.
The question arose whether the obligation to attend Mass was also transferred. Asked for a clarification, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts replied, “The feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” Thus, we had an obligation to attend Mass on Monday, Dec. 9.
Twenty years after his passing, Cardinal Hickey’s determination and intervention came full circle. One could see his concern for retaining the obligation to attend Mass on holy days expressed indirectly through this instruction.
It is interesting to note that, at one time, the Universal Church had 36 holy days of obligation. In 1911, Pope Pius X reduced the number to eight. However, in 1884, the U.S. bishops, during the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, had already, with Vatican approval, settled on six. Thus, the Epiphany of the Lord and the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul are not holy days of obligation in the United States. The Code of Canon Law lists 10 holy days, but with the provision that the bishops’ conferences may determine which will be days of obligation in their countries.
Holy days, as does the entire liturgical year, awaken us “… to the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the coming of the Lord” (Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 102).
The question regarding the obligation to attend Mass on Monday, Dec. 9, provides us with an occasion to examine how we approach holy days. If we focus solely on the obligation, we might see it as a burden or a penance the Church is requiring of us. However, when we consider who, what and why we are celebrating on these days, we will recognize holy days as opportunities to awaken and strengthen our connection to the Church and to grow spiritually.